Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 192
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-5381-3327-9 • Hardback • November 2020 • $31.00 • (£25.00)
978-1-5381-3328-6 • eBook • November 2020 • $29.50 • (£25.00)
Janet Tennant is the author of Mistress and Muse, a critically acclaimed biography of Ursula, the poet, librettist, and lover of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. She lives in Lichfield, England.
Chapter 1. Big Bands
Chapter 2. Changing Times—The 1930s
Chapter 3. Ivy
Chapter 4. Early War
Chapter 5. ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association)
Chapter 6. Battle of the Saxes
Chapter 7. The Wartime ‘Girls’
Chapter 8. Overpaid, Oversexed and Over Here
Chapter 9. Living Through History
Chapter 10. The Shock of Berlin—the first post-war tour.
Chapter 11. The Post-war Band
Chapter 12. On the Road
Chapter 13. Ivy the Woman
Chapter 14. Pop go the Big Bands
Chapter 15. Silver Lady
Chapter 16. Memories
Chapter 17. Legacy
From Yorkshire lass to Silver Lady, Sax Appeal is an insightful and engaging book, which vividly portrays Ivy Benson’s ambition, spirit and musical integrity.— Charlotte Harding, composer, saxophonist and co-founder of Over 100 Years of Women and the Saxophone
Drawing on interviews with many of Benson’s former band members and other primary accounts, Tennant weaves an engaging, well-contextualized chronological account. The narrative is straightforward, and Tennant addresses gender discrimination and Benson’s legacy. Recommended.
— Choice Reviews
A lively, carefully researched book that recounts the lives of Benson and her sister musicians in the 1930s and on into the pre- and postwar years in England. As in other fields during World War II, women musicians had more opportunities when their male counterparts left civilian life to serve their country. At first the group played only jazz and swing, but under Ivy’s leadership their repertoire grew to include current pop hits as well. Through the years the roster of musicians would change frequently as many of the players left to marry, often to American GIs. Benson once quipped, “I sometimes thought it was not so much a band as a mobile marriage market.” If this story strikes a chord with readers, they’ll appreciate the recordings on YouTube. VERDICT A satisfying look at a trailblazer and noteworthy role model.
— Library Journal
From Yorkshire lass to Silver Lady, Sax Appeal is an insightful and engaging book, which vividly portrays Ivy Benson’s ambition, spirit and musical integrity.— Charlotte Harding, composer, saxophonist and co-founder of Over 100 Years of Women and the Saxophone