Sweet Music In Harlem - Tapa dura

It’s a special day in 1950s Harlem, and C. J., an aspiring young jazz musician, is excited. His trumpet-playing Uncle Click is getting ready to be photographed by Highnote magazine. When Uncle Click can’t find his signature black beret, C. J. volunteers to retrace his uncle’s steps from the previous day to find the hat.

As C. J. races to Uncle Click’s favorite hangouts—from Garlic’s Barbershop to the Midnight Melody Club—a buzz about the photo shoot begins to stir in the Harlem air. C. J. returns home without the hat, but news of the photo has spread like wildfire. Soon all the best jazz musicians in the neighborhood have shown up at Uncle Click’s front door for a photo shoot of historic proportions.

Sweet Music in Harlem captures the energy and excitement of a magical time in Harlem’s jazz history, highlighting the dynamic friendship of a close-knit community.

DEBBIE A. TAYLOR is a first-time picture book author with a master’s degree in creative writing. She works at the University of Michigan and has had several stories published in children’s literary magazines including Spider, Cricket, and New Moon. Taylor and her family live in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

FRANK MORRISON, an established fine artist, makes his picture book debut with Sweet Music in Harlem. As a teenager, Morrison experimented with art in the form of graffiti before developing his unique fine art style. The themes he most explores in his dynamic works are music, family, and spirituality. Morrison lives with his family in Somerset, New Jersey.