''Twelve Bar Blues'' is a
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
novel by
Patrick Neate
Patrick Neate (born 1970) is a British novelist, journalist, poet, screenwriter and podcaster.
Early life
Born and raised as a Roman Catholic in South London, he was educated at St. Paul's School and Cambridge University. He spent a gap year in ...
, and the winner of that year's
Whitbread novel award.
The story is essentially about two people who share a common history - Fortis 'Lick' Holden, a cornet player in early 20th Century
, and Sylvia Di Napoli, a retired prostitute living in modern-day
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, who is searching for her ancestry.
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
is also featured in the novel.
2001 British novels
Novels about music
Viking Press books
Novels set in London
Novels set in New Orleans
Cultural depictions of Louis Armstrong
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