Center of Gravity - Greg Cohen - Bog

Center of Gravity is a love poem to the power of music in our lives, that spans three decades of American musical history, as composing team Nate Royce and Gregory Solomon grow, desire, succeed, grieve and love the same woman. They conquer Tin Pan Alley, struggle through the Great Depression, celebrate birth, mourn the dead and ride the leaps of radio, records, stereophonic sound, 8-tracks and cassettes. Along the way, they encounter Irving Berlin, whose piano has a lever to change keys, Duke Ellington, facing his entire band paralyzed with stage fright, Count Basie, succumbing to swindling contracts and the Sex Pistols, who have a knack for swindling record labels. Through the culture-shaping transitions of music, Nate's son, Ben Royce, follows in the footsteps of his father and Gregory during the critical years when jazz evolved, big bands faded and rock n' roll emerged, experiencing the tragic rise and fall of Rock pioneer Alan Freed from the inside. Ben's love for one woman, a savvy redhead named Rickie Taylor, embodies the great love once shared by both his father and Gregory. It is through love and loss, both past and present, that all three men finally confront Nate Royce's most crippling issue: determining how much to risk in life, balanced against what to settle for.