Book summary

A debut novel about Bear, a black Grizzly who plays alto saxophone well enough to make his mark in the world of Manhattan's jazz clubs. On the eve of cutting his first album, however, Bear is hauled off to jail for violating an obscure statute regulating animal acts in New York cabarets. How will he escape extradition back to the backwoods? Zabor manages suspense and satire equally well in this deft parody of music, ambition, and fame.

Media reviews

"A tour de force that reads so well that after a while the reader completely forgets he is not dealing with a human being but with a Gregor Samsa metamorphosed into a John Coltrane double. The incredible adventures of the horn-blowing bear left me mesmerized. The climactic gigs must be among the best at capturing that sort of artistic creation in fiction."