Hannah Rothschild: ‘Nobody owns this story’

Writing a book about an eccentric great-aunt who ditched family life to hang out with famous jazz musicians has been a cathartic journey for Hannah Rothschild.

By Diana Wichtel In Culture

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26th May, 2012

Mag Features

In Hannah Rothschild’s 2009 documentary The Jazz Baroness, there’s a recording made by her great aunt, the musical aristocrat of the film’s title. The scene: a New York jazz dive in the late 50s. The voice: posh, shaded by whisky, cigarettes and late nights. “This is Nica’s Tempo and tonight we are coming to you direct from the Five Spot Cafe,” announces Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, née Rothschild, known as Nica. She introduces the night’s big act. Thelonious Monk and his quartet are playing, she purrs, “that beautiful music you hear”. The next voice is Monk’s. ...

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