The Art Tatum Solo Book (Artist Transcriptions) [Paperback] Review

Yea, Tatum is magnificent! Reading the transcriptions while listening to the recordings just makes his playing even more amazing and enjoyable. This book is great and can keep you very busy.By the way, if you want to playlike Art there is a another book, "The Right Hand According toTatum" which has even more transcriptions, tells you how to finger anduse his runs,has some analysis etc. This book could have used a bit ofthat.Good Luck!

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Product Description:
Another folio of spectacular improvisations by one of the great piano masters of the century. Includes: All the Things You Are * Caravan * Cherokee (Indian Love Song) * In a Sentimental Mood * Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time) * Tenderly.

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Popular Performer 1920s and 1930s Love Songs: The Best Romantic Standards (Popular Performer Series) [Paperback] Review

Very good, not-too-hard arrangements of good ol' standards with some creative chords and fills. I played through it as part of my cocktail piano training project, and "early advanced" is just about the right rating. Pleasant listening without getting syrupy like some arrangers I could name.

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Product Description:
Rich textures, sophisticated harmonies and inventive rhythms make these arrangements ideal for hobbyists, advancing students, professional musicians or any Popular Performer. Titles: Begin the Beguine
* Dream a Little Dream of Me
* Easy to Love
* I Only Have Eyes for You
* It Had to Be You
* More Than You Know
* Somebody Loves Me
* Stardust
* Stormy Weather
* Tea for Two.

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Aesthetics and Music (Continuum Aesthetics) [Paperback] Review

The aesthetics of music is an underserved field.Roger Scruton's "Aesthetics of Music" is a formidable achievement, and perhaps so imposing that few have attempted to update it or even tread on the same territory.Andy Hamilton's "Aesthetics and Music" not only dares to engage Scruton, but does so convincingly and with a clarity not often seen in music scholarship.The strength of the book is its attention to the simplest, most important questions we can ask about music: What is it? Is it distinct from mere sound, and if so, how?Hamilton's book should be required reading for all musicologists and music scholars.

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Product Description:
"The Continuum Aesthetics" series looks at the aesthetic questions and issues raised by all major art forms. Stimulating, engaging and accessible, the series offers food for thought not only for students of aesthetics, but also for anyone with an interest in philosophy and the arts. "Aesthetics and Music" is a fresh and often provocative exploration of the key concepts and arguments in musical aesthetics. It draws on the rich heritage of the subject, while proposing distinctive new ways of thinking about music as an art form. The book looks at: the experience of listening; rhythm and musical movement; what modernism has meant for musical aesthetics; the relation of music to other 'sound arts'; improvisation and composition; as well as more traditional issues in musical aesthetics, such as absolute versus programme music and the question of musical formalism. Thinkers discussed range from Pythagoras and Plato to Kant, Nietzsche and Adorno. Areas of music covered include classical, popular and traditional music, and jazz. "Aesthetics and Music" makes an eloquent case for a humanistic, democratic and genuinely aesthetic conception of music and musical understanding.Anyone interested in what contemporary philosophy has to say about music as an art form will find this thought-provoking and highly enjoyable book required reading.

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This Is Ragtime (Da Capo Paperback) [Paperback] Review

This is Ragtime by Terry Waldo is an extremely well researched book on the history of ragtime and early blues.As a protege' of Eubie Blake, Mr. Waldo provides an inside view into this genre from the turn of the century through the 1970s.Engaging and witty, this history lesson takes the reader on a journey from ragtimes roots, through the baudy houses in which the music was once associated, to its acceptance in popular culture.Mr. Waldo is a very talented performer and songwriter in his own right.His anecdotes and interviews with fellow blues and ragtime performers make this book a highly entertaining and educational read.

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Product Description:
In This Is Ragtime, Terry Waldo, musician and scholar, explores ragtime in detail, offering music lovers and social historians a unique view of the music from its inception through its colorful evolution. Waldo tells the story of Scott Joplin and his frustrating attempts to elevate his music to the status of the classics, from his first rags to the tragedy surrounding his operatic masterpiece Treemonisha. Waldo also depicts the exciting and often bawdy settings of the music: the earthly minstrel shows, the whorehouses, the cold and commercial publishers of Tin Pin Alley, the traditional jazz emporiums of Dixieland, and finally the prestigious concert halls of the world. Amplifying Waldo's accounts of how and why ragtime continues to fascinate the music world are pithy interviews with most of its enduring personalities: Eubie Blake, Max Morath, Turk Murphy, Lu Watters, Joe "Fingers" Carr, Johnny Maddox, Gunther Schuller, William Bolcom, and Joshua Rifkin. Illustrated with art work and artifacts, This Is Ragtime is an enduring classic for all ragtime and jazz enthusiasts.

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Secrets from the Masters [Paperback] Review

This 1992 book is a collection of interviews with famous guitarists - primarily rock and jazz guitarists from the 60s, 70s and 80s. There are some big names missing, but most are there. There are some interesting insights and anecdotes, and some music history. Sometimes I wished the interviews would get more a little more technical - rather than re-hashing the stars band-hopping history. I would like to know more specifics about how these top players view the neck, how they think and how they learnt, for example. That said, the book does contains a lot of insights and variety. I particularly enjoyed the interviews with Steve Morse and Howard Roberts -- guitarists that I was not previously familiar with. Les Paul is incredible. Actually - there are just too many good bits to itemize them here. A good read, and each chapter stands alone. I find that I re-read parts of this from time to time. Worth buying, for a classic rock/jazz (and possibly blues) oriented guitarist.

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Product Description:
Interviews with 50 of the worldÕs greatest guitarists spanning the past 25 years and collected into one information-packed volume. Based on articles originally published in Guitar Player, Secrets From The Masters features the most influential guitarists of our time - from legends such as Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins and B.B. King to Joe Satriani, Eddie Van Halen and Eric Clapton, and all genres in-between. This book celebrates the guitarists who have forever altered the way we play and think about the guitar. Within these interviews you will find poetry and prophesy, the outrageous and the sublime, plus rare photos, challenging music, groovy gear, groundbreaking techniques and other glimpses into greatness. 8-1/2 inch. x 11 inch..

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After the Ball: Pop Music from Rag to Rock (Limelight) [Paperback] Review

That's how Ian Whitcomb unabashedly comments on his own writing in the afterword to the 2nd edition.The fact that it went into a second edition (1994, the 1st was in 1972) is in itself a plug for the books' worth.

"After the Ball" is the title of one of those evergreen songs many of us somehow know about, even in the age of hip-hop,though few of us have ever heard the song.Whitcomb takes this 1892 ballad and how it set the stage for what we understand as "popular music" and "hit song"as the starting point to trace the social and musical machinery that has been grinding out pop hits ever since.Though music has always been part ouf our culture, there were not always "smash hits" and "pop songs" as we understand them today: music created and sold especially to be million sellers with broad appeal.How did music get to this place? Where does that music come from?

There is a fascinating line to trace from the sentimental ballads of the parlor, through rag-time and race music right up to rock and roll."After the Ball" is not a scholarly study of that line. It's a well informed, loving backward glance.

The move from sheet music to recording. From the parlor to the street.The influence of the two great wars. Rag-time. Jazz (such scary music).Tin-Pan Alley (ever wonder just what that was? Find out here.). Hillbilly.All the threads tie together.Whitcomb uses some individuals to bring home the story and bring the book down to earth:WH.Handy's experience with racism; Jolson and the popularizing and melding of Vaudeville and minstrelsy; Kern and the rise of the jewels of broadway;the fall of the Alle; Allen Freed and rock `n roll; Elvis to the Beatles. To his credit, although he treats each thread in turn, Whitcomb never looses sight of the fact that none of those threads developed independently. By the time we get to rock, we find that the ghosts of the past are still with us.

If you've read a little of the history, you don't need to be told again about the effects of the strike against radio and how it affected the big bands and some of the broad facts.Whitcomb touches on those high points but paints a broader, more colorful picture and comes up with some interesting facts and explanations along the way.The impact of the war between BMI and ASCAPP and how it contributed to the rise of post-war, independent artists and labels.How the Alley model of writing songs and then plugging them gave way to producers creating and selling packaged music.

The rattling good read comes with Ian Whitcomb's style.He has a pretty cleaver way with a phrase. He can be downright arch (which must annoy some readers).Occasionally the story seems jumbled but that is because he is not isolating the story to one thread.It's not just "first it was rag-time and then came jazz".All these ingredients were bubbling in the same pot.Keep your eye on the larger phenomenon and the threads become clear.

There are occasionally lulls in the narrative and occasional reminiscences (rare actually, until the end where he appends a hilarious recounting of his rise to one-hit-wonderhood in the early 60's) It's alot of history to pack into a couple hundred pages, so yes some stuff is glossed. There are a couple chapters devoted to happenings in England, territory he knows well, that could be a distraction, but they fill a gap too often ignored when looking at American pop.

Though it is not a recent book, it does not come off as dated.Whitcomb has obvously done some home work and though the book does not have a scholarly tone, I could wish at times he would include some scholarly apparatus.I trust the author, but I'd like to check some of those facts and to know the sources.A bibliography would have been valuable.I suppose Evan Eisenberg's "The Recording Angel" fills the pop/scholarly bill. AndKen Emerson's marvelous "Always Magic in the Air" fill in some of the details of 50's-60's pop music history.

So if you are even remotely curious about the pre-history of rock or especially interested in the history of popular music; if you like a little humor with your scholarship, or a little scholarship with your humor, then "After the Ball" will be a rattling good read.

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Product Description:
An irreverent and engaging chronicle of popular music dating from the 1880s, when Tin Pan Alley was founded, to the present by a British-born songwriter and onetime pop star. "Brash, learned, funny, and perspicacious." - The New Yorker

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p. (Kindle Edition) Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, which I bought for my Kindle on a whim (I liked the cover art).Note to the author, your description is somewhat lacking.

What the description doesn't touch on is that this is really the story of three people, whose lives intersect at their work at a fast-food establishment.One is a girl in her late twenties, who, after obtaining three or four degrees, still can't seem to find her place in life.She's looking for something, that much she knows, but she has no clue as to what that something is.

Another character is an artist, a failure presently, but once with a promising future, who pretends to be perfectly content to spend his days frying up burgers and one or two night a week trying to paint.

Finally, there is the "p." of the title.He's a very shy, apparently emotionally challenged man in his early twenties, who, until her death, hid himself away in his grandmother's house.Forced into the world, primarily because of his job at the burger joint, Joseph slowly begins to learn some things about himself.What he has to learn is a lot.

The story, while touching on some depressing themes, does a good job of being humorous and insightful, and a really fun read.

I wouldn't say that the story itself is ground-breaking, but then much of our best entertainments aren't.This book is skillfully, and even artfully written, and highly recommend it.

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Product Description:
Who is this pale, bald-headed young man with the odd, incongruous features, and why does he blink his eyes so, and why does he stammer when he talks, and what is this that his friends say about his playing the piano like no one else in the world?...

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Keyboard Presents the Best of the 80's (Book) [Paperback] Review

If you grew up in the 1980's and lived through the technical revolution that MIDI created, then this book is for you!These are reprints of articles from Keyboard magazine from the 1980's with bands that were on the cutting edge of music technology.There's more here then just dance music though.The interviews with Peter Gabriel and Frank Zappa are wonderful, in-depth explorations into these artist's creative process.

If you are looking for non-technical interviews with the bands represented here then I suggest you look someplace else.These interviews go into gear, recording process and touring issues.Given that much of this technology is somewhat out of date makes reading the articles a bit difficult.If you are interested in more of the overall history of electronic music, another Keyboard publication would be a better bet."The Art Of Electronic Music" is an earlier book and has some of the same interviews that this book contains.However, there are some wonderful articles in the earlier book about electronic music before the days of MIDI, even going back to experiments in electronic music from the first half of the 20th century.

This book is definitely a great resource for anyone who enjoyed 1980's synth-pop but I was hoping for something just a little bit deeper!

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Product Description:
From the swelling synths of Depeche Mode to the dance-friendly grooves of Thomas Dolby, and from the power ballads of Journey to the New Power Generation of Prince, the music of the '80s was infused with the sound of keyboards. You'll learn: * How technological developments in keyboards helped artists such as Erasure, Human League, Peter Gabriel, Kraftwerk, Bruce Hornsby, Frank Zappa, and Jam and Lewis create entirely new sounds - and how their production tricks can help you make great music today. * How to recreate the sounds of the '80s using the soft synths and recording software you already have on your computer. * The breakdowns of the piano and keyboard parts for stadium rockers by Night Ranger, Journey, and Bon Jovi.

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Masterworks of 20th-Century Music: The Modern Repertory of the Symphony Orchestra [Paperback] Review

"Masterworks of 20th-century music" is written nicely enough, but I had hoped for something which focused more on the music and less on biographical tidbits.If I needed to know biographical info I would read a biography.
Of course, this is the same problem with 99% of the program notes written today; nobody seems to have ears for the music.

I give a minor warning to take things in this book cum grano solis. For example, the article on Ravel's G major piano concerto twice in one paragraph declares the second movement to have a 'languid horn' solo -- but it is an English Horn, not a horn.To musicians, a "horn" is a brass instrument with or without valves, while the lanquid tenor double reed instrument is the cor anglais or English Horn.

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Product Description:
Masterworks of 20th-Century Music introduces over 100 of the greatest compositions by world composers that have entered the standard orchestral repertory.The author surveyed dozens of major American orchestras to find which pieces are commonly performed, and has focused on these works that an average audience member is most likely to hear.Among the popular pieces profiled are Aaron Copland'sAppalachian Spring; Gustav Holst's The Planets; Igor Stravinsky's Le sacre du printemps; Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915; George Gershwin's An American in Paris; Charles Ives's Three Places in New England; and many more.With each entry is given a wealth of information about: the composer, when and where the piece was first performed, in what "style" it was composed, and a basic analysis of the music. This book serves the general reader interested in 20th-century music, plus students, teachers, and scholars.

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A Shot in the Dark: Making Records in Nashville, 1945-1955 [Hardcover] Review

I have the foundthe book a very accurate portrayal of the musical indusrty in Nashiville during the 1950's. The pictures, names, and narratives brought back many warm memories of growing up in Nashville and
my family's part of Nashville's musical heritage.

SuzanneTureman Zahn

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Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composers [Paperback] Review

Interesting dictionary of authors for lute and guitar of all the times, although it is not exhaustive. For example, the chapter "Composers Whose Music Has Been Arranged For The Guitar" lacks some authors such as Stanley Myers, whose " Cavatina " work was arranged with so much success for the celebrated Australian Maestro of the guitar John Williams, that nowadays this work is better known for this guitar version, that for his orchestra original score. Anyway, there are good Scandinavian authors not seen in other relationships.

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Product Description:
Hannu Annala & Heiki Matlik have used more than 70 music books as sources as well as dozens of composer leaflets acquired from the musical information centers of several countries. During the writing process, which lasted for more than three years, we received extra information from many modern composers, Leo Brouwer and Reginald Smith Brindle among others. In addition, several internationally renowed performing guitarists gave us valuable information, we are indebted to the following; Magnus Andersson (Sweden), Remi Boucher (Canada), Margarita Escarpa (Spain), Aleksander Frauchi (Russia) and David Tanenbaum (USA) among others.Their aim was to write a book with a clear structure and therefore there are separate chapters for each instrument, such as the Renaissance and the Baroque guitar, the Renaissance and the Baroque lute and the vihuela., We have not seen such division in any other books. This kind of structure enables the reader to easily discover which composers have composed for a certain instrument during a certain era. In the beginning of the book there are short introductions about guitar and lute instruments as well as basic facts about their history.In addition to traditional composers, the book presents several modern composers, on whom there has been little information available. The list of concertos is a new invention; it contains information on more than 400 guitar and lute concertos dating from the Baroque until the present day. We hope that the Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composers serves as a practical guide for both amateurs and professionals, encouraging them to study the history of these instruments and the situation today.

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Making Music with Your Computer 2E [Paperback] Review

I think the best title for this book should be "Making Music With Your Computer BUT Let's Learn about Music Theory and Do The Music in a Later Edition."This book is more about theory than programming music on your computer.The theory in this book assumes you know how to read music.It does not instruct those without a clue, but I was lucky to have already known how to read music.If you're looking for a book to give you some insight to write commercial music, this isn't the book.If you're looking for ideas on composing for an orchestra, buy it.
So, what's good about the book?There are a few chapters on mastering, MIDI, and sound synthesis.They aren't highly detailed, but it will give you a clue to what those topics are about.

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Product Description:
The industry's bestselling book on this subject has been completely revised and expanded to bring you detailed, relevant instruction for using your computer to create music. Edstrom vividly covers MIDI orchestration, musicianship, today's latest technology and much more. He also uses example scores to demonstrate the use of computers and synthesizers to create music in a variety of modes. Much more than a tech manual, this book teaches you the theory behind today's music styles and explains in great detail exactly how to get the results you want from your computer. An accompanying audio CD demonstrates concepts used throughout the book, making this title an absolute must-have for anyone using their computer for hard disk recording, MIDI, composing or orchestrating!

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Conversation with the Blues CD included [Hardcover] Review

This is a revised edition of the original 1965 book, with more photos and an audio CD derived from the original -and now very rare- accompanying LP.

Produced from tapes made on a heroic field trip by Paul and Valerie Oliver, accompanied part of the way by Arhoolie's Chris Strachwitz, the work is important for several reasons. First, it captures the blues at a cusp in its history, when the audience for it was just starting to shift from its original African-American one to a white American and European one. Now, of course the blues has both gone global and lost most of its originators. So the interviews included here, from both the famous and the obscure, form a hugely important linch-pin in blues history, captured about midway through its current life

Oliver spent several years transcribing and organising the material that emerged into a beatutiful textual flowchart of what the blues meant to those who played it and listened to it for its orginal purposes. Not as a lifestyle accesory, but as a catahrtic experience. Then, specific topics were covered including the business of recording, the life and times of Beale Street, farming, sharecropping, prison, and the violence that often erupted - witness Blind Arvella Gray's laconic discourse on how he became blind.

Because all this information is delivered by faithful transcriptions of the voices of the men and women who directly lived the blues, every word rings true. You are drawn into and along a path that explains both bluntly and poetically what the blues really means. No other book has ever come close to that essence.

There is a superbly crafted contextual introduction by Paul Oliver, many stunning photos of what is now a bygone era and, of course, the precious CD, with speech and music-some wonderful performances, by the way - that will capture the soul and mind of anyone with a serious interest in the real thing.

If you buy only one book about the Blues make sure its this one

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Product Description:
Compiled from transcriptions of interviews with blues artists made by Paul Oliver in 1960, Conversation with the Blues tells--in the artists' own words--of the significance of their music and the turbulent times and lives it reflects.Included are guitarists, pianists and other instrumentalists from the rural South and the urban North, from famous blues singers who recorded extensively to singers known only to their local communities. Copiously illustrated with Paul Oliver's photographs the book provides a rare glimpse--from cotton fields to the big-city--of African American music at a time when the South was still segregated.In a larger format to better display the pictures and with a new introduction by the author, this edition also contains a CD that captures the stark, ironic, but moving music and narratives of the singers themselves.

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1000 Great Guitarists [Paperback] Review

This book is lousy. I think I paid about [...]for a used copy and have considered asking for a refund. There are MANY factual errors about the guitarists in this book, especially places of birth and death. If you're going to publish a book on great guitarists, at least get that much correct...it's not difficult to find out a celebrity's birthplace and place of death, and it really does a disservice to their memory by listing it incorrectly. This book is a great example of a guy wanting to make a quick buck by writing about a subject he knows little if nothing about. After reading just a few articles, I knew this guy was a phony. My advice - Don't waste your money or time on this trash. Instead, if you're thinking of great guitarists - think [...]

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Product Description:
A guide to the best guitarists and their finest recordings in all styles of music.It celbrates the music made by 1000 great guitarists.List- ed from A to Z you will find famous players from all genres, as well as the not so famous players. 164 pages (Same book as before...now with CD)

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The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records [Hardcover] Review

Ashley Kahn is carving out a serious niche for himself as a fans' chronicler of classic jazz CDs. I've found his works on "Kind of Blue" and "Love Supreme" helpful, and "House that TraneBuilt" expands the interviews and research he did for "Love Supreme" into a history that jazz fans will find insightful.

It's hard to move beyond Trane on Impulse. I've got most of his stuff for the label, and I'm hard pressed to think of albums that I listen to regularly outside of Trane from Impulse. Blues and the Abstract Truth comes to mind. Some Pharoah Sanders. I've been meaning to get Gil Evans Out of the Cool for awhile. But I haven't been collecting jazz much lately, and this book will inspire me to pick up some more stuff.

The story of this book is as much the producers of Impulse as it is 'Trane's work. I did not realize how Impulse differed from Blue Note in that it was born with the cash to make an immediate impact. Not only was it born with cash, but it was also born with an artist: Ray Charles, who hit with "One Mint Julep" on his album "Genius + Soul = Jazz". Creed Taylor, he of the more popular oriented CTI Records, shows a true heart for the music in his initial choices for impulse artists. Bob Thiele, however, is the costar of this book. Kahn goes through great pains to show how Thiele's opening up to Coltrane and avant-garde music helped give him the latitude and the courage to work with some of the more "out" artists like Archie Shepp and Albert Ayler.

For those readers who are new to jazz, a good way to decide whether you want to purchase the book would to be focus on the album sketches that are interspersed throughout the book. In the first two-thirds of the book, most of these are titles that jazz fans will recall with fondness. But there are some examples of albums that fell by the wayside like a Curtis Fuller orchestral session and some of the rock experiments that formed a small but significant part of Impulse's later years.

I dig this book. As a former musician, I'm always looking for background that helps to ground musicians in the history and tradition of the music. This book will help jazz fans understand how a jazz label can exist within a major conglomerate and still produce risk-taking music. One can only hope that somewhere someone can figure out to find similarly breathtaking music that can function as both commerce and art.

5 stars

--SD

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The Great Music of Duke Ellington [Paperback] Review

This book contains a 14 page overview of Duke's career and the words and music to over 40 songs, which are:
Albamy Home
Azure
Birmingham Breakdown
Black Butterfly
Bli-blip
Boy Meets Horn
The Brown Skin Gal in the Calico Gown
Caravan
Come Sunday
The Creole Love Call
Day Dream
Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
Doin' The Crazy Walk
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Echoes Of Harlem
Everything But You
Five O'Clock Drag
The Gal From Joe's
Gypsy Without A Song
I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
I Never Felt This Way Before
I'm Just A Lucky So And So
I'm Riding On The Moon And Dancing On The Stars
I'm So In Love With You
In A Sentimental Mood
It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
Jeep Is Jumping
Lady In Blue
Lost In Meditation
Love You Madly
Mood Indigo
Paris Blues
Please Forgive Me
Prelude To A Kiss
Ring Dem Bells
Rockin' In Rhythm
Satin Doll
Solitude
Something To Live For
Sophisticated Lady
Take The "A" Train

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The Ultimate Broadway Fake Book [Plastic Comb] Review

This is a good buy for a pro pianist like me who might get requests for tunes I've never heard of from shows I've never seen. It has three indexes: by tune, by show, and by composers and lyricists.

One of the best things in the book is an alphabetical show-by-show synopsis, containing information about each show's history, its major personnel, and its plot.

However -- and it's a BIG however; in fact, several howevers: an awful lot of the songs are second-rate and I can't imagine getting requests for them, or even wanting to play them myself.

The bookproclaims its inclusion of "great songs" from several more recent shows such as "Rent"; gimme a break -- these songs are barely listenable, much less "great."

Throughout the book, many of the chord changes are incorrect (this is a musician's constant complaint about ALL fake books).

Most of the songs do not include the verse (and for Rodgers & Hart, Gershwin, and Kern these are often essential parts of the song). And there are inexplicable omissions.

For example: (1) Some of the included shows are lacking some of their best songs: "The Nervous Set" omits "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," "Finian's Rainbow" omits "Necessity." "The Merry Widow" omits "The Merry Widow Waltz." "Mack and Mabel" omits "I Promise You a Happy Ending." (2) Some excellent shows are missing altogether. No "L'il Abner." No Cy Coleman's "I Love My Wife." And Leonard Bernstein is represented only by two songs from "Wonderful Town"; no "Candide," no "On the Town," no "West Side Story."

And of course there are many songs I already own in other collections, although the book is useful as a one-stop source for all of these, and there are about fifty to a hundred decent to superb songs that I own nowhere else.

There is ample representation of Rodgers & Hart, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Kern, Gershwin, Porter, Frank Loesser, Jerry Herman, Harold Arlen, Lerner & Loewe, Andrew Lloyd Webber, et al.

In the end, despite its flaws, to me the book was well worth the price.

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Product Description:
Over 720 songs from over 240 Broadway shows! Recently revised to include hits from Martin Guerre, Rent, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Sunset Boulevard, Victor/Victoria, and more! This is the definitive collection of Broadway music, featuring: * Song title index * Show title index * Composer and lyricist index * Synopses of each show. Song highlights include: Ain't Misbehavin' * All I Ask of You * Another Op'nin' Another Show * As Long As He Needs Me * At The Ballet * Bali Ha'i * Beauty and the Beast * Bewitched * Cabaret * Camelot * Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man * Castle on a Cloud * Consider Yourself * Dance: Ten, Looks: Three * Day by Day * Do-Re-Mi * Don't Cry for Me Argentina * Down in the Depths (On the Ninetieth Floor) * Edelweiss * Everything's Coming Up Roses * Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye * Getting to Know You * Give My Regards to Broadway * Hello, Dolly! * How Are Things in Glocca Morra * How High the Moon * I Don't Know How to Love Him * I Dreamed a Dream * If I Can't Love Her * If I Were a Man * If I Were a Rich Man * (I'm a) Yankee Doodle Dandy * The Impossible Dream * The Lady Is a Tramp * Last Night of the World * Love Changes Everything * The Music of the Night * Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' * Oklahoma * Ol' Man River * On My Own * Only You * People * The Rain in Spain * Seasons of Love * Send in the Clowns * The Sound of Music * Starlight Express * Tell Me on a Sunday * Tell Me to Go * Tomorrow * Unexpected Song * Waitin' for the Light to Shine * What I Did for Love * With One Look * You'll Never Walk Alone * more!

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Boston's Blues: Musicians' Profiles, History, Festivals and Radio Listings of Blues Music in Boston [Illustrated] [Paperback] Review

Boston's Blues: Musicians' Profiles, History, Festivals and Radio Listings of Blues Music in Boston by Art Simas is without a doubt the best book I have seen on this subject. The author has went to great lengths to write a great book. This book has many photo's and the author comes across and shares his vast knowledge on the subject in a way that makes this book an outstanding book.

I am very glad I purchased this outstanding book and am very glad to take the time to recommend it to others. Art Simas is a great author.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Boston's Blues: Musicians' Profiles, History, Festivals and Radio Listings of Blues Music in Boston [Paperback]

Product Description:
A look at the contemporary blues scene of Greater Boston, including dozens of interviews with musicians, blues radio DJs and photographers; regional festival listings;radio stations, and a brief history of the blues in Boston.

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Charles Ives and Aaron Copland - A Listener's Guide: Parallel Lives Series, No. 1 Their Lives and Their Music [Paperback] Review

Since a third of the book is dedicated to the discussion and dissection of Charles Ives' and Aaron Copland's compositions, here is a listing of the music on the accompanying BMG CD: 1) Copland: Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra with Harp and Piano; 2) Copland: Appalachian Spring; 3) Copland: El Salon Mexico; 4) Ives: The Unanswered Question; 5) Ives: "Memories"; 6) Ives: "General William Booth Enters Into Heaven"; and 7) Ives: Three Places in New England - II. "Putnam's Camp". The recording is dominated by Michael Tilson Thomas who appears as both conductor of the London and San Francisco Symphonies and as pianist on "Memories."Also on the disc are Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra (Appalachian Spring) and Eduardo Mata conducting the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (El Salon Mexico).

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The Everything Guitar Book: From Buying the Right Guitar to Mastering Your Favorite Songs (Everything Series) [Illustrated] [Paperback] Review

Justify the cover price by making the book thick:
75 pages of the history of the guitar ("the lute had a number of drawbacks") and famous guitar players -- 12 pages of glossary, several pages of blank music staffs, an overly inclusive index--there's too much air in this book.
Advice on buying a guitar: 'bring along a friend who knows about guitars'
The beginning songs presented are the same old 'twinkle twinkle' 'merrily we roll along' 'jingle bells' that are in EVERY old, not-very-good guitar book--this wasn't written for children, why all the children's songs?The bits and pieces of music theory are not well organized.The general tone of the writing is condescending. And there's way too much filler: you've just learned "twinkle twinkle" -- do you really need a chapter (well, a couple of pages) on recording yourself in a studio?
If you have ANY beginning guitar books already, then 90% of the actual guitar-playing information in this one is redundant.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Everything Guitar Book: From Buying the Right Guitar to Mastering Your Favorite Songs (Everything Series) [Paperback]

Product Description:
Learning to play an instrument can be intimidating.While many of us dream of reaching rock star status, it seems that the ability to get the hang of even basic guitar chords is well out of our reach.Luckily, The Everything Guitar book makes it easy.Filled with clear, step-by-step instructions, finger positioning disgrams, and tons of professional tips, anyone with a guitar can be playing rudimentary songs in no time.
Guitar legend Jack Wilkins and former guitar instructor Peter Rubie walk you through the basics- from buying the right guitar to playing your favorite songs.Starting with the names of the strings, this easy-to-follow book teaches you how to tune and strum your guitar, read music, and develop an ear for the right chords.The Everything Guitar Book also explains what gear to buy and how to use it, including cases, picks, capos, amplifiers, effects pedals, straps, and strings.
Featuring:
Easy-to-understand instructions
The basics of reading music
Chords and chord families
A complete introduction to famous guitar styles, from classical to folk to jazz and blues
Techniques for creating a home recording studio

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Milton Brown and the Founding of Western Swing (Music in American Life) [Hardcover] Review

Great reading for the newcomer as well as the old seasoned lover of this Texas born music. Cary Ginell & Roy Lee Brown did a super job on this book! History told is in great detail. As my old friend Frank Reneau, who was a Crystal Spring Rambler & Light Crust Doughboy as well said, "It took me back 65 years!"
Highly recommended!

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The Elements Of Jazz [Paperback] Review

This book was part my 1981 college course in piano improvisation.It is very thin and it was not the only book we used.This book presents basic elements, but "elements" in the sense that if you combine them all in a beaker, you do not produce jazz, any more than combining hydrogen and oxygen in a beaker produce water.I found it clinical, not practical.However, it is fun to get those sounds out of your piano for the first time.If you want to dabble and learn a few basic concepts, this book is a bargain.If you want to really learn to play jazz piano, there are more current (and more expensive) books that get you from "here" to "there" more effectively.Such persons would be better served by Mark Levine's Jazz Piano Book and perhaps Bert Ligon's book on Linear Harmony.These books were (and are)real eye-openers for me.

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Product Description:
Covers syncopation, antic-ipation, blue notes, non-legato touch, 7th chords, walking bass, grace notes, ostinato (riffs), block chords, quartal jazz and other elements. Packed with solos utilizing these elements and techniques, plus four duets.

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Readings in Music and Artificial Intelligence (Contemporary Music Studies) [Hardcover] Review

I was pleased to come across this book during my research for my master's thesis on music and artificial intelligence.Although there are a number of books on the subject, they tend to be collections of previously published articles or conference papers and are intended for an audience that already knows the subject of AI fairly well.This book, however, is not a compilation of articles, but a collection of chapters by various authors who were commissioned to write new material for the book.The result is a book with good introductory material in the field of AI and music, covering composition, analysis, knowledge representation, connectionism, and even music education/intelligent tutoring systems.At the end of each chapter, there is a bibliography pointing the reader towards more sources on that particular topic.I also think this would make a good textbook for an introductory class on AI and music for undergraduates (upper division) and graduate students that would appeal to all majors: theory and composition, musicology, and music education (and perhaps to a lesser extent, performance majors).I only wish this book had been available when I first began my research for my thesis - it would have made life a lot simpler!I highly recommend this book as the first book for any reader interested in this subject.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Readings in Music and Artificial Intelligence (Contemporary Music Studies) [Hardcover]

Product Description:
The interplay between emotional and intellectual elements feature heavily in the research of a variety of scientific fields, including neuroscience, the cognitive sciences and artificial intelligence (AI).This collection of key introductory texts by top researchers worldwide is the first study which introduces the subject of artificial intelligence and music to beginners.
Eduardo Reck Miranda received a Ph.D. in music and artificial intelligence from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.He has published several research papers in major international journals and his compositions have been performed worldwide.

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City Limits [Paperback] Review

I enjoyed Terry Teachout's book of autobiographical essays "City Limits". There is nothing terribly important in the book, but its tone and pace are leisurely & enjoyable and his stories reveal interesting details about an important cultural critic whose influence is rising each year through his books and articles in "Commentary", "The Wall Street Journal" and other influential conservative journals of opinion. Teachout's writing reminds me of my favorite writer, Joseph Epstein (it is probably no coincidence that you often find their pieces in the same issues of publications). Both writers are extremely culturally fluent with a lot of interesting things to say. Their writing is also very accessable to the average, educated person who is looking to learn more about literature, music, theater, art, and the good life in general.

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Like Dizzy Gillespie's Cheeks [Paperback] Review

Good read it takes you into the main character's thoughts which are written very detailed.There are a lot of parts of the book which places the main character, Sam, into funny situations which you makes you think about yourself and life's most embarrassing moments.Did not want to stop reading the fiction tale to find out what would happen to Sam next.I recommend this novel.

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Product Description:
LIKE DIZZY GILLESPIE'S CHEEKS, is a humorous glimpse into the life of an unmotivated, Chicago Jazz Pianist who is stuck playing dingy bars, museum benefits and Nordstrom's half-yearly sales. As a matter of fact, he'll play at just about any establishment that will hire him. Typically, he can count on his longtime mentor, jazz great Ben Webster, to join him for a late night set on the piano. Irritable and not just because he's in his seventies, Ben leaves the club before playing a single note. The next day, Sam is devastated to learn that his best friend is dead. As a result, Sam's perspective on life takes an abrupt change. He notices how pathetically insignificant ones life can truly be. Stumbling through some interesting yet awkward situations, both funny and sad, including being conflicted about whether he should allow himself to fall in love with Kate Buckley, the reporter trying to get a story about his friend Ben for ESQUIRE, or continue his unhealthy relationship with Liz Brightwater of the Brightwater Marble fortune,Sam realizes that life is happening now. It's admirable to respect the past, but he must also learn to trust his future.

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The Essence of Afro-Cuban Percussion and Drum Set: Includes the Rhythm Section Parts for Bass, Piano, Guitar Horns & Strings [Paperback] Review

I simply can't sing enough praise for Ed's book. I've been playing djembe and congas for a couple years, and I've always wanted a comprehensive book that covered the history, rhythms, and instruments. Finally I have one. This book describes the background in terms of history and culture that birthed Afro-Cuban music, then takes a structured approach through all the instruments.
The breadth of coverage on the instruments is fantastic. Not only are there the basic rhythms, but with Ed's approach, you see how they all fit together. It even has a whole section on the non-percussion parts of the rhythm section (piano, bass, etc.) and how the songs of various styles are structured. I've never found this kind of information elsewhere. For people who don't have a background in these musical styles (like me), this is wonderful. Then there's a whole section on adapting these styles to drum kit.
The audio examples are the best I've heard in any book/CD combo I own, by far. They are far more comprehensive than any other, and they support what you're learning in the text. The synergy between text and audio makes this a gold mine.
While this book is more expensive than most music books, it has several times the value of any other book I've seen. I so much wish I had this from day one. Even getting it now, it's filling in the (many) gaps in my learning, and will surely be the most essential book in my collection for a good long while.

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Product Description:
An in-depth study (324 pages) of all the percussion instruments, rhythms and song styles of Afro-Cuban music, along with their applications to the drum set. Detailed technical studies of each instrument are presented along with notations of many rhythm styles. The entire rhythm section (parts for bass, piano, horn section, string section, tres, and guitar) is also studied in detail. The book comes with two CDs that include performances of each percussion instrument, drum set, all rhythm section instruments, as well as examples of all musical styles with full instrumentation in score form.

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Blues: An Anthology [Paperback] Review

I have to admit that when I received this book it wasn't everything I expected, but I take the full blame. I made assumptions and put it on my wishlist without really reading the description fully. I felt I didn't need to know anything more than that it had illustrations by Miguel Covarrubias and that it was by Handy.

I expected more history and stories rather than actual songs with music, and I expected illustrations throughout.

After receiving it I know now that it is mainly an anthology of songs, and the illustrations are limited to the introduction.

This does nothing to diminish this book as a treasure in my eyes.

Though the Covarubbias illustrations are much fewer than I'd imagined, they still make me breathless to look at them. Truly gorgeous. The music provided by W C Handy is itself history to me. It's just a beautiful book to own.

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Product Description:
Originally published in 1926, a classic collection of great blues songs arranged for piano and voice--the most famous blues collection in history.Among the first black men to write and publish blues music, Handy did more than anyone else to make blues popular and accepted. Includes historical notes, tunes and arrangements, notes for each song, a bibliography, and a chart of guitar chords.Illustrated by reknowned Mexican illustrator Miguel Covarrubias.

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The Joy of Classical Music: A Guide for You and Your Family [Paperback] Review

This book gives a solid and well-written introduction to classical music and dance. The accompanying CD has been played over and over in my car since its delivery - well done, Mrs. Kennedy.

Parents will appreciate the suggestions for exposing children to classical music in a manner that will not alienate.

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Product Description:
The former wife of Senator Kennedy shares her love of classical music, showing readers how they can come to appreciate it and introducing them to orchestral and chamber music, dance, and opera. 50,000 first printing. $50,000 ad/promo. Tour.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Ernestine & Amanda (Belton, Sandra. Ernestine & Amanda.) [Paperback] Review

This book is a wonderful story about two completely different girls who find themselves brought together through several incidents. After stolen friends, fights, competitions, and more, Ernestine and Amanda have come a little closer to being friends, while remaining in an "in-between" zone as not yet friends, and not yet enemies. The story continues in, "Summer Camp: Ready or Not!" which is another excellent addition to the series. I enjoyed this book, just because of the "well-writteness" of the story. Ernestine and Amanda are like real people almost, experiencing real life issues, real hate, and real friendship.

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Listen to Learn : Using American Music to Teach Language Arts and Social Studies (Grades 5-8) with CD [Paperback] Review

I used this book in Summer School this year with 9,10 and 11 year olds and found it to be an excellent blueprint for study of American Music. Tibbett has done her research and provides a comprehensive look at the cultural backgrounds to today's music. The examples on the CD are from original artists when possible and when not, Tibbett steps in admirably.

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Product Description:
Listen to Learn, with its companion music CD, offers teachers a dynamic way to use the history of American music to engage their students (grades 5-8) in reading, writing, social studies, geography, music, and multicultural lessons and activities. The book traces the colorful musical traditions of diverse cultures including early Native music, folk, blues, classical, jazz, country, Tejano, salsa, rock, and rap. The CD features authentic music from such American musical greats as Louis Armstrong, Woody Guthrie, Mahalia Jackson, Lead Belly, Lydia Mendoza, and many more.Listen to Learn features a variety of fascinating activities that encourage students to write about their favorite music, investigate songs as poetry, research the lives of famous musicians, explore family musical traditions, research how instruments make sounds, plot record charts, and much more. Designed in a handy, lay-flat format for easy reproduction, Listen to Learn is divided into four major sections.

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Overtones and Undertones: Reading Film Music [Paperback] Review

This book is one of the most intellectual and in-depth books on specific films I've read.It's focus is mostly on older movies (The Sea Hawk, Double Indemnity), but also extensively explores French film, particularly, Jean-Luc Godard.The Interviews at the back of the book are with some of the greatest film composers, alive and dead, including: Miklos Rozsa, David Raksin, Bernard Herrmann, Mancini, John Barry and Howard Shore.A must for any film music fan or composer!

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Product Description:
Since the days of silent films, music has been integral to the cinematic experience, serving, variously, to allay audiences' fears of the dark and to heighten a film's emotional impact. Yet viewers are often unaware of its presence. In this bold, insightful book, film and music scholar and critic Royal S. Brown invites readers not only to "hear" the film score, but to understand it in relation to what they "see."Unlike earlier books, which offered historical, technical, and sociopolitical analyses, Overtones and Undertones draws on film, music, and narrative theory to provide the first comprehensive aesthetics of film music. Focusing on how the film/score interaction influences our response to cinematic situations, Brown traces the history of film music from its beginnings, covering both American and European cinema.At the heart of his book are close readings of several of the best film/score interactions, including Psycho, Laura, The Sea Hawk, Double Indemnity, and Pierrot le Fou. In revealing interviews with Bernard Herrmann, Mikls Rsza, Henry Mancini, and others, Brown also allows the composers to speak for themselves. A complete discography and bibliography conclude the volume.

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B.B. King: There Is Always One More Time [Paperback] Review

With the recent publication of "The B.B. King Treasures", one finds a different approach to King and his life in B.B. King, There is Always One More Time" by David McGee (Backbeat Books). Part of the Lives in Music series, McGee provides some biographical overview of King's music and life but this is really a survey of King's lengthy recording career that is now in its sixth decade. This is more than simply a survey of King's extensive recordings as McGee has interviewed numerous participants in many of these recordings ranging from first sessions with the Nashville Bullitt label and Calvin Newborn who was on that session with other members of his family to his recent collaborations with various blues and pop superstars. He also provides extensive commentary on the recordings themselves which can be somewhat exhausting reading at times although worthwhile as he traces the development and maturation of King's style and maturation. Unfortunately some of the major players, especially in King's earlier days like Maxwell Davis are no longer with us. He presents his opinions intelligently and fervently but not afraid to critique some recordings. He generally notes the sources of King's recordings although their are gaffes as he fails to correct the source of "Gambler's Blues" that King originally recorded on his "Blues is King" disc (it was a top ten hit for Dinah Washington as "You Satisfy" and then redone by her as "Gambler's Blues" by Washington who added a verse from Billie Holiday's "Fine and Mellow"), nor correctly attribute "Sloppy Drunk" (he attributes it to Jimmy Rogers who likely got it from John Lee `Sonny Boy' Williamson but the song goes back to Lucille Bogan). There are a few other examples of this and also King's first three albums for ABC Paramount are inadequately covered. The first album "Mr. Blues" is discussed but not given its" own subchapter like most of King's albums but neither "Confessin' the Blues" nor "Paying the Cost to be the Boss" are mentioned nor analyzed even briefly. Also King's guest appearance with U2 is discussed at length (deservedly so), King's guest appearances on cds by blues legends and associates like Arthur Adams, Robert Lockwood Jr and Koko Taylor are not mentioned. This is not as serious as the omission of the ABC albums, but still these recordings still say a lot about King, especially Lockwood who played such an important role in helping shape King's career at the beginning. These points detract a little from the book, but are relatively minor. I should point out that I found this slower reading than "The B.B. King Treasures," but that is in its very nature of what McGee is attempting. It is not something for a vary casual fan of the blues or even King, but rather for the serious enthusiast of Kings music, one will fine much to provoke thought and perhaps lead one to listen again or anew to King's music.

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Product Description:
B. B. King is the first volume of Lives in Music, a new series that meshes biography with discography. Each book in the series appeals to music fans and musicians who want to understand how their favorite artists and producers have used the studio as a creative tool in shaping personal experience into enduring art.
The series begins with the legendary King of the Blues, B. B. King - one of the most important electric guitarists of the last half-century, and a multiplatinum-selling superstar.An opening essay charts his life from childhood in the Mississippi Delta up to his first studio session. The author takes an inside look at his distinguished career, album by album, offering a critical appraisal of each recording and a portrait of the making of each album. Firsthand interviews with B. B. King, as well as producers, engineers, arrangers, and key musicians, bring these sessions to life and provide readers a context for understanding B. B. King's recordings.

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Blowing the Blues: A Personal History of the British Blues [Paperback] Review

Most blues guides focus on American blues music: Dick Heckstall-Smith and Pete Grant's Blowing The Blues covers fifty years of playing British blues, includes cd with previously unreleased tracks, and provides insights into blues saxophone to accompany a blend of autobiography and British blues history. Add cartoons by Biff making comments on the life of a blues musician and you have a honest survey of the music scene of the British blues world.

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Product Description:
This is the autobiography of a master musician, the King of British blues saxophone. In the 60s and 70s Dick was the cornerstone of such seminal R&B bands as Alexis Korner s Blues Incorporated, the Graham Bond Organisation, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Colosseum, paving the way for R&B-influenced rock groups like Fleetwood Mac, the Yardbirds, the Animals and the Rolling Stones.With his pithy humour, Dick describes the revolutionary founding years of British R&B - his anecdotes about Ginger Baker, Alexis Korner, Charlie Watts and the unforgettable Graham Bond alone are worth the price. An extraordinarily entertaining book, Dick's unrelentingly honest account of his musical career also reflects on what it takes to be a full time musician, and grapples with the racism and drug abuse endemic in the music industry.In the back of the book is a CD featuring 25 minutes of previously unreleased tracks by Dick Heckstall-Smith, illustrating the sheer musical diversity of his work.

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Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1890-1919 (Music in American Life) [Paperback] Review

A few pages into this book, one realizes the title is a double entendre. The recorded sounds documented here - which include popular music, ragtime, jazz, cabaret, classical, spoken word, politics, poetry, and more - are not merely "lost" in the sense that their existence has been uncelebrated. They are also in danger of being lost to us forever if immediate steps are not takento preserve the fragile materials upon which they live.

Additionally, U.S. copyright laws have made it nearly impossible for anyone to reissue them as CDs. According to the author, there were approximately 800 recordings made by African Americans prior to 1920, the majority of which are still intact but half of which are owned by successor corporations like Sony and BMG who will neither reissue them nor allow anyone else to do so.Which explains why the majority of this material ends up being released overseas.

The book documents more than 40 artists chronologically, assessing their work and skillfully placing their biographies within the context of a complex and tumultuous era. It covers the famous (Bert Williams, Eubie Blake, Fisk Jubilee Singers) and a host of lesser-knows. The Discography provides a listing of CD reissues (if available) for each chapter, plus web sites where you'll most likely find them.

While seemingly an exhaustive tome, the author himself reminds us it's intended to stimulate preservation and future research: the final chapter "Miscellaneous Recordings" examines unissued recordings, "custom" noncommercial recordings, rumored but unconfirmed recordings, records by artists sometimes misidentified as black and more, in the hopes that future research will turn up more information.

Though massive at 656 pages, the book is highly readable and entertaining, very well organized and indexed making it easy to zoom in on particular aspects of interest. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the era of early recording in general, or African American studies in particular, and feel no library shelf should be without it. It's a wonderful resource for interdisciplinary studies.

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Product Description:
Available in paperback for the first time, this groundbreaking in-depth history of the involvement of African Americans in the early recording industry examines the first three decades of sound recording in the United States, charting the surprising roles black artists played in the period leading up to the Jazz Age and the remarkably wide range of black music and culture they preserved. Applying more than thirty years of scholarship, Tim Brooks identifies key black artists who recorded commercially and provides illuminating biographies for some forty of these audio pioneers.Brooks assesses the careers and recordings of George W. Johnson, Bert Williams, George Walker, Noble Sissle, Eubie Blake, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, W. C. Handy, James Reese Europe, Wilbur Sweatman, Harry T. Burleigh, Roland Hayes, Booker T. Washington, and boxing champion Jack Johnson, as well as a host of lesser-known voices.Many of these pioneers faced a difficult struggle to be heard in an era of rampant discrimination and "the color line," and their stories illuminate the forces - both black and white - that gradually allowed African Americans greater entree into the mainstream American entertainment industry.The book also discusses how many of these historic recordings are withheld from the public today because of stringent U.S. copyright laws. Lost Sounds includes Brooks' selected discography of CD reissues, and an appendix by Dick Spottswood describing early recordings by black artists in the Caribbean and South America. Tim Brooks is Executive Vice President of Research at Lifetime Television. He is coauthor of "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows" and "The Columbia Master Book Discography", and the author of "Little Wonder Records: A History and Discography". He is past president of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections and the winner of its Lifetime Achievement Award. Dick Spottswood is a freelance author, broadcaster, and record producer. He is the author of the seven volume reference work, "Ethnic Music on Records".

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Keyboard Cookbook: Recipes for Playing More Than 40 Styles (keyboard instruction) [Paperback] Review

Well, thought I'd type it in again - this book is great!I've been looking for music books that show different styles of music for a long time. Most of them are dull and uninspired.This one is different - the "cookbook" format keeps things consistent and interesting, the music is good, and for once, the CD contains really great solo piano performances!Not some piece of MIDI dreck, but someone actually performing these pieces with good touch, tone, and time.

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Product Description:
Spice up your playing today! This book provides the essential ingredients for 40 popular piano styles, including: Bebop * Bluegrass * Classic Rock * Classical * Contemporary RandB * Cool Jazz * Delta Blues * Early Rock 'n' Roll * Folk * Motown * New Age * Ragtime * Soul * Stride * Tango * and more. The CD includes demonstration tracks for all 40 styles, so you'll have a recipe for success!

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A History of American Classical Music With Audio CD [Hardcover] Review

I originally got this book because I wanted to learn more about Scott Joplin's opera _Treemonisha_.I appreciated that Mr. Scherer took the time to contextualize the breadth of Joplin's work when I could find few other resources that did.That attention to the forgotten and underappreciated contributors to American music is one of the strengths and joys of the book.I have learned a great deal about composers and musicians of whom I knew little.As well, Mr. Scherer nicely explains the political, social and cultural background that helped to shape them and their music. (Surprisingly, it acted as a nice history review, reminding me of key events like the War of 1812 and showing how they were linked to other events during that time period.)

Mr. Scherer's writing style is engaging.While he clearly has a scholarly understanding of his subject, he speaks in laymen's terms with a passion for the material that cannot help but elicit an enthusiastic response.I plan to incorporate some of the music into my high school American Lit classes.I'd like to give my students a broader understanding of the periods that we study.Overall, this is a great resource, and I'm glad that it's a part of my library.

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Product Description:
This richly detailed narrative tells the stories of America's classical composers, set against significant events in American history.

Acclaimed music writer Barrymore Scherer follows the development of American classical music, from Gershwin, Copland, Bernstein, Joplin, and Sousa, to lesser-known names such as William Henry Fry and Alan Hovhaness. Scherer surveys the period from the Mayflower through the Europe-tribute years to the two world wars and onwards to the growing academic and concert confidence of the post-war period. Broadway, opera, musicals, bandstands, marching bands and piano players all get their place.

The book includes a CD of carefully chosen pieces. Readers also gain access to an exclusive website that offers new essays, the musical works in full, and more. This revolutionary book utilizes traditional and new media to provide a uniquely rounded portrait of the American classical scene and music.

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Progressive Rock Keyboard: Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series [Paperback] Review

I don't why anyone has'nt written a review for this book yet. Its perfect, and the accompanying CD is so helpful to help learn the rhythms of progressive rock keyboard. I would greatly recommend this book if you are sick of playing yankee doodle or any other book with boring sheet music. Contained in the book is an adequate description of the genre and presents perfect examples that you can learn. I found this book very satisfying and not too hard. I also have the rock keyboard and find that one great as well. So do buy these books.

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Product Description:
From the classic sounds of the '70s to modern progressive stylings, this book/CD provides you with the theory and technique to play and compose in a multitude of prog rock styles. You'll learn how soloing techniques, form, rhythmic and metrical devices, harmony, and counterpoint all come together to make this style of rock the unique and exciting genre it is. Also included is an introduction to classic and contemporary keyboard instruments and sounds, and how they can be used in different combinations to produce authentic-sounding keyboard parts. The accompanying CD features many of the examples covered in the book, as well as six complete progressive rock songs recorded by a real band.

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Music Lessons: Guide Your Child to Play a Musical Instrument (and Enjoy It!) [Paperback] Review

As a full time guitar teacher with classical training, my review is this:

This is a great sort of book, that I wish far more parents would read.However, I found it far less specifically useful and less organized than Jessica Baron Turner's book:
Your Musical Child: Inspiring Kids to Play and Sing for Keeps

Furthermore, lots of this sort of advice can be found online and in other books and magazines."Music Lessons" has a very biased view toward the European orchestra tradition, basically assuming that is the way to go through music education.There is virtually no mention of singing as a dedicated field, very little mention of other world musics or popular music, and the long prose will give you some good advice, but it is not easy to reference and look up specific things later.

There are moments when I really liked the advice, such as emphasizing the variance between students, and emphasizing the need for direct parental involvement.However, there were also moments when I was really turned off by some bold claims or biases, or by the utter ommission of certain ideas or instruments.

I would strongly recommend this over nothing, but if you read only one book, I'd recommend Jessica Baron Turner's first, and then maybe Amy Nathan's second The Young Musician's Survival Guide: Tips from Teens & Pros, and there may be others I haven't reviewed that are also better.

If you are already very classically biased, and like friendly conversational tone, then this book is good for you.Most of the advice is definitely good.

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Effective Etudes for Jazz; Audition; Performance Etudes; Based on the Chord Changes to Popular Standards [Paperback] Review

I got this book for my son, 16, wo Plays tenor and he loved the studies ... tried the hardest first, naturally, and found it was over his head but within 3 months was working all the etudes hard ... Great workouts and you will enjoy them ... Dave

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Product Description:
This book and CD set by Mike Carubia and Jeff Jarvis is a collection of 18 etudes based on the chord changes to popular jazz standards. Students will learn to interpret and improvise over the chord progressions. Hear how seasoned jazz musicians interpret the etudes on the accompanying compact discs - then play along with the rhythm section. Perfect for jazz band auditions, solo festivals, recitals, and individual and group lessons.

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