Bruce Springsteen
An unprecedented look at a very young Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, from the group's creation and early New Jersey days to their meteoric rise and seminal Born in the USA tour, in photographs almost all not previously published. David Gahr (1922-2008) was tapped by Columbia Records designer John Berg to shoot cover art for Bruce Springsteen's second album, The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. Gahr's earliest photographs of the musician showcase a youthful Springsteen, not even aged twenty-three, in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on the eve of a career breakthrough. Gahr befriended the rising star, and over a span of approximately ten years he photographed Springsteen, both on- and offstage. Rare captures include Springsteen recording music, performing at the cramped venue Bottom Line weeks before the release of his seminal 1975 album Born to Run, and playing to legions of fans during his Born in the USA tour. Bruce Springsteen 1973-1986 is an unprecedented look back at Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on their path to becoming rock legends.
The Prosperous Hip Hop Producer
"Music is simply the soul boiling over into sound. When you produce with this in mind, there is no way you'll ever miss the mark." Curtiss King: Producer. Rapper. Mentor to thousands of aspiring artists and entrepreneurs through his YouTube channel. His production credits include Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, E-40 and MURS, and giants like MTV, VH1, and VANS. But once upon a time Curtiss was broke, struggling--and crafting beats on a video game console on his grandma's patio. The Prosperous Hip Hop Producer charts his rollercoaster ride to success from these humble beginnings. From beat battles to Top Dawg Entertainment, from empty pockets to a six-figure business, The Prosperous Hip Hop Producer is the story of a dedicated artist who risked all he had--and succeeded. Along the way we get cameos from the likes of DJ Battlecat, Ab-Soul, and Dibia$e, and insights into how successful artists and labels operate in the real world. Practical, inspirational, and motivational, The Prosperous Hip Hop Producer does more than share the story of a successful artist--it sets you on the road to becoming one yourself.
Olney Hymns in Three Books; Book I on Select Texts of Scripture; Book II on Occasional Subjects; Book III on the Rise, Progress, Changes, and Comforts
Olney Hymns in Three Books; Book I On Select Texts of Scripture; Book II On Occasional Subjects; Book III On the Rise, Progress, Changes, and Comforts of the Spiritual Life. Includes categories such as Sacramental Hymns, Prayer, Creation, Conflict, Comfort, Dedication and Surrender.
Joined at the Hip
From the early days through Prohibition and the swing era, then to bebop and beyond, this is the story of jazz music, musicians, and venues in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
HIP-HOP History (Book 2 of 3)
Let's take it back to the seventiesWhen Rap was born and made emcees. But before they could even bless the MicIt would be the DJ that rocked the night From the Message that rained down from Sugar HillTo the beat from chic that spun the wheel When the Godfather & Ms. Summer ruled the dance floorsIt would be a mighty Blow from Harlem to break down the doors Similar to the Chuck Taylor's that graced the leagueThose fresh adidas, name belts, cazels & Lees would RUN our emcees Puma windbreakers, box tops and boom boxesBroke windmills, head spins and pop lockers Paper Thin emcees got ripped like nickel bagsLooking up into the Lyte, defeated; Cramming to Understand B-Boys gathered for blocks & blocksBreakdancin' and freestylin' as My Radio jammed the boom box Too many got laid down in the WestToo many hot bullets pierced too many black hearts Yet one bold young brother, kept on screamin'Life is Too Short! The Government, C. Delores Tucker, the President and Bob DoleSet out to censor the rap game & claim their own fame. But they got the Gas FaceFools this is Our Thing! -ANTWAN 'ANT' BANK$
Women of Motown
The second edition of Women of Motown by author Susan Whitall contains new chapters and information, updating this critically-acclaimed oral history of the ladies who made Motown a sound heard round the world. Originally published to glowing reviews in 1998, the first edition has long been out of print and sought after by collectors. Devault-Graves Digital Editions now brings the public a new updated edition that tells the Motown story from its beginnings with Mable John through the great girl groups such as Martha and the Vandellas and ending with the last iteration of the glorious Supremes after Diana Ross left for superstar status. Author Susan Whitall, an esteemed music writer who is a native of Detroit, expertly interviewed virtually all the women who made Motown explode on the hit charts and lets them tell their stories in all their humor, dishy detail, and the glory of lives spent recording and singing some of the greatest songs ever written. Fans of Motown will not want to miss this chance for the girls to let their hair down and lay it on the line. The stories are not only fun and exciting, but give a history of a remarkable company that took African American music from Detroit's housing projects to the White House.Women of Motown, which is a part of The Great Music Book Series published by Devault-Graves Digital Editions, is available in print and ebook.
Fame
What happens when a small town girl will stop at nothing to follow her dreams? Carrie Underwood is what happens. A story of faith, determination and inspiration. FAME: The Carrie Underwood Story follows the Superstar's trials and tribulations, leading her to become the top female performer of our era.As featured on CNN, Time Magazine, People Magazine, LA Times, OK Magazine, and MSNBC! FAME is a comic book biography series that focuses on the biggest and brightest stars in the world!
1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die
Whether you're a classical music lover or looking for a way to enter the space, 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die is an exquisite collection of reviews of a wide breadth of music. Arranged chronologically, 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die includes reviews of 1001 classical recordings, from the earliest hymns, to the modern avant-garde. Written by an international panel of distinguished music journalists, each entry highlights an outstanding recording, ranging from little-known solo pieces and chamber music, to the greatest concertos, symphonies, operas, and choral works. The very best recorded performance of each piece is recounted accompanied by a list of recommended alternatives, quotations, and biographical information about the composers, conductors, and principal musicians. This guide is key to understanding and appreciating classical music as a whole; it highlights everything from medieval madrigals to key living composers such as Steve Reich and Philip Glass. Beguiling sonatas, moving arias and operas, uplifting choral works, and dramatic symphonies, they're all are described in reviews which identify why particular recordings stand out. Browse the 1001 selections and discover new types of music, new composers, and works to explore.
Dear Evan Hansen
Winner of the 2017 Tony Award for Best Musical "Dear Evan Hansen lodges in your head long after you've seen it or heard it or read it. It feels like a pure expression from young writers at a crossroad of coming to terms with who they are and what they want to say about the world. Its honesty and truths haunt and ultimately open us up to ask the same question, no matter what our age or crossroad: What are the lies we tell ourselves?" -James Lapine (from the Foreword) A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed could be his. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he's always wanted: a chance to belong. Deeply personal and profoundly universal, Dear Evan Hansen is a groundbreaking American musical about truth, fiction, and the price we're willing to pay for the possibility to connect. *This publication includes the book and lyrics to the musical, as well as a foreword by James Lapine. Please note that it does not include the musical score.* Steven Levenson is the book writer for Dear Evan Hansen. His plays include If I Forget, The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin, Core Values, The Language of Trees, and Seven Minutes in Heaven. A graduate of Brown University, he served for three seasons as a writer and producer on Showtime's Master of Sex. Benj Pasek & Justin Paul are the song-writing team behind Dear Evan Hansen. Previous musicals include A Christmas Story: The Musical, Dogfight, James and the Giant Peach, and Edges. Their film projects include La La Land (for which they won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "City of Stars," with composer Justin Hurwitz), Trolls, Snow White, and The Greatest Showman. Their television credits include The Flash, Smash, and Johnny and the Sprites. Both are graduates of the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Program and members of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.
Chuck D Presents This Day in Rap and Hip-hop History
A one-of-a kind survey of rap and hip hop history from 1973 to today by Chuck D, arguably the most influential rapper in the world. In the more than 40 years since the days of DJ Kool Herc and "Rapper's Delight," hip hop and rap have become a billion-dollar worldwide phenomenon. Yet there is no definitive history of the genre-until now. Based on Chuck's long-running show on Rapstation.com, this massive compendium details the most iconic moments and influential songs in the genre's recorded history, from Kurtis Blow's "Christmas Rappin'" to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to Kendrick Lamar's ground-breaking verse on "Control." Also included are key events in hip hop history, from Grandmaster Flash's first scratch through Tupac's holographic appearance at Coachella. Throughout, Chuck offers his insider's perspective on the chart toppers and show stoppers as he lived it. Illustrating the pages are more than 100 portraits from the talented artists specializing in hip hop.
Absolutely on Music
A deeply personal, intimate conversation about music and writing between the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author and the former conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In Absolutely on Music, internationally Haruki Murakami sits down with his friend Seiji Ozawa, the revered former conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, for a series of conversations on their shared passion: music. Over the course of two years, Murakami and Ozawa discuss everything from Brahms to Beethoven, from Leonard Bernstein to Glenn Gould, from Bart籀k to Mahler, and from pop-up orchestras to opera. They listen to and dissect recordings of some of their favorite performances, and Murakami questions Ozawa about his career conducting orchestras around the world. Culminating in Murakami's ten-day visit to the banks of Lake Geneva to observe Ozawa's retreat for young musicians, the book is interspersed with ruminations on record collecting, jazz clubs, orchestra halls, film scores, and much more. A deep reflection on the essential nature of both music and writing, Absolutely on Music is an unprecedented glimpse into the minds of two maestros.
How to Listen to Jazz
A "radiantly accomplished" music scholar presents an accessible introduction to the art of listening to jazz (Wall Street Journal) In How to Listen to Jazz, award-winning music scholar Ted Gioia presents a lively introduction to one of America's premier art forms. He tells us what to listen for in a performance and includes a guide to today's leading jazz musicians. From Louis Armstrong's innovative sounds to the jazz-rock fusion of Miles Davis, Gioia covers the music's history and reveals the building blocks of improvisation. A true love letter to jazz by a foremost expert, How to Listen to Jazz is a must-read for anyone who's ever wanted to understand and better appreciate America's greatest contribution to music. "Mr. Gioia could not have done a better job. Through him, jazz might even find new devotees." -- Economist
HIP-HOP History (Book 1 of 3)
I consider myself lucky to be born on the 29th of December in the year of 1970. On the other side of my Mother's womb awaited Afro's, bell bottoms, black power and soul music. However amidst the black love lay a dark cloud mixed with despair, poverty, racism, violent protest and civil unjust. Soul music was the one constant that seem to make it all go away if only for a few minutes. I can remember my parents spinning the 12 inch vinyl's and 45's of Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Teddy Pendergrass, Lou Rawls, James Brown and so many more in our living room. There was a dark blue couch that looked like it was made of fur with two white leather straps across the arms. Crystal vases held fresh Crown and black musk incents filled the air. Often my Aunts, Uncles and their friends would gather at our place on the weekends to dance, play spades, drink and party. That feeling of family, joy and togetherness still warms my heart every time I hear one of the soul classics from back then.It wasn't until I started elementary school that I realized how messed up the world really was. I wasn't in my little box anymore, protected by my parents, the music and family love. Racism was evident and still strong in the public schools back during the early 70's. I fought in school every day because of racial remarks toward me from white kids and sometimes even my own kind. As African American's we were so confused in school that we even hated ourselves. All we had really was the lyrics of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Michael and the like. Soul music thrived on making people feel good; it took our minds away from the negativity of the world. But it always knew when it had to focus on the bad just as well. As the decade moved along, the bad economy, racism, dirty politics and poverty had begun to take its toll and the soul music couldn't mask our feelings anymore.A new generation had found a way to speak out through music but this time it would change the world and destroy anything or anyone in its path. Its content would be raw, bold and transcending. One might compare the wrath of Hip-Hop to a tsunami because nothing was going to stop this freight train. Fueled by desperation, police corruption, poverty, self-expression, crime, violence and soul, this new genre of music would stand on the shoulders of giants while trailblazing its way to unthinkable heights. This is the history of Hip-Hop; circa 1970-2010 in a three-book series; it is through this time travel that you will see how it became a multi-billion-dollar corporation and innovative industry. It is said to actually see something for what it is, you need to step away from it and look at it from a distance to see all the moving parts.
The Cambridge History of World Music
Scholars have long known that world music was not merely the globalized product of modern media, but rather that it connected religions, cultures, languages and nations throughout world history. The chapters in this History take readers to foundational historical moments - in Europe, Oceania, China, India, the Muslim world, North and South America - in search of the connections provided by a truly world music. Historically, world music emerged from ritual and religion, labor and life-cycles, which occupy chapters on Native American musicians, religious practices in India and Indonesia, and nationalism in Argentina and Portugal. The contributors critically examine music in cultural encounter and conflict, and as the critical core of scientific theories from the Arabic Middle Ages through the Enlightenment to postmodernism. Overall, the book contains the histories of the music of diverse cultures, which increasingly become the folk, popular and classical music of our own era.
The Mariposa Folk Festival
A look at folk music's legendary home ground. From Pete Seeger to Serena Ryder, the musicians who have graced the stages at Mariposa have carried on a living tradition of folk music connecting the sixties to the present day and tomorrow. Featuring interviews with the people behind the scenes and artists like Gordon Lightfoot and Ken Whitely.
Pinery Boys
His name is inextricably linked with a single work, A Sand County Almanac, a classic of natural history literature and the conservationist's bible. This book brings together the best of Leopold's essays.
Psychedelic Popular Music
Recognized for its distinctive musical features and its connection to periods of social innovation and ferment, the genre of psychedelia has exerted long-term influence in many areas of cultural production, including music, visual art, graphic design, film, and literature. William Echard explores the historical development of psychedelic music and its various stylistic incarnations as a genre unique for its fusion of rock, soul, funk, folk, and electronic music. Through the theory of musical topics--highly conventional musical figures that signify broad cultural concepts--and musical meaning, Echard traces the stylistic evolution of psychedelia from its inception in the early 1960s, with the Beatles' Rubber Soul and Revolver and the Kinks and Pink Floyd, to the German experimental bands and psychedelic funk of the 1970s, with a special emphasis on Parliament/Funkadelic. He concludes with a look at the 1980s and early 1990s, touching on the free festival scene, rave culture, and neo-jam bands. Set against the cultural backdrop of these decades, Echard's study of psychedelia lays the groundwork and offers lessons for analyzing the topic of popular music in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Original Gangstas
"Raw, authoritative, and unflinching ... An elaborately detailed, darkly surprising, definitive history of the LA gangsta rap era." -- Kirkus, starred review A monumental, revealing narrative history about the legendary group of artists at the forefront of West Coast hip-hop: Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac Shakur. Amid rising gang violence, the crack epidemic, and police brutality, a group of unlikely voices cut through the chaos of late 1980s Los Angeles: N.W.A. Led by a drug dealer, a glammed-up producer, and a high school kid, N.W.A gave voice to disenfranchised African Americans across the country. And they quickly redefined pop culture across the world. Their names remain as popular as ever -- Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube. Dre soon joined forces with Suge Knight to create the combustible Death Row Records, which in turn transformed Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur into superstars. Ben Westhoff explores how this group of artists shifted the balance of hip-hop from New York to Los Angeles. He shows how N.W.A.'s shocking success lead to rivalries between members, record labels, and eventually a war between East Coast and West Coast factions. In the process, hip-hop burst into mainstream America at a time of immense social change, and became the most dominant musical movement of the last thirty years. At gangsta rap's peak, two of its biggest names -- Tupac and Biggie Smalls -- were murdered, leaving the surviving artists to forge peace before the genre annihilated itself. Featuring extensive investigative reporting, interviews with the principal players, and dozens of never-before-told stories, Original Gangstas is a groundbreaking addition to the history of popular music.
Lazarus
"Beautiful...a last transmission from a dying star." - Time Out One of the last works completed by beloved pop icon David Bowie before his death in early 2016, the otherworldy musical Lazarus is a poignant homage to his legacy. Inspired by the 1963 novel The Man Who Fell to Earth, Lazarus weaves a thrilling rock opera from new compositions by Bowie as well as many of his classic songs.
Rush
Rush: Album by Album pays genuine tribute to this iconic rock band's discography by moderating frank, entertaining conversations about all 20 of Rush's studio albums. Formed in Toronto in 1968, the rock trio Rush has gone on to multiplatinum success behind the distinctive high register and virtuosic bass-playing of frontman Geddy Lee, the legendary drumming and lyric-writing of Neil Peart, and the guitar heroics of Alex Lifeson. Despite having just four chart-topping singles since the release of their debut LP in 1974, Rush has nonetheless sold more than 25 million albums in the U.S. and more than 40 million worldwide. The Canadian trio may be the definition of an "album band," and this new book from prolific rock journalist and acknowledged Rush authority Martin Popoff pays tribute to the band's discography by moderating in-depth, frank, and entertaining conversations about all 20 of Rush's studio albums. Inside, the author gathers 20 rock journalists and authors who offer insights, opinions, and anecdotes about every release. Together, the conversations comprise a unique historical overview of the band, as well as a handsome discography. Popoff also includes loads of sidebars that provide complete track listings, details on album personnel, information on where and when the albums were recorded, and sidebar facts about the albums, their songs, and the band.
Michael Tippett Fifth String Quartet
Schuttenhelm provides a detailed account of the events leading up to and through the quartet's compositional process, as well as a brief summary of its reception history. In addition to a comprehensive analysis of the entire quartet, the volume also takes into account Tippett's preliminary attempts for the work and measures the significance its subsequent removal had upon the overall design. Evidence of an altered ending is also shown, together with an assessment of how this affected the proportions of the work. This commentary benefits from the author's extensive experience working with Tippett's letters, sketchbooks, and manuscripts.
Too Much UnConvenience
Lincoln T Beauchamp, Jr., known artistically as Chicago Beau, was raised in an environment rooted in blues, literature, law, and travel. An unlikely circumstance provided by his Great Migration, agrarian background parents. He is a musician, writer, publisher, and adventurer. He has published several books, the most recent being BluesSpeak, University of Illinois Press, 2010. He has published over one hundred authors in literary and music magazines, recorded numerous CDs, and is Co-founder of the Chicago Blues Experience museum opening in 2019. Too Much Unconvenience is a recollection of Beau's earlier experiences, and confirms his zest for living from an early age.
Complicated Fun
In the early 1970s, the Minneapolis music scene was no scene at all. Radio stations played Top 40 music; bars and clubs booked only rock cover bands and blues bands. Meanwhile, cities like New York, Detroit, and London were spawning fresh and innovative--and loud and raw--sounds by musicians creating a new punk and rock movement. A small but daring group of Twin Cities musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts wanted a piece of that action. To do it, they had to build it themselves.Complicated Fun brings together the recollections of the men and women who built Minnesota's vibrant and vital indie rock scene. Through interviews with dozens of musicians, producers, managers, journalists, fans, and other scenesters, Cyn Collins chronicles the emergence of seminal bands like the Suicide Commandos, the Hypstrz, Curtiss A, Flamingo, the Suburbs, H羹sker D羹, the Replacements, and more. The subjects reflect on the key role that Oar Folkjokeopus record store, Jay's Longhorn bar, and Twin/Tone Records played by providing outlets for hearing, performing, and recording these new sounds.Complicated Fun explores the influences, motivations, moments, and individuals that propelled Minneapolis to its status as a premier music scene and, in turn, inspired future generations of rockers.
Hip Hop at Europe’s Edge
Responding to the development of a lively hip hop culture in Central and Eastern European countries, this interdisciplinary study demonstrates how a universal model of hip hop serves as a contextually situated platform of cultural exchange and becomes locally inflected. After the Soviet Union fell, hip hop became popular in urban environments in the region, but it has often been stigmatized as inauthentic, due to an apparent lack of connection to African American historical roots and black identity. Originally strongly influenced by aesthetics from the US, hip hop in Central and Eastern Europe has gradually developed unique, local trajectories, a number of which are showcased in this volume. On the one hand, hip hop functions as a marker of Western cosmopolitanism and democratic ideology, but as the contributors show, it is also a malleable genre that has been infused with so much local identity that it has lost most of its previous associations with "the West" in the experiences of local musicians, audiences, and producers. Contextualizing hip hop through the prism of local experiences and regional musical expressions, these valuable case studies reveal the broad spectrum of its impact on popular culture and youth identity in the post-Soviet world.
A History of Rock Music
A History of Rock Music: The Rock & Roll Era is a celebration of the roots of rock & roll and its emergence as the soundtrack to teenage rebellion and a liberatingly raucous, joyous and rebellious music for one especially fortunate generation. The book is a lovingly detailed examination of the pre-Beatles 1950's era of classic rock & roll, with special attention devoted to the music's varied musical influences, most notably the Blues, Country & Western, Gospel Music, Boogie-Woogie and Rhythm & Blues. It is both a detailed history and a musical appreciation of America's greatest artistic gift to the world.
The Hell-Bound Train
Glenn Ohrlin (1926-2015) was a cowboy singer, working cowboy, rodeo rider, storyteller, and illustrator. In The Hell-Bound Train he has gathered dozens of his favorite songs, which chronicle the range and rodeo life he lived. Ohrlin was known for singing in an unornamented Western style, accompanying himself on the guitar and harmonica. Most of his repertoire comes from the period of 1875 to 1925. The book includes music and lyrics for songs such as "My Home's in Montana," "The Texas Rangers," and "Bull Riders in the Sky," along with Ohrlin's commentary on each work's provenance and meaning. This collection is a must-have for any fan of cowboy and folk music.
Spoke
"The pictures, which include some posed portraits but are mostly concert shots, are the chief attraction. They freeze moments of adolescent release, vein-bulging intensity and sweaty communion that fuses performer and audience . . . Vivid and evocative." --Washington Post"A forthright testament to a kaleidoscopic community. This is a rounded collection, with surprises on every page . . . It's a collection that rocks." --Shelf Awareness for ReadersThe Washington, DC punk music scene of the 1980s gave birth to influential bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Fugazi. Here that era is portrayed in its purest form: an oral history by the creators themselves, including nearly two hundred photographs capturing the power and spirit of this politically progressive corner of American underground music. This stunning and intimate collection features rare images from Jim Saah, Cynthia Connolly, Bert Queiroz, and many others who documented this vibrant community. Compiled by Scott Crawford--whose critically acclaimed film Salad Days provided an unprecedented exploration into the 1980s DC punk scene--Spoke delves deeper into one of the most dynamic movements in US music history.Featuring: BAD BRAINS, THE TEEN IDLES, BLACK MARKET BABY, SOA, MINOR THREAT, GOVERNMENT ISSUE, VOID, IRON CROSS, THE FAITH, SCREAM, MARGINAL MAN, GRAY MATTER, BEEFEATER, KING FACE, RITES OF SPRING, DAG NASTY, EMBRACE, SOULSIDE, FIRE PARTY, SHUDDER TO THINK, IGNITION, FUGAZI, SWIZ, THE NATION OF ULYSSES, and JAWBOX.
Bob Dylan
Donald Brown follows shifting versions of Dylan, from songs of social involvement to more personal songs, exploring his influential albums, tours, and personas. In an engaging adventure, Brown provides insightful critical commentary on Dylan's entire career in the context of its times to assess the relationship of Dylan's music to American culture.
Counting Down Bob Dylan
For fifty years, Bob Dylan's music has been a source of wonder to his fans and endless fodder for analysis by music critics. In Counting Down Bob Dylan, rock journalist Jim Beviglia dares to rank these songs in descending order from Dylan's 100th best to his #1 song.
Choosing Death
Choosing Death is widely recognized as the definitive history of extreme music subgenres. For this revised and expanded edition, author Albert Mudrian (editor-in-chief of Decibel magazine) reveals there is life after death metal; the book now flaunts a whopping 100 additional pages in three new chapters; 50 additional interviews; a grisly 16-page color insert; and a new cover painting by legendary death metal artist Dan Seagrave (known for his classic Entombed and Morbid Angel album covers). This head-rushing history also features forewords by famed BBC DJ John Peel and Repulsion cofounder Scott Carlson.
Songs of the Unsung
Despite his importance and influence, jazz musician, educator, and community leader Horace Tapscott remains relatively unknown to most Americans. In Songs of the Unsung Tapscott shares his life story, recalling his childhood in Houston, moving with his family to Los Angeles in 1943, learning music, and his early professional career. He describes forming the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in 1961 and later the Union of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension to preserve African American music and serve the community. Tapscott also recounts his interactions with the Black Panthers and law enforcement, the Watts riots, his work in Hollywood movie studios, and stories about his famous musician-activist friends. Songs of the Unsung is the captivating story of one of America's most unassuming heroes as well as the story of L.A.'s cultural and political evolution over the last half of the twentieth century.
The Heifetz Scale Book
(LKM Music). The idea for the Heifetz Scale Book was to present all the great master violinist Jascha Heifetz's scale routines that were developed over his long career, but never written down. This edition by Heifetz's protege and world-class violinist Endre Granat is a self-contained master class for a lifetime of study in virtuoso technique! Includes a deluxe leatherette cover.
Oliver Mtukudzi
Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi, a Zimbabwean guitarist, vocalist, and composer, has performed worldwide and released some 50 albums. One of a handful of artists to have a beat named after him, Mtukudzi blends Zimbabwean traditional sounds with South African township music and American gospel and soul, to compose what is known as Tuku Music. In this biography, Jennifer W. Kyker looks at Mtukudzi's life and art, from his encounters with Rhodesian soldiers during the Zimbabwe war of liberation to his friendship with American blues artist Bonnie Raitt. With unprecedented access to Mtukudzi, Kyker breaks down his distinctive performance style using the Shona concept of "hunhu," or human identity through moral relationships, as a framework. By reading Mtukudzi's life in connection with his lyrics and the social milieu in which they were created, Kyker offers an engaging portrait of one of African music's most recognized performers. Interviews with family, friends, and band members make this a penetrating, sensitive, and uplifting biography of one of the world's most popular musicians.
Oliver Mtukudzi
Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi, a Zimbabwean guitarist, vocalist, and composer, has performed worldwide and released some 50 albums. One of a handful of artists to have a beat named after him, Mtukudzi blends Zimbabwean traditional sounds with South African township music and American gospel and soul, to compose what is known as Tuku Music. In this biography, Jennifer W. Kyker looks at Mtukudzi's life and art, from his encounters with Rhodesian soldiers during the Zimbabwe war of liberation to his friendship with American blues artist Bonnie Raitt. With unprecedented access to Mtukudzi, Kyker breaks down his distinctive performance style using the Shona concept of "hunhu," or human identity through moral relationships, as a framework. By reading Mtukudzi's life in connection with his lyrics and the social milieu in which they were created, Kyker offers an engaging portrait of one of African music's most recognized performers. Interviews with family, friends, and band members make this a penetrating, sensitive, and uplifting biography of one of the world's most popular musicians.
Dig
David Nichols tells the story of Australian rock and pop music from 1960 to 1985 - formative years in which the nation cast off its colonial cultural shackles and took on the world. Generously illustrated and scrupulously researched, Dig combines scholarly accuracy with populist flair. Nichols is an unfailingly witty and engaging guide, surveying the fertile and varied landscape of Australian popular music in seven broad historical chapters, interspersed with shorter chapters on some of the more significant figures of each period. The result is a compelling portrait of a music scene that evolves in dynamic interaction with those in the United States and the UK, yet has always retained a strong sense of its own identity and continues to deliver new stars - and cult heroes - to a worldwide audience. Dig is a unique achievement. The few general histories to date have been highlight reels, heavy on illustration and short on detail. And while there have been many excellent books on individual artists, scenes and periods, and a couple of first-rate encylopedias, there's never been a book that told the whole story of the irresistible growth and sweep of a national music culture. Until now . . .
Cavern Club
As a teenager Debbie Greenberg was spending far too much time at the Cavern Club in her hometown of Liverpool, England. It was already the most famous music club in the world, where she had been dazzled by the Beatles' debut performance and had witnessed their rise to stardom for two years before watching the local heroes leave home. Then in 1966, after the previous owner declared bankruptcy, her father asked her out of the blue if she thought it would be a good idea to take over the club. It was an offer she couldn't refuse. She'd been a Cavern fanatic since it was a jazz club, hardly missing a lunchtime or evening rock session until its closure a few weeks before - amid mass protests by Liverpool youth. Now she was suddenly part of a new family business, faced with the task of helping to breathe new life into a dilapidated rock 'n' roll shrine and build on the legacy of the legendary Mersey Beat. This first-hand account of her ten years frequenting and eventually helping to run the original Cavern Club is the authentic inside story of the Beatles launch pad, full of triumphs and failures - and surprise celebrity encounters. Richly illustrated with dozens of photos, posters and press clips.
A Song to Save the Salish Sea
On the coast of Washington and British Columbia sit the misty forests and towering mountains of Cascadia. With archipelagos surrounding its shores and tidal surges of the Salish Sea trundling through the interior, this bioregion has long attracted loggers, fishing fleets, and land developers, each generation seeking successively harder to reach resources as old-growth stands, salmon stocks, and other natural endowments are depleted. Alongside encroaching developers and industrialists is the presence of a rich environmental movement that has historically built community through musical activism. From the Wobblies' Little Red Songbook (1909) to Woody Guthrie's Columbia River Songs (1941) on through to the Raging Grannies' formation in 1987, Cascadia's ecology has inspired legions of songwriters and musicians to advocate for preservation through music.In this book, Mark Pedelty explores Cascadia's vibrant eco-musical community in order to understand how environmentalist music imagines, and perhaps even creates, a more sustainable conception of place. Highlighting the music and environmental work of such various groups as Dana Lyons, the Raging Grannies, Idle No More, Towers and Trees, and Irthlingz, among others, Pedelty examines the divergent strategies--musical, organizational, and technological--used by each musical group to reach different audiences and to mobilize action. He concludes with a discussion of "applied ecomusicology," considering ways this book might be of use to activists and musicians at the community level.
Wouldn’t It Be Nice
When he first started working on Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson said that he was going to write "the greatest rock album ever made." That album, released in 1966, fifty years ago, changed the face of popular music. From conception and composition to arrangement and production, Pet Sounds was the work of one extraordinary man. Turning his back on the protest songs and folk rock of his contemporaries and even on the bright surf sound of his own creation, Brian Wilson reached deep within himself to make music that struck an emotional chord and touched people's souls. Embracing the rapidly advancing recording technology of the time, he expertly created an original studio sound that would inspire generations of listeners and musicians. Featuring a detailed track-by-track analysis of the songs and extensive interviews with key personalities, Wouldn't It Be Nice reveals the influences--musical, personal, and professional--that together created this groundbreaking album. Now revised to include new information and recent developments, this is the definitive book on one of the greatest albums ever made.
Carols Ancient and Modern
Every December churches find themselves putting on many carol services and concerts both within the church and in the local community. But the provision of words and music for carols can be problematic. Many hymn books and paper carol sheets often have a limited selection, while specialist choir volumes are too complex for community use. Carols Ancient & Modern aims to full this gap with a comprehensive new selection of carols, published to A&M's high production standards and yet inexpensive and durable. It offers 120 items, combining traditional carols with newer favourites by composers such as Malcolm Archer, plus folk and children's classics like Mary's Boy Child and Little Donkey that rarely get into hymn books. There is also a selection especially suited to small choirs and unaccompanied singers. Carols Ancient & Modern will meet the real and varied needs of churches, cathedrals and schools seeking one volume that holds all their Advent and Christmas favourites.
Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor 1980-1983
As the 1970s gave way to the 80s, New York's party scene entered a ferociously inventive period characterized by its creativity, intensity, and hybridity. Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor chronicles this tumultuous time, charting the sonic and social eruptions that took place in the city's subterranean party venues as well as the way they cultivated breakthrough movements in art, performance, video, and film. Interviewing DJs, party hosts, producers, musicians, artists, and dancers, Tim Lawrence illustrates how the relatively discrete post-disco, post-punk, and hip hop scenes became marked by their level of plurality, interaction, and convergence. He also explains how the shifting urban landscape of New York supported the cultural renaissance before gentrification, Reaganomics, corporate intrusion, and the spread of AIDS brought this gritty and protean time and place in American culture to a troubled denouement.
How to Enjoy Opera
From Glyndebourne to the King's Head, in the flesh and streamed online: opera is reaching a broader audience than ever before. With over 400 years of history, and a beguiling mix of musical motifs, costumes, storytelling and song, opera has fascinated and enthralled audiences for centuries. However it can also cast the impression of an intimidating high-art form, inaccessible to the uninitiated. How to Enjoy Opera is an engaging, illuminating primer which will demystify the world of opera. John Snelson, who has worked at London's world-famous Royal Opera House in Covent Garden for over 15 years, gives his expert insight into how to absorb an opera and understand its inner workings. Aimed at newcomers to the art form as well as long-time fans, this book will help the reader to absorb and understand any opera: with examples drawn from more than 45 composers and just over 100 operas included. There are references to some of the most famous of all opera moments, sometimes from less familiar perspectives, but also to lesser-known works. This book decodes many of the elements that opera composers and librettists put into their operas that give enjoyment to audiences, in the hope that readers can gain greater enjoyment from their future viewing and listening too.
