Biography: arts and entertainment Books

Book SynopsisIn this new collection of interviews, Steve Cushing once again invites readers into the vaults of Blues Before Sunrise, his acclaimed nationally syndicated public radio show. Icons from Memphis Minnie to the Gay Sisters stand alongside figures like schoolteacher Flossie Franklin, who helped Leroy Carr pen some of his most famous tunes; saxman Abb Locke and his buddy Two-Gun Pete, a Chicago cop notorious for killing people in the line of duty; and Scotty The Dancing Tailor Piper, a font of knowledge on the black entertainment scene of his day. Cushing also devotes a section to religious artists, including the world-famous choir Wings Over Jordan and their travails touring and performing in the era of segregation. Another section focuses on the jazz-influenced Bronzeville scene that gave rise to Marl Young, Andrew Tibbs, and many others while a handful of Cushing's early brushes with the likes of Little Brother Montgomery, Sippi Wallace, and Blind John Davis round out the volume.Diverse Trade Review"Rarely are sequels better than the originals, but Blues Before Sunrise 2 is a happy exception. Cushing delivers another truly significant contribution to the blues literature."--Edward Komara, editor of Encyclopedia of the Blues "In this entertaining and informative collection of interviews, [Cushing] showcases many facets of the Chicago blues scene." --No Depression"By asking insightful questions and letting the artists speak for themselves, Cushing manages to bring to life the excitement of by-gone eras, and shines a light on the impact of obscure artists as well as known legends across several musical genres . . . Highly recommended!" --Blues Blast Magazine

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Journalists discovered Lucrecia Martel with her last film, but scholars like Gerd Gemünden were already paying attention to her extraordinary body of work. Now, Gemünden analyzes the complexities of the Martel universe with a combination of cinematic precision and historical knowledge, unpacking her references and delineating her acute specificity of place. A welcome volume and likely an instant classic."--B. Ruby Rich, editor, Film Quarterly "In a superb and richly documented in-depth reading of Lucrecia Martel's filmic oeuvre, Gerd Gemünden places her firmly within the context of Argentina's vibrant New Cinema of the last twenty years, while also making a convincing case for her to be considered a leading filmmaker of our time."—Jens Andermann, author of New Argentine Cinema

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Friedman's passion for Spielberg films is contagious. Reading Citizen Spielberg makes you want to revisit old favorites like Jurassic Park (1993) and less familiar gems like Empire of the Sun (1987), both to appreciate Spielberg's artistry and assess Friedman's arguments. " --Australasian Journal of American Studies"Essential . . . Perhaps Friedman's greatest achievement is deciphering--in remarkably entertaining fashion--why every Spielberg film is vital to understanding his entire career." --The Film Stage"Citizen Spielberg is an indispensable study of outstanding scholarship and criticism about Steven Spielberg's life, work, and place in American film and cultural history. Friedman writes with commitment and conviction, opening new channels of understanding into Spielberg, his films, and his times."--Sam B. Girgus, author of Clint Eastwood's America"Friedman claims to have penned the first comprehensive analysis of [Spielberg's] films, and he may well be right."--Library Journal"Friedman's treatment is an exhaustive and necessary catalog."--American Interest"There is [a lack of] an exhaustive overview of the components of Spielberg's corpus, the issues which animate his most significant works, the roots of his immense popularity amongst audiences, and the influence his vast spectrum of imaginative products exerts on the public consciousness. Friedman fills that void with a systematic analysis of the various genres in which the director has worked and concludes that Spielberg's films present a sustained artistic vision combined with a technical flair matched by few other filmmakers, and makes a compelling case for Spielberg to be considered as a major film artist."--Screening the Past"Citizen Spielberg does a service to a monstrously influential director and an oeuvre whose investigations of emotion -- especially constrained masculine emotions -- have received insufficient book-length study."--Bloomsbury Review"Friedman seeks a more nuanced approach to Spielberg's cinematic output as director; taking readers through an analysis of his films and responding to the critical assessments of others, Friedman asserts that 'Spielberg is a far more complex, sophisticated, and wry filmmaker than most mainstream critics and academic scholars appreciate.’”--Shofar "Encourage your brightest students to investigate Citizen Speilberg. It's the sort of book that by eschewing jargon but employing serious critical analysis could have a profound effect."--Splice"There is [a lack of] an exhaustive overview of the components of Spielberg's corpus, the issues which animate his most significant works, the roots of his immense popularity amongst audiences, and the influence his vast spectrum of imaginative products exerts on the public consciousness. Friedman fills that void with a systematic analysis of the various genres in which the director has worked and concludes that Spielberg's films present a sustained artistic vision combined with a technical flair matched by few other filmmakers, and makes a compelling case for Spielberg to be considered as a major film artist." * Screening the Past *"Citizen Spielberg does a service to a monstrously influential director and an oeuvre whose investigations of emotion--especially constrained masculine emotions--have received insufficient book-length study." * Bloomsbury Review *"Friedman seeks a more nuanced approach to Spielberg's cinematic output as director; taking readers through an analysis of his films and responding to the critical assessments of others, Friedman asserts that 'Spielberg is a far more complex, sophisticated, and wry filmmaker than most mainstream critics and academic scholars appreciate.’” * Shofar *"Encourage your brightest students to investigate Citizen Speilberg. It's the sort of book that by eschewing jargon but employing serious critical analysis could have a profound effect." * Splice *"Friedman's treatment is an exhaustive and necessary catalog." * American Interest *Table of ContentsPreface ixAcknowledgments xxiii1 The Fantasy and Science Fiction Films 12 The Action/Adventure Melodramas 653 The Monster Movies 1174 The War Films 1735 The Social Problem/Ethnic Minority Films 2436 Imagining the Holocaust 311Filmography 341Works Cited 351Index 369

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Book SynopsisNow available in paperback, William C. Banfield’s acclaimed collection of interviews delves into the lives and work of forty-one Black composers. Each of the profiled artists offers a candid self-portrait that explores areas from training and compositional techniques to working in a exclusive canon that has existed for a very long time. At the same time, Banfield draws on sociology, Western concepts of art and taste, and vernacular musical forms like blues and jazz to provide a frame for the artists’ achievements and help to illuminate the ongoing progress and struggles against industry barriers. Expanded illustrations and a new preface by the author provide invaluable added context, making this new edition an essential companion for anyone interested in Black composers or contemporary classical music. Composers featured: Michael Abels, H. Leslie Adams, Lettie Beckon Alston, Thomas J. Anderson, Dwight Andrews, Regina Harris Baiocchi, David Baker, William C. Ban?eld, YsayTrade Review"If you are intrigued by the mystery of artistic creativity, this is your book. If you want to know where these musicians believe they stand among their white peers, read on. If you are curious about how non-commercial composers and performers thrive or survive in our warped economy, there is much here to consider." --On the Seawall"Traversing a richly diverse gamut of Black culture and heritage across classical and jazz-- which many here agree is in effect ‘the classical music of America’—the crucial contribution of Black composers in and far beyond the US becomes clear. Wise, moving, and thought-provoking, it's a timely reiteration of the continued need for their wider acknowledgment." --BBC Music Magazine“A valuable guide to the repertoire.”--Times Union"While some composers are familiar (including Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin), the overwhelming impression is how many unsung Black composers have contributed so much pleasure to music lovers. It’s abundantly clear their work has enriched and expanded the world’s musical palette. . . . A book that should be in every music lover’s library." --Library Journal, Starred ReviewTable of ContentsDedication Foreword Preface: Black Beethovens: Essential Conversations with American Composers In Loving Memory Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: Laying the Foundations Part 2: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 1 (1922–1936) H. Leslie Adams Thomas J. Anderson David Baker Noel DaCosta George Russell Hale Smith Frederick C. Tillis George Walker Part 3: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 2 (1937–1945) Adolphus Hailstork Wendell Logan Dorothy Rudd Moore Olly Wilson Part 4: Perspectives on Spirituality, Jazz, and Contemporary Popular Languages Dwight Andrews Ysaye Maria Barnwell Billy Childs George Duke Jester Hairston Herbie Hancock Stephen Newby Michael Powell Billy Taylor Tony Williams Michael Woods Part 5: The Composer as Conductor and Composer Leslie Dunner Bobby McFerrin Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson Patrice Rushen Kevin Scott Julius Williams Part 6: Generation X and Beyond (1950–1965) Michael Abels Lettie Beckon Alston William C. Banfield Regina Harris Baiocchi Anthony Davis Donal Fox Jonathan Holland Anthony Kelley Jeffrey Mumford Gary Powell Nash Evelyn Simpson-Curenton James Kimo Williams Postlude: Extensions of the Tradition—Linkages and Canon Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisAn accessible introduction to the dean of African American composersTrade Review"This exemplary introduction to African American musician William Grant Still will appeal to both students and laypersons. . . . Recommended."--Choice"This book will be the standard work on William Grant Still for at least twenty years. Smith provides a brilliant narrative of Still's active career, his cooperation with Carl Van Vechten, and his prestige as an American composer. A useful introduction to Still's life, career, music, and sociological importance."--Wayne D. Shirley, emeritus senior music specialist, Library of Congress"A superb general reference to the life and career of William Grant Still. Smith does an excellent job of placing the composer within the context of African American life of his day. She is at her best in narrating Still's professional career in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles."--Josephine Wright, editor of New Perspectives on Music: Essays in Honor of Eileen SouthernTable of ContentsPREFACE ix A NOTE ON RESEARCH xi 1. An Uncertain Ovation 1 2. Still's Arkansas Childhood 4 3. An Ohio Apprenticeship 14 4. New York City 25 5. Making His Mark 38 6. Still's Instrumental Music 47 7. Los Angeles, 1934- 55 8. Troubled Island 68 9. Moscow's "Subtle but Effective Hand" 80 10. After the Storm 87 NOTES 95 SELECTED WORKS 103 FOR FURTHER READING 107 SUGGESTED LISTENING 109 INDEX 111

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This insightful book restores filmmaker Su Friedrich’s key role in American experimental cinema, along with the New York feminist and lesbian cultural and activist contexts that shaped it. Friedrich’s associative style, personal content, and precision editing remind us that formalism has politics and politics has form. This comprehensive account challenges existing histories of American experimental film.”--Patricia White, author of Women’s Cinema, World Cinema: Projecting Contemporary FeminismsTable of ContentsAcknowledgments A Politics of the Personal in Experimental Filmmaking Auteurism Expanded Scratching and Cutting Counter Memories The Politics of Being Lesbian Digital Embodiments An Interview with Su Friedrich Filmography Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisOffers a vibrant portrait of race in early cinema.Trade ReviewThoroughly researched and crisply written. . . The first book-length work on Norman, Lupack's monograph clearly delineates the Norman Company's importance . . . [Richard E. Norman and Race Filmmaking's] most profound contribution lies, perhaps, in how it illuminates the fraught economics of race filmmaking . . . . * Journal of American History *Lupack's book provides a wealth of archival information about this vibrant moment in film history . . . . [This] is a solid contribution to regional film studies and race film business practice, and will appeal to scholars, students, and film-buffs alike. * Black Camera *Table of ContentsForeword by Michael MartinAcknowledgementsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction: A New Vision of Opportunity1. Race Matters: The Evolution of Race Filmmaking2. "Have You Talent?": Norman's Early Career3. "Not a White Man in the Cast": Norman's Early Race Films4. "Taking Two Hides From the Ox": The Bull-Dogger and The Crimson Skull5. "A Risky Experiment": Zircon and Regeneration6. "You Know We Have the Goods": The Flying Ace and Black Gold7. "It Takes a Darn Good One to Stick": Norman's Later Career AfterwordAppendix 1: Shooting Script: The Green Eyed MonsterAppendix 2: Shooting Script (Fragment) and Scenario: The Bull-DoggerAppendix 3: Shooting Script: The Crimson SkullNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisUnderscores the lives of artists in Russia's "Silver Age" - an explosion of artistic activity amid the rapid social and political changes of the early 20th century.Trade ReviewThis wonderful book is a fascinating, well-written and well-presented history of one of the greatest violinists of the twentieth century – indeed, for many listeners, the greatest such practitioner of the art. It is a book which we have looked forward to for decades [] There have been conflicting early biographical claims regarding Heifetz [] but Galina Kopytova has delved deeply (often for the first time) into archives in Lithuania, Russia, Berlin and Warsaw [] Here is a compelling story about the early life of a musical genius threaded through with the artistic atmosphere and general milieu of the era in which he was born and brought up. It's a great book, much of which will be a revelation to many. * International Record Review *Galina Kopytova has performed an excellent job in researching numerous archives in order to piece together an account that was first published in St Petersburg in 2004, and now appears in English, somewhat expanded and refined, for the first time. This well-illustrated book should interest many musicians and music lovers as well as offering a detailed portrait of the cultural, especially Jewish, life of Russia in the early twentieth century. It is unlikely to be superseded in the foreseeable future. * Slavonic and East European Review *[T]his book is really about much more than the early life of this extraordinary musician: it is about the full tapestry of late Imperial Russian life, with its huge talents and personalities adding warmth to the mindless bureaucracy and anti-Semitism that dogged the Heifetz family. Alexandra Sarlo and Dario Sarlo have done a fine job of translating Kopytova's book, bringing to the English-speaking world a treasury of information about this fascinating historical figure about whom we previously knew so little. * Russian Review *Since Heifetz spoke little about his formative years in Russia, this wide-ranging study by Kopytova and her collaborators will be eagerly welcomed by Heifetz enthusiasts, violin aficionados, and those interested in Russian musical culture more generally. * Oral History Review *Scholar and archivist Kopytova has filled this void [on Heifetz's Russian childhood] admirably...A fascinating look at the early career of a prodigy who fulfilled the promise of his early success, this book will appeal to musicians (violinists in particular), as well as those interested in the culture and history of the early 20th century, especially as it relates to Tsarist and World War I-era Russia.No biography of Heifetz I have come across has dealt in detail with this period of his life, one which he viewed with discomfort and as having 'a dark side'. This outstanding volume corrects that omission and provides us with an accurate and exhaustively researched narrative of how one of the most amazing musical prodigies became one of the greatest violinists in history. * Gramophone *This is a very valuable book, lovingly researched, well written and translated, and presented with many evocative photos. * The Strad *A fascinating account, giving a vivid view into a half-forgotten world. * Classical Music *Regrettably, a satisfactory, comprehensive biography of Heifetz has not appeared. However, Kopytova has filled the gap vis-a-vis Heifetz's childhood. . . Recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsAuthor's PrefaceEditors' IntroductionForeign Words ListList of Abbreviations1. Early Roots of the Heifetz Family2. 1901-1906: Vilnius3. 1906-1909: Music School4. 1910: St. Petersburg Conservatory and Nalbandian5. First Performances in St. Petersburg6. Summer 1911: Concerts in Pavlovsk and Odessa7. Fall 1911: In the Class of Professor Auer8. The Beginning of 19129. 1912: First Trip to Germany10. 1912: A German Tour11. The Beginning of 191312. Summer-Fall 1913: Loschwitz13. Winter 1913-1914: Bar Mitzvah14. Spring 191415. Summer-Fall 1914: War16. January-September 191517. The End of 191518. The First Half of 191619. The Second Half of 1916: Norway and Denmark20. The First Half of 1917: February Revolution21. Summer 1917: Departure for AmericaAppendix 1: Reviews of Jascha Heifetz's Debut at Carnegie Hall, October 27, 1917Appendix 2: Jascha Heifetz's Repertoire in RussiaNotesSelected BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA superb new biography -- Alex Ross * The New Yorker *In this new biography, Bill Alves and Brett Campbell share a thorough overview of Harrison's life in the form of a dense, chronological narrative, rich in details meticulously cited, and interwoven with insightful details about his music. -- John MacInnis * Notes, the journal of the Music Library Association *An illuminating and engrossing new biography * Los Angeles Times *In this new biography, Bill Alves and Brett Campbell share a thorough overview of Harrison's life in the form of a dense, chronological narrative, interwoven with insightful details about his music. * Notes *Readers who are willing to take a deep dive will be well rewarded. Harrison's life story was an inspiring one, as Alves and Campbell demonstrate. . . . Through the authors' research, we see the complex network of connections between composers—the camaraderie, and the occasional infighting and drama. * 4Columns *Comprehensive and engrossing * The New York Times *This scrupulously researched, lovingly written biography provides a comprehensive overview of the man, his life and times, and the music he made. * Songlines *Table of ContentsForeword: Hail, Lou! / Mark MorrisPreface: Lou's WorldAcknowledgmentsPart I: Oregon Trails1. The Silver Court (1917-1934)Part II: The Vast Acreage2. A Wonderful Whirligig (1935-1936)3. The Ultramodernist (1935-1936)4. The Grand Manner (1936-1937)5. Changing World (1937-1938)6. Double Music (1938-1939)7. Drums Along the Pacific (1939-1941)8. Into the Labyrinth (1941-1942)9. Western Dance (1942-1943)Part III: A Hell of a Town10. The Lonesome Isle (1943-1945)11. New York Waltzes (1945-1946)12. Praises for the Archangel (1946)13. Day of Ascension (1946-1947)14. Tears of the Angel (1947-1948)15. The Perilous Chapel (1948-1949)16. Pastorales (1949-1950)17. The White Goddess (1951)18. A Great Playground (1951-1952)19. Lake Eden (1952-1953)Part IV: Full Circle20. A Paradise Garden of Delights (1953-1955)21. Free Style (1955-1957)22. Wild Rights (1957-1961)Part V: Pacifica23. The Human Music (1961)24. Pacific Rounds (1962-1963)25. The Family of the Court (1963-1966)26. Stars Upon his Face (1967-1969)27. Young Caesar and Old Granddad (1969-1974)28. Elegies (1973-1975)Part VI: The Great Melody29. Golden Rain (1975-1977)30. Playing Together (1977-1979)31. Showers of Beauty (1978-1982)32. Paradisal Music (1982-1984)33. Stampede (1983-1987)34. New Moon (1986-1990)35. Book Music (1991-1995)36. An Eden of Music and Mountains (1995-1997)37. Asian Artistry (1997-2002)38. White Ashes (2003)NotesAppendix A: Glossary of Musical TermsAppendix B: List of Harrison's CompositionsBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA superb new biography -- Alex Ross * The New Yorker *In this new biography, Bill Alves and Brett Campbell share a thorough overview of Harrison's life in the form of a dense, chronological narrative, rich in details meticulously cited, and interwoven with insightful details about his music. -- John MacInnis * Notes, the journal of the Music Library Association *An illuminating and engrossing new biography * Los Angeles Times *In this new biography, Bill Alves and Brett Campbell share a thorough overview of Harrison's life in the form of a dense, chronological narrative, interwoven with insightful details about his music. * Notes *Readers who are willing to take a deep dive will be well rewarded. Harrison's life story was an inspiring one, as Alves and Campbell demonstrate. . . . Through the authors' research, we see the complex network of connections between composers—the camaraderie, and the occasional infighting and drama. * 4Columns *Comprehensive and engrossing * The New York Times *This scrupulously researched, lovingly written biography provides a comprehensive overview of the man, his life and times, and the music he made. * Songlines *Table of ContentsForeword: Hail, Lou! / Mark MorrisPreface: Lou's WorldAcknowledgmentsPart I: Oregon Trails1. The Silver Court (1917-1934)Part II: The Vast Acreage2. A Wonderful Whirligig (1935-1936)3. The Ultramodernist (1935-1936)4. The Grand Manner (1936-1937)5. Changing World (1937-1938)6. Double Music (1938-1939)7. Drums Along the Pacific (1939-1941)8. Into the Labyrinth (1941-1942)9. Western Dance (1942-1943)Part III: A Hell of a Town10. The Lonesome Isle (1943-1945)11. New York Waltzes (1945-1946)12. Praises for the Archangel (1946)13. Day of Ascension (1946-1947)14. Tears of the Angel (1947-1948)15. The Perilous Chapel (1948-1949)16. Pastorales (1949-1950)17. The White Goddess (1951)18. A Great Playground (1951-1952)19. Lake Eden (1952-1953)Part IV: Full Circle20. A Paradise Garden of Delights (1953-1955)21. Free Style (1955-1957)22. Wild Rights (1957-1961)Part V: Pacifica23. The Human Music (1961)24. Pacific Rounds (1962-1963)25. The Family of the Court (1963-1966)26. Stars Upon his Face (1967-1969)27. Young Caesar and Old Granddad (1969-1974)28. Elegies (1973-1975)Part VI: The Great Melody29. Golden Rain (1975-1977)30. Playing Together (1977-1979)31. Showers of Beauty (1978-1982)32. Paradisal Music (1982-1984)33. Stampede (1983-1987)34. New Moon (1986-1990)35. Book Music (1991-1995)36. An Eden of Music and Mountains (1995-1997)37. Asian Artistry (1997-2002)38. White Ashes (2003)NotesAppendix A: Glossary of Musical TermsAppendix B: List of Harrison's CompositionsBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewGrossman's entertaining, scrupulously documented study—a Jewish Book Club selection in cloth—portrays vaudeville and radio star Brice's talent, determination and legend-building. * Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. The Early Years: Birth to Burlesque 2. A oCollege GirlO on the Wheel 3. The Ziegfeld Connection: The Follies of 1910 and 1911 4. Dramatic Doldrums: 1912-1916 5. oA Cartoonist Working in the FleshO: The Ziegfeld Follies of 1916 and 1917 6. Disappointments, Debacles, and oThat Immortal SongO 7. Plastic Surgery for the Stage 8. Trying to Reach othe Hillbillies and the Haute MondeO: 1927-1933 9. oA Burlesque Comic of the Rarest VintageO: The Ziegfeld Follies of 1934 and 1936 Conclusion: oI Knew What I Was Doing--I ThinkO Notes Bibliography Index Illustrations follow Chapter Six

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Book SynopsisPresents the world of rhythm and blues from the perspective of an insider. This book features anecdotes about such R&B legends as Otis Redding, Curtis Mayfield, and Dionne Warwick. It chronicles the 'Iceman's' journey from rural Mississippi to Chicago and the founding and eventual breakup of the legendary Impressions vocal group.Trade ReviewBeginning as a member of the Impressions in Chicago in 1958, Butler (b. 1939) launched a vocal career that has lasted into the 21st century. This autobiography details his growing up in poverty and his initial musical successes and ends with his foray into politics with his election to the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1985 and his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Along the way Butler supplies considerable information on various managers and recording companies, especially Vee Jay Records, Mercury Records, and later Motown. The author concentrates not on private lives but on musical careers—his own and those of numerous others, e.g., Curtis Mayfield, Little Willie John, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Patti LaBelle. His behind-the-scenes look at race relations within the music industry during the last half of the century supplements and chronologically expands Robert Pruter's discussion in Doowop: The Chicago Scene (CH, Nov'96) and Chicago Soul (CH, May'91). Selected illustrations, discography, brief notes, and bibliography are helpful. Highly recommended for academic and general readers alike with an interest in popular music. All levels.march 2001 -- R. D. Cohen * Indiana University Northwest *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionProloguePart I: The Early Years1. The Beginning2. Starting Over in Sweet Home Chicago3. Learning the Basics4. Reality Sets InPart II: The Vee Jay Years5. What's in a Name?6. Coming Apart7. Picking Up the Pieces8. Learning Experiences9. Making My Mark10. With a Little Help from My FriendsPart III: The Mercury Years11. The Producers12. "Kill or Be Killed"13. Changing the World with a SongPart IV: The Motown Years and Beyond14. You've Got What It TakesPart V: The Political Years15. Summing UpEpilogueNotesBibliographyDiscographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA critical analysis of the art and career of African American painter Loïs Mailou Jones (1905–1998). Examines Jones’s engagement with African and Afrodiasporic themes as well as the challenges she faced as a black woman artist. Trade Review“Books about artist Loïs Mailou Jones have been too few, making VanDiver’s meticulous study a milestone in art, women’s, and African American history.”—Donna Seaman Booklist“While VanDiver has plenty to cover about the artist’s contributions, her prose leaves room for a nuanced look at Jones’s upbringing.”—Eva Recinos Hyperallergic“VanDiver’s ambitious volume certainly deserves a place among scholarly books about ‘New Negro’ artists, such as Renée Ater’s Remaking Race and History and Theresa A. Leininger-Miller’s New Negro Artists in Paris. As these authors did, VanDiver has excavated facts on an artist’s life and work, filling in the substantial gaps in the record about her training and exhibition history.”—Jacqueline Francis,author of Making Race: Modernism and “Racial Art” in America “VanDiver proves that Loïs Mailou Jones was one of the most sophisticated American modernists to look to Africa and the broader African diaspora for artistic inspiration. The author expertly analyzes Jones’s extensive body of work, making important use of interviews, Jones's papers, and archives at Howard University, and she presents strong close individual readings of Jones's paintings and collages.”—Phoebe Wolfskill,author of Archibald Motley, Jr. and Racial Reinvention: The Old Negro in New Negro Art“This monograph not only elevates Jones but is a valuable contribution to the discourse on the visual articulation of Black identity in the twentieth century. Designing a New Tradition should be included in a variety of art history collections, including those with a focus on women artists, Black artists, and the arts histories of Boston and Washington, DC.”—Lynora Williams ARLIS/NA Reviews“Erudite, readable, and generously illustrated, this book is a worthy monument to an important figure in the history of art.”—K. P. Buick Choice“VanDiver has considerably advanced understanding of Jones’s career by contextualizing the artist and her work in light of larger cultural issues and international art movements. [Designing a New Tradition] will be the standard source on Jones for years to come.”—Theresa Leininger-Miller CAA.Reviews“By bringing art history and Black study into direct relation, VanDiver demonstrates how interdisciplinary work can spur new knowledge and new ways of seeing the (Black) world. Not only does the author reclaim the monograph as a valid and enduring form of scholarship; she also reframes Loïs Mailou Jones as a practitioner and proponent of a modernism that is uniquely transnational and Pan-African.”—Tiffany E. Barber Woman's Art JournalTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Claiming Middle Ground1. Seeking Success: School, Society, and Career Aspirations2. Routes to Roots: From Black Washington to Black Paris3. Diasporic Directions: Haiti, Collage, and Composite Aesthetics4. In and Out: Africa and the AcademyConclusion: Composite Naming Practices and Art HistoriesNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA fascinating autobiography that tells the intertwining stories of one of Russia’s best-known documentary filmmakers and the eventful half century of Russian history she has recorded.Table of Contents Foreword by Robert Rosen Acknowledgments Introduction Father Childhood Our House Bolshevo Those Times I Will Be a Camerawoman Where to Next? Lessons of Television Teaching The Weavers My First Film Portrait Professional Infatuations Them The Ordeal Compromises Sharp Angles On the Threshold of Change Arkhangelsk Muzhik Oleg Efremov Solovki Power Life Is More Talented Than We Are Perestroika: Another Life A Taste of Freedom Once More about Scripts Earthquake The House on Arbat Street Life with a Camera Technology and Creativity The Prince On Ethics Life with a Camera (Continued) Documentary Trip Filmography of Marina Goldovskaya Appendix: Notable Figures in Soviet Filmmaking and Other Arts

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Book SynopsisBefore he achieved his dream of being an internationally known rock personality, Ryan Adams had a band in Raleigh, North Carolina. Whiskeytown led the wave of insurgent-country bands that came of age with No Depression magazine in the mid-1990s, and for many people it defined the era. Adams was an irrepressible character, one of the signature personalities of his generation, and as a singer-songwriter he blew people away with a mature talent that belied his youth. David Menconi witnessed most of Whiskeytown’s rocket ride to fame as the music critic for the Raleigh News & Observer, and in Ryan Adams, he tells the inside story of the singer’s remarkable rise from hardscrabble origins to success with Whiskeytown, as well as Adams’s post-Whiskeytown self-reinvention as a solo act.Menconi draws on early interviews with Adams, conversations with people close to him, and Adams’s extensive online postings to capture the creative ferment thTrade Review"Author David Menconi, music critic for the Raleigh, NC, News & Observer, pulls back the curtain on folk icon Ryan Adams in his new book, Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story Of Whiskeytown. From Adams' earliest experiences listening to country music on his grandmother's radio, through his obsessive punk rock phase and dusty-throated alternative-country explosion, Menconi leaves no stone unturned." - Todd Sterling, ReDigiTable of Contents Preface Part I: Before Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Part Two: During Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Part Three: After Chater Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Selected Discography Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisA group of three friends who made music in a house in Lubbock, Texas, recorded an album that wasn’t released and went their separate ways into solo careers. That group became a legend and then—twenty years later—a band. The Flatlanders—Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock—are icons in American music, with songs blending country, folk, and rock that have influenced a long list of performers, including Robert Earl Keen, the Cowboy Junkies, Ryan Bingham, Terry Allen, John Hiatt, Hayes Carll, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, and Lyle Lovett.In The Flatlanders: Now It’s Now Again, Austin author and music journalist John T. Davis traces the band’s musical journey from the house on 14th Street in Lubbock to their 2013 sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. He explores why music was, and is, so important in Lubbock and how earlier West Texas musicians such as Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, as well as a touring Elvis Presley, inspireTrade ReviewDavis packs a wealth of material into this book, drawing on his considerable insight into the American music scene. It’s an enjoyable read, highlighting an oft-overlooked contribution to the development of Americana. * R2 *Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Part One: The Land Chapter 1: The Llano Chapter 2: The City Chapter 3: The Invasion Chapter 4: The House Part Two: The Men, First Verse Chapter 5: Joe, Jimmie, and Butch, Part 1 Chapter 6: Compañeros Part Three: The Music Chapter 7: Genesis Chapter 8: More a Legend Chapter 9: Diaspora Part Four: The Men, Second Verse Chapter 10: Joe, Jimmie, and Butch, Part 2 Part Five: The Return Chapter 11: More a Band Chapter 12: Alchemy: Now Again Chapter 13: Cruising Speed: Wheels of Fortune/Live '72 Chapter 14: Dust to Dust: Hills and Valleys Chapter 15: Closing the Circle: The Odessa Tapes Epilogue: Carnegie Hall: Practice, Practice, Practice Discography

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Book SynopsisRefuting virtually every previous account of the founding and development of the American motion picture industry, this entertaining biography pays tribute to a pioneer whose many innovations helped to create Hollywood as we know it today.Table of Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction: The Forgotten Pioneer 1. The Birth of a Motion Picture Company 2. Making Westerns in the West 3. The Creation of the Movie Cowboy 4. Selig in Eden: The Genesis of Movies in Los Angeles 5. Selig’s Cinematic Jungles and Zoo 6. Leading the World 7. Actualities, Expeditions, and Newsreels 8. The Development of the Feature Film 9. Exiled from Eden Conclusion Notes Suggested Reading and Selected Selig Filmography Index

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Book SynopsisThis volume tells of a relationship between Hugo Wolf, one of the greatest masters of the German art song, and Melanie Kochert, the wife of a prominent Viennese jeweller with whom Wolf shared a lifelong emotional, spiritual, and artistic bond.

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Book SynopsisKay Swift (1897-1993) was one of the few women composers active on Broadway in the first half of the 20th century. Vicki Ohl describes a remarkable life, which included being the first woman to write a Broadway musical and eloping to Oregon with a rodeo cowboy she met at the 1939 World's Fair.Trade Review"This first full-scale biography of Kay Swift is a comprehensive examination of her life and work in all its phases." Geoffrey Block, author of Richard Rodgers, Yale Broadway Masters"

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Book SynopsisA major biography of one of the most important figures in modern drama, evoked through a biographical reading of his playsTrade Review“Includes an interesting section on how the Norwegian playwright employed syphilis as the central metaphor in his play Ghosts. Venereal disease was rampant in Scandinavia in the 1880s and Sprinchorn charts how the author of Doll’s House was always willing to tackle a taboo subject.”—Martin Chilton, The Independent“Not the story as often told, but that only makes it more valuable. Of the greatest interest not only to Ibsen scholars but to all serious students of modern drama and theater practitioners.”—Michael Goldman, Princeton University“An exhaustive examination of Ibsen's life and work by a major scholar of Scandinavian literature, Ibsen's Kingdom is the fullest analysis of Ibsen as a ‘poet of paradoxes.’”—Joan Templeton, author of Ibsen's Women

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“[The Woman in White] argues that Hiffernan was more collaborator than victim, an assessment that strives to write her into history as Whistler’s indispensable partner.”—Gioia Diliberto, Wall Street Journal“[A] lavish volume . . . illuminating . . . Ms. MacDonald’s deep research has corrected some misinformation and unearthed important new facts.” —Gioia Diliberto, Wall Street Journal“The Woman in White examines the relationship between the prickly American painter and the muse-mistress who modeled for his haunting ‘Symphonies in White’ . . . [and] argues that the two formed a symbiotic partnership.”—Michael Dirda, Washington Post (“This Season’s Hidden Gems”)“There are…illuminating chapters retelling Hiffernan’s biography and the story of her relationship with Whistler, alongside fascinating and new discoveries pertaining to the physical makeup of The Woman in White, its materiality, and its legacy, once more emphasising the formalist facets of white on white as a premodernist theme.”—Marte Stinis, British Association of Victorian Studies Newsletter

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Book Synopsis“I want my clothes to make you smile!”—Patrick Kelly

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Book SynopsisFrom one of the leading scholars of the composer’s works, an exploration of the unswerving artistic vision underlying Beethoven’s symphonies.Trade Review"The bulk of his [Lockwood's] new book introduces each of the composer’s nine symphonies, all individual and different in their magisterial genius, and paints a vivid picture of the creative context of each." -- James Macmillan - Standpoint

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Book SynopsisA groundbreaking work that reveals how Marlon Brando shaped his legacy in art and life.Trade Review"Brimming with colorful anecdotes and details... a wonderfully cohesive work about Brando, both as an actor and a man." "[Mizruchi is] the first to have access to Brando's private archives, including his extensive library, film archives and research materials... Fascinating." -- Tom Shone "To understand the complete Brando...any future biographer will now have to take account of Mizruchi's Brando as well-to somehow square the lover and the sensualist with the critical thinker." -- Julia M. Klein "Renowned cultural scholar Susan L. Mizruchi explores the Brando that was not visible to the world in order to better understand the one that was-a Brando that was independent of the public persona and often at odds with it." "The most amazing restoration work on an artist's image that I've ever seen." -- Greg Carpenter

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Book SynopsisA photographic and textual meditation on the life of a legend, reissued in special CD-size format.

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Book Synopsis"The two sides of Shaw…are at the center of…[this] compulsively readable biography." —Daniel Akst, Wall Street JournalTrade Review"Makes sense of a turbulent life that even Artie Shaw himself had given up on explaining." -- Ted Gioia - San Francisco Chronicle"Tom Nolan proves himself valiantly…It’s not simply the first-hand research, the careful investigation of the facts, the easy, approachable prose style…The portrait is thorough, providing a deep study of a man both complicated and coarse, creating beauty through his clarinet and creating turmoil through his actions." -- Michael Steinman - Jazz Lives"Compelling…scented with understanding and charm." -- Michael D. Langan - Buffalo News"A beautifully measured, unforgiving account…an exemplary work of jazz biography." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"Every great artist deserves a great biography, and Swing Era bandleader and clarinetist Artie Shaw finally has one.…Nolan has crafted a well-written, highly entertaining, and informative biography." -- Peter Thornell - Library Journal"Enthralling…[Artie Shaw] gives the satisfactions of a true rags-to-riches story…and plausibly accounts for Shaw’s huge character faults without obscuring his charm and prodigious talent." -- Ray Olson - Booklist"At last, the lively, continually imaginative life of the most creative clarinetist in jazz history." -- Nat Hentoff, author of At the Jazz Band Ball: Sixty Years at the Jazz Scene

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Book SynopsisA centennial inventory of the career and legacy of one of the twentieth century's greatest musicians, the first made-in-America violin virtuoso.

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Book SynopsisHollywood, Interrupted is a sometimes frightening, occasionally sad, and frequently hysterical odyssey into the darkest realms of showbiz pathology, the endless stream of meltdowns and flameouts, and the inexplicable behavior on the part of show business personalities.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments. Introduction. PART I: IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR. 1. Hollywood Family Values: A New Weird Order. Hollywood families exposed for not only not upholding family values but pissing all over middle-class mores. Rethinking the life and death of River Phoenix. Familial implosions exposed. It’s gotten so bad we argue for sterilization of the celebrity class. 2. In Loco Parentis: Hollywood Nannies. Hollywood nannies speak out and tell all—“There is no laughter in this house.” Nannies so stressed they’ve formed a Beverly Hills support group. A nanny gets blacklisted. 3. Hollyweird High. Inside Crossroads School for the Arts & Sciences, where Hollywood elite send their children, and we find, like any other school in the Western world, sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. Unlike other high schools, we also discover Crossdressing Day, Ménage à Prom, death, and a mandatory pseudo-therapeutic program called “Mysteries.” PART II: FEAR AND LOATHING IN LOS ANGELES. 4. Screwball Tragedy. Hollywood’s strange history with insanity, drugs, and therapy. 5. Doctor Feelgoods. Not feeling so hot? Call the doctor. Top Gun producer overdoses. Winona’s Dr. Feelgood loses his license. Oliver Stone signs a medic. Lily-livered Hollywood “heppers,” including Stripperella, try anything. 6. From Rehab to Retox. Rehab centers to the stars get visits from Matthew Perry, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Affleck, among others. Celeb rehab spas offer a panoply of treatment programs from equine therapy to brain wave analysis. Not on the menu—sex in the bathroom. PART III: THE BELIEVERS. 7. Karma Chameleons. Madonna and friends converge on Kabbalah. Hollywood cults run amok. Established religion is evil. 8. Shilling for Scientology: I Want Your Body—Thetans. Scientology rocks! PART IV: CALIFORNICATION. 9. Sex in This City. The pornification of America. There’s a whorehouse in Beverly Hills. Swing Kids club hop. Hugh Hefner is a porn baron. The Heidi Tapes. 10. “Sexual Perversity” in Los Angeles. Eddie Murphy plays good Samaritan to a Samoan transvestite hooker. Hollywood attorneys employ shady PIs to bend laws. Peter Pan picks a porn producer. INTERMISSION. Heroine. Love Means Never Having to Say You’re Courtney. PART V: THE LEFT WING. 11. Reds. Celebs embrace hate speech. Everyone’s “Friend” Jennifer Aniston calls Bush names and taunts daughter Jenna. Robert Altman and Alex Baldwin threaten to leave the country. We love dictators! Hollywood warmly embraces Castro. 12. Blue Country Haze. Hollywood ground zero for the culture war. Rosie, the lesbian, swoons over the heterosexual Tom Cruise. Oprah dictates politics. The war of the ribbons (can you support PETA and be for AIDS research?). Flacks make celebs pick a cause. 13. The Death of Comedy. Hollywood kills Andrew “Dice” Clay and Sam Kinison. Can’t get no comic relief. “South Park” rails against Rob Reiner. PART VI: LIES, MORE LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE. 14. Hollywood Pan Men. Hollywood A-Team of B-list celebs goes on the road to sell pans of lies for fast cash and cheap thrills. 15. The Lying Game. Fictionalized documentaries. Scripts are stolen. Friends cover up. We expose Hollywood’s own Jayson Blair. PART VII: AMERIKA ONLINE. 16. Hollywood Online. Where the stars go and what they do when they virtually get there. 17. www.americahateshollywood.com. Media Berlin Wall falls. Newfound freedoms expressed in cyberspace. The gigabyte is up. America talks back. Epilogue. Notes. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe preeminent altoist associated with the ""cool"" school of jazz, Lee Konitz was one of the few saxophonists of his generation to forge a unique sound independent of the influence of Charlie Parker. Based on numerous interviews, this book offers a look at the story of Lee Konitz's life and music.Trade ReviewMeticulously researched, detailed and documented this long awaited overview justly establishes Konitz as one of the most consistently brilliant, adventurous and original improvisers in the jazz tradition - a genius as rare as Bird himself. - John Zorn ""Experiencing the music of Lee Konitz in the flesh and in different settings is a reminder of what a unique musician he is. This is an equally unique book which, by contrast with some as-told-to autobiographies, beneficially lays bare the subject's thought processes, thanks to the skillful interviewing of Andy Hamilton."" - Brian Priestley, author of Chasin' the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker and co-author of The Rough Guide to Jazz

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Book SynopsisIn the 1930s, swing music reigned, and the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra was the hottest and hippest attraction on the black dance circuits. This book traces the development of the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra from its infant days as a high school band in Memphis to its record-breaking tours across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review...Daniel Stein's book is the first to examine Armstrong's autobiographical record carefully to see what it reveals about the man, his life, and his music. The result is a fascinating book that is likely to offer unexpected insights and information to even the best-read Armstrong researcher." — Robert Rawlins, Rowan University, Popular Music and Society"Meticulous citations and helpful appendixes enhance the strength of this important, though complex, work. Highly recommended." — T. E. Buehrer, Choice"The contributions of Stein’s book to the study of Louis Armstrong and his music are manifold. With a rare historical and contextual awareness, Stein illustrates the extent to which Armstrong’s autobiographical self-performances conflicted with and challenged appropriations of Armstrong by such jazz writers and critics as Horace Gerlach, Robert Goffin, Hugues Panassié, and Rudi Blesh, among others." — Mario Dunkel, Jazz Research News"It is really gratifying to find a study of a jazz performer that recognises so comprehensively the deeper historical and cultural framework of a music that has been so often deracinated or romanticised." — Bruce Johnson, Popular Music"Stein gives Armstrong's autobiographical performance a much more thorough, detailed analysis than has heretofore been attempted, and the resulting study shines a bright light not only on Armstrong the person but, more importantly, also on the identity of Louis Armstrong as an iconic public figure." — Ken Prouty, Fontes Artis Musicae

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisLennie Tristano occupies a rare position in jazz history. Emerging from an era when modernism was the guiding principle in jazz, Tristano explored musical avenues that were avant-garde even by modernism's experimental standards. This title sheds light on the important role Tristano played in the jazz world.Trade ReviewIn Lennie Tristano: His Life in Music, Shim has provided a comprehensive biographical and analytical account of one of jazz's most important and most frequently misun-derstood figures. Her insights into Tristano's personality are well nuanced, and the focus on his teaching makes a unique contribution to the history of jazz. This vividly written study is likely to become a standard work. - Brian Priestley, author of Chasin' The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker and co-author of The Rough Guide to Jazz

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Book SynopsisProviding a discussion of Balanchine's life and work, this text also explores the legal, financial and institutional subplots that unfolded after the death of one of the most famous choreographers of the century.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Foreword CHAPTER ONE: Choreographer in His Element CHAPTER TWO: Childhood in Russia CHAPTER THREE: Monkey-A Student CHAPTER FOUR: First Choreography CHAPTER FIVE: Ballet Master to Diaghilev CHAPTER SIX: Apollo and Prodigal Son CHAPTER SEVEN: Rootless Years CHAPTER EIGHT: But First a School CHAPTER NINE: An Ace Job on the Terp Angle CHAPTER TEN : Second Beginnings CHAPTER ELEVEN: God Creates, Woman Inspires, and Man Assembles The Making of Agon-A Photo Essay CHAPTER TWELVE: Come Back, Come Back, Come Back CHAPTER THIRTEEN: The Essential Tradition CHAPTER FOURTEEN: What's the Matter with Now? CHAPTER FIFTEEN: At Seventy CHAPTER SIXTEEN: An Appetite for Renewal CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: The Last Year EPILOGUE: Choreographing the Future Appendix Photo Credits Index

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Book SynopsisCombines biography with social and cultural history to examine the lives of Frances Marion and the other women who shaped filmmaking from 1912 through the 1940s. Marion was Hollywood's highest paid screenwriter - male or female - for almost three decades and wrote almost 200 produced films.

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Book SynopsisA biography of Paul Bowles, the famously enigmatic writer-composer. It questions the biographer's role, the subject's credibility, and the very nature of 'truth' in the telling of a life. It talks of Bowles' difficult childhood and of his grief over his wife's - the author Jane Bowles, who died in 1973 - illness, of exile, dreams, and madness.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Part One Part Two Part Three Afterimages Works Cited

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Book SynopsisAt the time of her death in 1993, Lillian Gish was universally recognized as a film legend. This title uncovers a life that was cast in the shadow of self-generated myth. It shows how the actress carefully shaped her public identity while keeping much of her life private.Trade Review"To the very end, she did her part in raising awareness about the endangered legacy of silent film. But her insistence on going to any means to guard and sugarcoat Griffith's legacy distorts the reality of the silent film era. The truth, plain and simple, would serve a greater purpose today in bolstering awareness of the great work done by silent film artists. With this book, Affron takes a step in that direction by demystifying the actress and the world in which she worked."-Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times; "Gish, born in 1893, lived for 99 years. She spent the first quarter of a century becoming a legend and the last three-quarters of it acting as shaper and custodian of that legend.... Though most of Gish's story is known, we've never had it told with such balance and completeness. Affron completes the picture by restoring details Gish resolutely omitted."-Jay Carr, Boston Globe; "Well written, ambitious and intelligent, this biography is an essential addition to the work on Gish and on American film and theater."-Publishers Weekly; "Affron unearths the less edifying facts airbrushed out of his subject's memories yet retains his respect for her pioneering artistry. Gish emerges here as a stronger, savvier woman than we have met in previous accounts."-Wendy Smith, Variety; "[Affron] politely, consistently refutes Gish's line, remaining unfailingly generous to his subject's art and indomitability, all the while fastidiously and expertly devastating the fairy tale in which she wrapped herself. If we are ever to rescue silent film from its status as a dwindling cult's enthusiasm and restore it as a vital part of our cultural heritage, we need more work of this balanced and balancing kind."-Richard Schickel, New York Times Book Review; "[A] deeply honest book.... Granted unprecedented access to Gish's private letters and journals, [Affron] has used his privilege well. Stripping away Gish's own layers of selective memory and self-invention, and eclipsing earlier 'authorized' biographies, he challenges many assumptions.... A balanced and detailed portrait."-Jeanine Basinger, Washington PostTable of ContentsAuthor's Note Introduction: Just to Make a Movie 1 An American Family 2 The Wicked Stage 3 "I Don't Know Why I Ever Left Massillon" 4 The "Flickers" and D. W. Griffith 5 Becoming a Movie Actress 6 The Mothering Heart 7 Dorothy Gish' s Sister 8 A Role for Movie History 9 "Griffith's Girls" 10 Becoming a Movie Star 11 The Movies and the Great War 12 "You Can Photograph Her Upside Down, Because It's All Even" 13 From Melodrama to Tragedy 14 In the Director's Chair 15 "The Most Superlatively Exquisite and Poignantly Enchaining Thing I Have Ever Seen in My Life" 16 Good-bye Mr. Griffith 17 "A Wistful April Moon" 18 Inspiration Pictures 19 Charles Holland Duell Jr. 20 George Jean Nathan 21 Kisses for Mimi 22 The Perils of The Wind 23 The Master of Schloss Leopoldskron 24 Interlude 25 GishSpeaks 26 "The Most Interesting Actress on Our Stage" 27 "Dreadful Man" 28 Sinners, Saints, and Shakespeare 29 America First 30 "Oldtime Cinemactress" 31 "Asking Nothing of the Role for Herself" 32 The Small Screen 33 Acting American 34 "Will Come Running at Any Time" 35 "My Blessed Sister" 36 Oscar 37 Final Close-Ups 38 The Girl and the Rose Notes Selected Bibliography Chronological Record of Lillian Gish's Dramatic Performances Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisLawyer, educator, novelist, radio and television scriptwriter, film director and screenwriter, wartime intelligence operative, and full-time radical romantic, Abraham Lincoln Polonsky was blacklisted in Hollywood for refusing to be an informer. This biography helps us understand the relationship between art and politics in American culture.Trade Review"Covers enormous ground and effectively reflects the vastness of Polonsky's career and personal life."-Variety "Abe Polonsky was fascinating, brilliant, mercurial, a giant of our time. He held the line against McCarthyism in all its forms and phases all his life. He did it with vigor and the joy of fighting for right. His history is the best of the left. As a man he was charming, amusing, concerned-a great listener and a greater raconteur, and an even better friend. This much needed book is a tribute to him."-Lee Grant, Oscar-winning director/actressTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Adventures of the Artist as Intellectual 2. The Good War and After 3. The Politics and Mythology of Film Art: Polonsky's Noir Era 4. Polonsky's Fifties 5. Triumph and Retrospect Appendix Notes Bibliographical Note Index

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Book SynopsisPresents the study of Kurt Weill's complete stage works. This title shows how Weill's experiments with a range of genres - from one-act operas and plays with music to Broadway musicals and film-opera - became an indispensable part of the reforms he promoted during his brief but intense career.Trade Review"Eminently readable, with or without his music playing in the background. Professor Hinton is a fine writer who conveys what he knows and feels in terms insightful, intuitive and nuanced, yet accessible to those of us who are musically marginalized." Washington Ind Rev Of Bks "An in-depth view of the entire oeuvre of Weill's stage compositions... A scholarly and thoroughly researched work... Highly Recommended." -- E. C. Skiles, Lone Star College-Kingwood Choice "This is essential reading not only for Weill scholars but also those interested in twentieth-century opera and the history of the American musical... Its achievement will not soon be surpassed." Journal of the American Musicological Society "A majestic study." Journal of the Society for American MusicTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface and Acknowledgments 1. Biographical Notes 2. The Busoni Connection 3. One-Act Operas 4. "Songspiel" 5. Plays with Music 6. Epic Opera 7. Didactic Theater ("Lehrstuck") 8. Stages of Exile 9. Musical Plays 10. Stage vs. Screen 11. American Opera 12. Concept and Commitment Coda Appendix: Weill's Works for Stage or Screen Abbreviations Notes Credits Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Maxine Gordon astutely frames the fiery daring of Dexter Gordon’s generation of bebop innovators in the context of rising black consciousness and creative agency in midcentury America…“Sophisticated Giant” is a work of considerable sophistication, the first-person testimony of its subject employed with affectionate discipline, smartly contextualized and augmented by material from interviews Maxine Gordon conducted with the tenor saxophone masters Sonny Rollins and Jimmy Heath, the record producers Bruce Lundvall and Michael Cucsuna, and others." -- David Hajdu, * The New York Times *“Dexter Gordon’s deep tone, relaxed delivery—even the frequent witty musical quotations—seemed like extensions of his gravely playful speaking voice. That voice carries over on the page too. You can hear it when you read his written testimony and extracts from letters included in Maxine Gordon’s illuminating biography.” -- Kevin Whitehead, * NPR's Fresh Air *“‘Affectionate, enjoyable and informative, painting a portrait of a handsome, elegant, easygoing person and artist who refused to agonize about his past.” * Wall Street Journal *“A particularly intimate look at . . . career highs in this wonderful biography of the iconic jazzman. . . . Most striking for this reader was how, through her intimate, first-hand knowledge of her husband’s life, Maxine was able to convey how the art of jazz was far more than a career path for Dexter and his colleagues. “ * The Austin Chronicle *"Gordon’s life has previously been chronicled, but not with so much of his own achingly personal, brutally honest voice. Sophisticated Giant is not a critical analysis of his music; instead, Maxine has interwoven Dexter’s own letters and poetry with a broad spectrum of anecdotal accounts, plus her own meticulous scholarship and adoring reflections, to craft a vivid life story. . . . This is a must-read for jazz fans." * Jazz Times *“A work that’s both scrupulously researched history and intimate memoir.” * MOJO *“An intimate, keenly-rendered new biography that will interest jazz enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in American popular culture. . . . It’s a warm, subjective story that trains an astute lens on the social and political circumstances that helped shape a career; and for that, it stand outs as a landmark contribution to the literature of the jazz.” * Seattle Times *"Throughout the book, Maxine provides rich descriptions of people, places, and events, often quoting from Dexter. Through her meticulous research, new information about him emerges. . . While meticulous about details, the author is also a good storyteller, so, aside from its scholarly discipline, the book is intriguing and leads the reader forward like an absorbing detective novel." * All About Jazz *"Blending forensic research with scholarly insight, Sophisticated Giant’s compelling story unfurls like one of Gordon’s sinuous sax solos. Essential reading for jazz fans." * Record Collector *“Dexter Gordon left us almost three decades ago, but his presence in 2018 has virtually brought him back to center stage." * All About Jazz *“When I say that this is essential reading for anyone interested in modern jazz from the late thirties on, you'd better believe it!. . . . Tell your own true love that, this year, you don't want any more partridges in a pear tree, lords a-leaping or even five golden rings. No, what you want for Christmas this year is (apart from him/her) a Sophisticated Giant.” * bebop spoken here *“Easy-to-read, well-written, superbly documented, much-anticipated. . . . One unique thing about the book is that it makes you feel like you are there with her listening to her talk, about her time in the jazz world with some of the best musicians on earth. But just when you get used to her writing like an excited jazz fan, she easily switches to a keen researcher and a solid scholar.” * Jazz Corner *"Exceptional. . . . Maxine Gordon believes that 'the story of Dexter's life is nothing less than a cultural history of creative Black Americans in the interwar and postwar years.' In Sophisticated Giant, she's written a book that reflects this important truth." * New York City Jazz Record *“Sophisticated Giant paints a convincing picture of an extremely charming, intelligent, resilient, and talented man." * Arts Fuse *“[Gordon] displays firsthand knowledge of the political economy of jazz playing and the discrimination and grievances musicians endured...her honesty and passion bleed into her prose to create a lively and valuable look at the jazz giant and his world. Verdict: For jazz lovers first but enjoyable for general readers, too.” * Library Journal *“This is a story that had to be told.” * KUVO/KVJZ *“An informative, well-paced, suite like literary work that chronicles the saxophonist’s family, influences, inspirations, zeniths, and nadirs, and documents his legacy as one of the most influential saxophonists in jazz history.” -- Eugene Holley Jr., * Publishers Weekly *“Maxine’s book shows us not only the world Dexter Gordon lived and breathed, but many other musicians we know, don’t know and should know. We see the reality of the Jazz world, the unthinkable hardships and struggles brought together through the common love of music. The book is incredible. Maxine Gordon is incredible. Her passion to share, explore and discuss the reality of the Jazz world is a true inspiration." * Jazz in Europe *“There’s a major new biography out of saxophonist Dexter Gordon, and it’s worth checking out.” * Stereogum *“Offers a rare vantage point into the life of one of jazz’s most cherished figures.” * Jazziz *“Maxine Gordon's recently released book ‘Sophisticated Giant: The Life and Times of Dexter Gordon’ is no ordinary jazz biography. It is a book that transports you into the reality of a Jazz musicians’ life, the highs and lows, the hardships and the inexplicable power of Jazz – beautifully written by an author whose passion for ensuring Dexter’s story is told honestly, is inspiring. Dexter Gordon was indeed a ‘Sophisticated Giant’ but when you read the book, you can’t help but feel there are actually two sophisticated giants here.” * The Jazz Room @ Style Quarterly Magazine *Table of Contents1. The Saga of Society Red 2. An Uncommon Family 3. Education of an Eastside Altar Boy 4. Leaving Home 5. Pops 6. Blowin’ the Blues Away 7. Business Lessons 8. Mischievous Lady 9. Central Avenue Bop 10. Trapped 11. Resurgence 12. New Life 13. Very Saxily Yours 14. Trouble in Paris 15. The Khalif of Valby 16. Homecoming 17. Bebop at Work 18. Round Midnight

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Book SynopsisProposing that Arnold Schoenberg has been more discussed than heard, more tolerated than loved, Allen Shawn puts aside ultimate judgments about Schoenberg's place in music history to explore the composer's fascinating world in a series of linked essayssoundingsthat are both searching and wonderfully suggestive.Trade ReviewA collection of elegant and persuasive essays: analytic discussions of single works and vivid accounts of phases and facets of Schoenberg’s life...Shawn is an engaging writer. -- Anthony Tommasini * New York Times *One of the best things to have happened to the composer in a long time. Allen Shawn, a composer himself, is an admirer of Schoenberg. He gives us the whole man seen from within his cultural environment and from within his music too...Shawn invites us to share with him a spontaneous and warm response to Schoenberg’s music rather than a purely analytical one...Shawn is exceptionally felicitous at finding words for music, which makes him an ideal companion on this journey of discovery. -- George Perle * Wall Street Journal *Nothing in recent years has filled me with an urgent desire to re-engage with [Schoenberg’s music] so much as this sensitive and personal book. -- Bayan Northcott * BBC Music Magazine *Table of ContentsForeword Introduction: Six Little Piano Pieces BRIDGE PASSAGE, 1874-1908 1. First Loves 2. Transfigured Night 3. Dawn: The Gurre-Lieder 4. Berlin Cabaret 5. Coming Apart 6. An Inner Compulsion A NEW FORM OF EXPRESSION, 1909-13 7. Farben 8. Listening to Five Pieces for Orchestra 9. Paths to (and in) Erwartung 10. Wrong Notes 11. Six Little Pieces 12. Theory of Harmony 13. Pierrot 14. Die gluckliche Hand SILENCE, ORDER, AND TERROR, 1914-33 15. Incident at Mattsee 16. Critics and Disciples 17. A Clearing in the Forest: Twelve-Tone Music 18. Satires 19. Catastrophe 20. Moses and Arnold AMERICA, 1933-51 21. Exodus 22. 1940: Stravinsky and Schoenberg 23. Games 24. On Being Short 25. Piano Concerto 26. Death and Rebirth 27. Seventy-fifth Birthday AFTERLIFE 28. Death and Rebirth II 29. Writings about Schoenberg 30. Last Notes: Portrait in Retrograde Suggested Readings Notes Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisEdward Learthe father of nonsensewrote some of the best-loved poems in English. He was also admired as a naturalist, landscape painter, travel writer, and composer. Awkward but funny, absurdly sympathetic, Lear invented himself as a Victorian character. Sara Lodge offers a moving account of one of the era's most influential creative figures.Trade ReviewInventing Edward Lear is an exceptional, valuable, original study, presenting new materials on aspects of Lear’s life and work. -- Jenny Uglow, author of Mr. Lear and The Lunar MenSets the standard for future work. This is criticism that, far from smashing its subject into submission, brings Lear’s poetry, art and music to life, lighting up the imagination and inviting us to revisit the songs and limericks we think we know from childhood. -- Anna Barton * Times Literary Supplement *Deeply knowledgeable and sharply written…Lodge has not written a biography of Lear, though her book is full of biographical information. It is more a study in contexts, returning Lear to the local sources from which his apparently autonomous imaginative world originally gathered its strength…[A] rich and sympathetic book. -- Seamus Perry * Literary Review *This is a dazzling book, certainly the best study of Lear yet written. -- Richard Cronin, University of GlasgowBrilliantly original and deeply researched, Sara Lodge’s account of Lear’s tragicomic life and work will confirm his standing among the greatest of the Victorians. -- Dinah Birch, University of LiverpoolEdward Lear is one of those figures that everyone knows but few know much about. Lodge’s book represents a delightfully crisp and engaging introduction to Lear’s whole artistic career without losing sight of the humour and zest that keep him close to the hearts of adults and children alike. Never did nonsense make so much sense. -- Jon Mee, University of YorkSeeks to capture the multiple facets of Lear’s talent…The great achievement of Lodge’s richly illustrated and carefully researched and referenced work is to convey the reach and rigor of Lear’s ‘concrete and fastidious’ mind alongside his discomfiting combination of dazzling self-confidence and intense self-loathing. -- Ranti Williams * Standpoint *An elegant, well-considered romp. * Providence Journal *Lodge brings to this wide-ranging study of Edward Lear (1812–88) a combination of erudition and enthusiasm. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisRising from a small-time vaudeville career in the States, Loie Fuller attained international celebrity as a dancer, inventor, and one of the first women filmmakers in the world. This book demonstrates that Fuller was an artist of great psychological, emotional, and sexual expressiveness whose work illuminates the centrality of dance to modernism.Trade Review"Garelick's lucid, engrossing study ... unwraps the contradictions that have kept Fuller as veiled from modern audiences as she was from those at the Folies-Bergere."--Andrea Walker, Times Literary Supplement "A most welcome 'finding' of a dancer never lost, Electric Salome offers a remarkably smart reading of Fuller's contribution to dance history, one that makes clear the importance of that contribution to modernism broadly construed."--Catherine Gunther Kodat, Modernism Modernity "In her mesmerizing dances, swirling huge skirts under colored lights of her own design, Fuller paved the way for new visual effects in theater. [I]n Electric Salome Rhonda Garelick attempts to reposition Fuller as a central player in the multiple histories of ballet, modern dance, theater, visual art and postmodern performance. The best part of Electric Salome is how Garelick puts Fuller's story into a context that we can appreciate."--Matthew Hunter Griffin, Time Out Chicago "Rhonda Garelick's Electric Salome...argues for Fuller's relevance beyond her status as modern dance 'pioneer' and traces the way in which her work was modernist in its own right. Garelick's book spirals out, teasing out connections with Fuller to broader movements of colonialism, as well as Romantic Ballet and Modernist Drama. [Electric Salome offers] significant advances to Loie Fuller scholarship [and argues] persuasively for the importance of Fuller's legacy."--Judy Sperling, Dance Films Association Review "This indispensable book benefits from Garelick's lucid prose, superb images, and insightful footnotes."--S.R. Irelan, Choice "Electric Salome is suitable for a wide range of readership... Garelick writes theory with the minimum of jargon; the book is academic and sophisticated, but accessible throughout. It contains almost fifty illustrations, including posters, photographs and patent drawings."--Stephen Herbert, Early Popular Visual Culture "One of the best aspects of Rhonda K. Garelick's book is that it enables a virtual re-enactment of Fuller's performance of modernity: in the end, the initial butterfly/illusion shimmers and stays for good in the reader's mind."--Virginie Pouzet-Duzer, Oscholars "Both Ann Cooper Albright's and Rhonda Garelick's books are important contributions to a female artist, whose place on the agenda of French modernism is now less refutable than ever. Both authors have done much to shed further light on the sometimes counter intuitive complexity of this modernism. While both Traces of Light and Electric Salome deserve to be considered in their own right, they open an even more fascinating kaleidoscopic panorama when read in tandem."--Lucia Ruprecht, H-France "This well-illustrated and probing book is an important contribution to the scholarship on Loie Fuller and, with its contemporary resonances, should prove of interest to practitioners and academics in the fields of live-art and site-specific performance as well as dance."--Libby Worth, Modern Drama "Fuller's work demands that its scholars cover a lot of ground, and I was delighted to learn so much from Garelick's study about a widely ignored pioneer of avant-garde and modernist theatre performance and dance."--Mike Sell, Theatre Research International "[T]he book's greatest appeal may lie in its evocation of Fuller's technical inventiveness, her altogether startling genius for making the space of theater new."--Douglas Mao, Common KnowledgeTable of ContentsList of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 Chapter One: The Evolution of Fuller's Performance Aesthetic 19 Early Years: Awareness and Unconsciousness 20 The Evolution of a European Modernist 32 Chapter Two: Electric Salome: Loie Fuller at the World's Fair of 1900 63 A Handsome Savage 63 The World's Fair of 1900 68 Queen of the Fair 78 Mutable Geography and Adopted Nationality 86 Salome 90 Fuller's Japanese Costars at the Fair 103 A Yankee Salome on the Rue de Paris 106 The New Colonial Power: The United States at the World's Fair 111 A Vision of America to Come 114 Chapter Three: Fuller and the Romantic Ballet 118 Yankees Don't Do Ballet 118 Romantic Ballet: Sprites, Swans, and Windup Toys 125 Fuller: The Accidental Sylph 130 Technical Developments 134 Fuller, Hoffmann, and the Technologized Body 139 Coppelia and the Romantic Ballet Couple 144 Ambivalent Ballet: Fuller's Figurative and Literal Performance of Disavowal 150 A Balletic Dream of Modernism 153 Chapter Four: Scarring the Air: Loie Fuller's Bodily Moderism 156 Fuller's Invisibility: Modernist Physicality, Sex, and Cultural Legacy 156 Fleur du Sang: Fuller's Violent and Erotic Physicality 162 The Erotic Fuller 166 The Scandalous Ballets Loie Fuller 171 Instinct, Nature, and Versions of Interiority 176 The Mechanics of the Group 179 The Triumph of La Mer 182 Martha Graham's Lamentation 190 Fuller in a New Light 194 The Physical Analogue of the Psychological 196 Chapter Five: Of Veils and Onion Skins: Fuller and Modern European Drama 200 Radical Mechanicity 200 Character and Identity 203 Tristan Tzara's Mouchoir de Nuages 214 Tzara's Hamlet 218 Reading the Clouds: Shakespeare, Freud, and Fuller 220 Afterword Thoughts on Contemporary Traces of Fuller 224 Selected Bibliography 231 Index 241

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