Popular music Books

Book SynopsisHigh notes, high drama, and high jinks collide as elite collegiate a cappella groups compete to be the best in the nation Journalist Mickey Rapkin follows a season in collegiate a cappella, covering the breathtaking displays of vocal talent, the groupies (yes, a cappella singers have groupies), the rock-star partying (and run-ins with the law), and all the bitter rivalries. Along the way are encounters with a cappella alums like John Legend and Diane Sawyer and fans from Prince to presidents. Bringing a lively new twist to America''s fascination with talent showdowns, Pitch Perfect is sure to strike a chord with readers.

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Book SynopsisThis unique collection of essays examines the flow of African American music and musicians across the Atlantic to Europe from the time of slavery to the twentieth century. In a sweeping examination of different musical forms--spirituals, blues, jazz, skiffle, and orchestral music--the contributors consider the reception and influence of black music on a number of different European audiences, particularly in Britain, but also France, Germany, and the Netherlands.The essayists approach the subject through diverse historical, musicological, and philosophical perspectives. A number of essays document little-known performances and recordings of African American musicians in Europe. Several pieces, including one by Paul Oliver, focus on the appeal of the blues to British listeners. At the same time, these considerations often reveal the ambiguous nature of European responses to black music and in so doing add to our knowledge of transatlantic race relations.Contributions from Christopher G. Bakriges, Sean Creighton, Jeffrey Green, Leighton Grist, Bob Groom, Rainer E. Lotz, Paul Oliver, Catherine Parsonage, Iris Schmeisser, Roberta Freund Schwartz, Robert Springer, Rupert Till, Guido van Rijn, David Webster, Jen Wilson, and Neil A. Wynn

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Book SynopsisRare Birds is a collection of conversations with world-class jazz musicians and classical composers, featuring luminaries Philip Glass, Charles Lloyd, Abdullah Ibrahim, Steve Reich, Eugene Friesen, and Sathima Bea Benjamin. These in-depth, candid interviews focus not only on the music but also on the artists. The six interviews, conducted by poet and author Thomas Rain Crowe and musician Nan Watkins, delve into the creative process, individual as well as global perspectives on the arts, the human condition, and various personal issues that are addressed in the music itself. These cutting-edge artists have singular ideas about what it means to be a composer and musician.An important addition to the documentation of modern jazz musicians and composers, Rare Birds will appeal to anyone who is interested in jazz music or the contemporary classical canon.

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Book SynopsisWhen George Jones recorded ""He Stopped Loving Her Today"" more than thirty years ago, he was a walking disaster. Twin addictions to drugs and alcohol had him drinking Jim Beam by the case and snorting cocaine as long as he was awake. Before it was over, Jones would be bankrupt, homeless, and an unwilling patient at an Alabama mental institution. In the midst of all this chaos, legendary producer Billy Sherrill-the man who discovered Tammy Wynette and cowrote ""Stand by Your Man""-would somehow coax the performance of a lifetime out of the mercurial Jones. The result was a country masterpiece.He Stopped Loving Her Today, the story behind the making of the song often voted the best country song ever by both critics and fans, offers an overview of country music's origins and a search for the music's elusive Holy Grail: authenticity. The schizoid bottom line-even though country music is undeniably a branch of the make believe world of show biz, to fans and scholars alike, authenticity remains the ultimate measure of the music's power.

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Book SynopsisWilbur C. Sweatman (1882-1961) is one of the most important, yet unheralded, African American musicians involved in the transition of ragtime into jazz in the early twentieth century. In That's Got 'Em!, Mark Berresford tracks this energetic pioneer over a seven-decade career. His talent transformed every genre of black music before the advent of rock and roll--""pickaninny"" bands, minstrelsy, circus sideshows, vaudeville (both black and white), night clubs, and cabarets. Sweatman was the first African American musician to be offered a long-term recording contract, and he dazzled listeners with jazz clarinet solos before the Original Dixieland Jazz Band's so-called ""first jazz records.""Sweatman toured the vaudeville circuit for over twenty years and presented African American music to white music lovers without resorting to the hitherto obligatory ""plantation"" costumes and blackface makeup. His bands were a fertile breeding ground of young jazz talent, featuring such future stars as Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, and Jimmie Lunceford. Sweatman subsequently played pioneering roles in radio and recording production. His high profile and sterling reputation in both the black and white entertainment communities made him a natural choice for administering the estate of Scott Joplin and other notable black performers and composers.That's Got 'Em! is the first full-length biography of this pivotal figure in black popular culture, providing a compelling account of his life and times.

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Book SynopsisThe book Jazzmen (1939) claimed New Orleans as the birthplace of jazz and introduced the legend of Buddy Bolden as the ""First Man of Jazz."" Much of the information that the book relied on came from a highly controversial source: Bunk Johnson. He claimed to have played with Bolden and that together they had pioneered jazz. Johnson made many recordings talking about and playing the music of the Bolden era. These recordings have been treated with skepticism because of doubts about Johnson's credibility. Using oral histories, the Jazzmen interview notes, and unpublished archive material, this book confirms that Bunk Johnson did play with Bolden. This confirmation, in turn, has profound implications for Johnson's recorded legacy in describing the music of the early years of New Orleans jazz. New Orleans jazz was different from ragtime in a number of ways. It was a music that was collectively improvised, and it carried a new tonality--the tonality of the blues. How early jazz musicians improvised together and how the blues became a part of jazz has until now been a mystery. Part of the reason New Orleans jazz developed as it did is that all the prominent jazz pioneers, including Buddy Bolden, Bunk Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Johnny Dodds, and Kid Ory, sang in barbershop (or barroom) quartets. This book describes in both historical and musical terms how the practices of quartet singing were converted to the instruments of a jazz band, and how this, in turn, produced collectively improvised, blues-inflected jazz, that unique sound of New Orleans.

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Book SynopsisIn Jazz Transatlantic, Volume I, renowned scholar Gerhard Kubik takes the reader across the Atlantic from Africa to the Americas and then back in pursuit of the music we call jazz. This first volume explores the term itself and how jazz has been defined and redefined. It also celebrates the phenomena of jazz performance and uncovers hidden gems of jazz history. The volume offers insights gathered during Kubik’s extensive field work and based on in-depth interviews with jazz musicians around the Atlantic world. Languages, world views, beliefs, experiences, attitudes, and commodities all play a role. Kubik reveals what is most important—the expertise of individual musical innovators on both sides of the Atlantic, and hidden relationships in their thoughts.Besides the common African origins of much vocabulary and structure, all the expressions of jazz in Africa share transatlantic family relationships. Within that framework, musicians are creating and re-creating jazz in never-ending contacts and exchanges. The first of two volumes, Jazz Transatlantic, Volume I examines this transatlantic history, sociolinguistics, musicology, and the biographical study of personalities in jazz during the twentieth century. This volume traces the African and African American influences on the creation of the jazz sound and traces specific African traditions as they transform into American jazz. Kubik seeks to describe the constant mixing of sources and traditions, so he includes influences of European music in both volumes. These works will become essential and indelible parts of jazz history.

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Book SynopsisThe definitive survey of the work of one of the greatest American photographers.

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Book SynopsisLennie Tristano was one of jazz's most extraordinary innovators, possessing a superb piano technique and an awesome musical imagination. Unheralded by the general public, the blind pianist's work was revered by many jazz greats including the legendary Charlie Parker. Tristano's persuasive personality made him an ideal teacher, and he proved that (against the accepted theory of the time) jazz improvisation could be taught. His guidance played a big part in the development of many instrumentalists including saxophonists Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh and double-bassist Peter Ind. It is Ind's long, direct involvement with his subject that makes this such a revealing book: the story of an English musician going to New York to study with a neglected Jazz giant. In the process, Tristano's genius is examined and his reputation revalued, with Ind making a persuasive case for the pianist to be placed at the centre of jazz developments in the mid-20th century.Trade Review'Jazz Visions is a remarkable book which presents a fascinating double portrait of the subject and the author.' John Chilton, professional jazz trumpeter and writer on jazz 'This book is just what is needed to inform musicians, students, teachers, and historians around the world with an "up close and personal" view of the genius of jazz pianist/composer/teacher, Lennie Tristano. Bassist, Peter Ind describes vividly how exciting it was to be living in New York City as a creative musician. Peter's writing skills throughout will also enlighten and entertain the novice and non musician as well. The best part for me, is that it was written by a great player who was there right in the thick of it all. What can be a better source for the real truth? BRAVO Peter!' Rufus Reid, Jazz Bassist 'The Lennie Tristano story has needed telling for a long time. Who better than Peter Ind who knew Lennie and his music probably better than anyone.' Ira Gitler, doyen of New York jazz criticsTable of ContentsPREFACE PART ONE - LENNIE - THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC CHAPTER ONE - MY EARLY CONTACT WITH JAZZ - THE SOUNDS OF LENNIE TRISTANO AND OF CHARLIE PARKER (BIRD) CHAPTER TWO - MY EARLY EXPERIENCES OF NEW YORK JAZZ CHAPTER THREE - LIVING IN NEW YORK - WORKING WITH LENNIE IN THE EARLY DAYS CHAPTER FOUR - OTHER INFLUENCES ON JAZZ MUSICIANS AND ARTISTS DURING THE 1950'S CHAPTER FIVE - LENNIE AND THE CHANGES IN JAZZ FROM THE 1950's CHAPTER SIX - LENNIES INFLUENCE AND WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS ASSOCIATES FROM THOSE 1950'S DAYS CHAPTER SEVEN - A REFLECTION ON LENNIE AS I KNEW HIM - THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC PART TWO - LENNIE - A MORE TECHNICAL CONSIDERATION OF JAZZ IMPROVISATION AND HIS LEGACY CHAPTER EIGHT- WHAT DO WE MEAN BY JAZZ CHAPTER NINE - APPRECIATING JAZZ IMPROVISATION CHAPTER TEN - THE TECHNICAL BASE OF JAZZ AND LENNIE'S APPROACH PART THREE - A RECONSIDERATION OF LENNIE'S LEGACY CHAPTER ELEVEN - MYTHMAKING ABOUT LENNIE CHAPTERTWELVE- LENNIE TRISTANO AND THE ENIGMA OF NON-RECOGNITION CHAPTER THIRTEEN - MYTHMAKING AND PREJUDICES AND JAZZ CHAPTER FOURTEEN - REAPPRAISAL

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Book SynopsisThe life and music of jazz great Miles Davis from 1980 to 1991.

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Book SynopsisFrom Ann Margret to Bob Dylan and George Jones to Simon & Garfunkel, Nashville harmonica virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist Charlie McCoy has contributed to some of the most successful recordings of country, pop, and rock music of the last six decades. As the leader of the Hee Haw “Million-Dollar Band,” McCoy spent more than two decades appearing on the television screens of country music fans around the United States. And, as a solo artist, he has entertained audiences across North America, Europe, and Japan and has earned numerous honors as a result. Fifty Cents and a Box Top: The Creative Life of Nashville Session Musician Charlie McCoy offers rare firsthand insights into life in the recording studio, on the road, and on the small screen as Nashville became a leading center of popular music production in the 1960s and as a young McCoy established himself as one of the most sought after session musicians in the country.Trade Review“One of the first serious, substantive books by a major participant in the Nashville recording scene. McCoy’s recollections and insights offer a new and fascinating perspective on the development and expansion of the country music industry.” - Rich Kienzle, author of The Grand Tour: The Life and Music of George Jones

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Book SynopsisThis is the first ever in-depth biography of Ashcroft, the frontman for The Verve and also a highly successful solo artist. As a young singer from Wigan, Ashcroft formed The Verve with Nick McCabe and released two critically-acclaimed albums before their third record, "Urban Hymns", turned them into one of the UK's biggest acts. A legendary apettite for psychedelic drugs and even physical collapses from ecstasy abuse, coupled with massive songs such as "Bittersweet Symphony", made Ashcroft one of Britpop's biggest names. However, The Verve was a deeply volatile band and eventually, in 1999, they split acrimoniously following a homecoming gig in front of 40,000 fans in Wigan.Ashcroft had already recorded some aterial on his own and three solo albums duly followed - with corresponding arena tours that often dwarfed the scale of The Verve's own huge venues. Coldplay's Chris Martin introduced him at Live 8 as 'the best singer in the world' while Noel Gallagher wrote the song "Cast No shadow" about him. Then, in 2006, The Verve announced they were reforming for a late 2007 arena tour - completely sold out in minutes - and a brand new album released in the summer of 2008. With Ashcroft's issues with clinical depression, suicidal thoughts, outspoken political views and celebrity admirers, this first-to-the market biography is a tale of rock and roll excess, artistic brilliance and a unique starring role in modern British music.

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Book SynopsisPepsi turned pop music in commercials from novelty to normwith profound effects on both American culture and commerce

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Book SynopsisEarly hip hop film musicals have either been expunged from cinema history or excoriated in brief passages by critics and other writers. Hip Hop on Film reclaims and reexamines productions such as Breakin' (1984), Beat Street (1984), and Krush Groove (1985) in order to illuminate Hollywood's fascinating efforts to incorporate this nascent urban culture into conventional narrative forms. Such films presented musical conventions against the backdrop of graffiti-splattered trains and abandoned tenements in urban communities of color, setting the stage for radical social and political transformations. Hip hop musicals are also part of the broader history of teen cinema, and films such as Charlie Ahearn's Wild Style (1983) are here examined alongside other contemporary youth-oriented productions. As suburban teen films banished parents and children to the margins of narrative action, hip hop musicals, by contrast, presented inclusive and unconventional filial groupings that included all members of the neighborhood. These alternative social configurations directly referenced specific urban social problems, which affected the stability of inner city families following diminished governmental assistance in communities of color during the 1980s.Breakdancing, a central element of hip hop musicals, is also reconsidered. It gained widespread acclaim at the same time that these films entered the theaters, but the nation's newly discovered dance form was embattled--caught between a multitude of institutional entities such as the ballet academy, advertising culture, and dance publications that vied to control its meaning, particularly in relation to delineations of gender. As street-trained breakers were enticed to join the world of professional ballet, this newly forged relationship was recast by dance promoters as a way to invigorate and ""remasculinize"" European dance, while young women simultaneously critiqued conventional masculinities through an appropriation of breakdance. These multiple and volatile histories influenced the first wave of hip hop films, and even structured the sleeper hit Flashdance (1983). This forgotten, ignored, and maligned cinema is not only an important aspect of hip hop history, but is also central to the histories of teen film, the postclassical musical, and even institutional dance. Kimberley Monteyne places these films within the wider context of their cultural antecedents and reconsiders the genre's influence.

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Book SynopsisDanny Bedrosian is the keyboardist for George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic and author of The Authorized P-Funk Song Reference (Rowman & Littlefield 2023). Playing with the band for over twenty years, he is the longest tenured keyboard player in the band's history. In addition to P-Funk, he has worked or performed with many musical icons including Snoop Dogg, Chuck D and Flavor Flav, Ice Cube, Shavo Odadjian from System of A Down, Kendrick Lamar, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah, Mumford & Sons, RZA, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Sheila E, Wu-Tang Clan, and many more. He has appeared on The BET 25th Anniversary Special, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Carson Daly Show, I'm With Rolling Stone, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Monique Show, MTV in several nations, and many other shows. He lives in Tallahassee, FL.

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Book SynopsisPreviously published in hardback as Hey Jo, this is a moving and candid memoir from the woman who married the most controversial member of the Rolling Stones, and had the strength and courage to bounce back from heartbreak.

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Trade ReviewThis book is a major contribution to Europeanist ethnomusicology, and an excellent read for any scholar interested in the political economy of music or in cultural histories of the Cold War. * Ljerka V. Rasmussen, Slavic Review Fall 2018 *Audible States offers a provocative analysis of musical political economy, and it will become essential reading on Eastern Europe and cultural policy. * Matthew Knight, Ethnomusicology 67.3 *Table of ContentsTable of Contents Acknowledgments List of Illustrations Introduction 1 Administering Music 2 Debating Song 3 Cultivating Individuality 4 Voicing Transition 5 Promoting Albania Epilogue: Hearing Like A State Appendix: Research Materials Notes References

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Book SynopsisIn a signed copy of his autobiography, Waylon Jennings penned a personal note to his son, Terry Jennings, ending it with the words, I did my best. Now it''s your turn. It is with this spirit in mind that Terry has finished telling the true story of his father''s remarkable, unvarnished life.Born when Waylon was a mere nineteen years old, Terry had an intimate view of his father''s antics, as the two shared an incredibly close relationship. More like brothers than a father and son, by the time Terry was thirteen he was a regular on the road, smoking marijuana with his dad and observing the wild ways that laid the foundation of the infamous country-music sensation, The Outlaws. When it came to The Outlaws, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson were active players in the debauchery, as Waylon led a reckless lifestyle centered around his music, hard drugs, and women. Critical acclaim, sold-out tours and mob-like pandemonium were unfortunately overshadowed by darker personal

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Book SynopsisProvides a collection of interviews with many of the stars, producers, and associates of the 1970s Southern record label, Capricorn, which was founded in the heart of Macon, Georgia in 1969. Capricorn Rising also includes memorials to the two men who founded the Capricorn studio and record label, Phil Walden and Frank Fenter.

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Book SynopsisA rock musician on the brink, his drunken father and the grieving widow of a murder victim. Facing the Strange is a tale of three lives in free-fall at the end of the analogue age - the lives of three characters that hold the key to one another's redemption.Trade Review'One great long drunken rambling guitar solo of a novel!' Tim Pears; 'SB Sweeney writes with a clarity and wit that brings to life the less glossy side of the eighties: a world of squats, bedroom bands and cheap drugs, where a CV most likely meant a pint of cider and Vimto. The intriguing and intertwining tales make an addictive read.' Deb Googe: My Bloody Valentine and The Thurston Moore Group; 'It's La boheme meets Trainspotting, with the structure of a dream; a hole in the wall of the ordinary, an extraordinary landscape beyond.' Roger Ashton-Griffiths: Actor and Writer

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