Popular music Books

Book SynopsisKendrick Lamar has established himself at the forefront of contemporary hip-hop culture. Artistically adventurous and socially conscious, he has been unapologetic in using his art form, rap music, to address issues affecting black lives while also exploring subjects fundamental to the human experience, such as religious belief. This book is the first to provide an interdisciplinary academic analysis of the impact of Lamarâs corpus. In doing so, it highlights how Lamarâs music reflects current tensions that are keenly felt when dealing with the subjects of race, religion and politics. Starting with Section 80 and ending with DAMN., this book deals with each of Lamarâs four major projects in turn. A panel of academics, journalists and hip-hop practitioners show how religion, in particular black spiritualties, take a front-and-center role in his work. They also observe that his astute and biting thoughts on race and culture may come from an African American perspective, but many find something familiar in Lamarâs lyrical testimony across great chasms of social and geographical difference.This sophisticated exploration of one of popular cultureâs emerging icons reveals a complex and multi faceted engagement with religion, faith, race, art and culture. As such, it will be vital reading for anyone working in religious, African American and hip-hop studies, as well as scholars of music, media and popular culture.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Introduction: K.Dotting the American Cultural Landscape with Black Meaning- Anthony B. Pinn and Christopher M. Driscoll; Part I: Section.80 (2011); 1 Kendrick Lamar’s Section.80: Reagan Era Blues- Ralph Bristout; 2 Can I be Both?: Blackness and the Negotiation of Binary Categories in Kendrick Lamar’s Section.80- Margarita Simon Guillory; 3 Hol’ Up: Post-Civil Rights Black Theology within Kendrick Lamar’s Section.80 Album - Daniel White Hodge; 4 Sensibility in Section.80: Kendrick Lamar’s Poetics of Problems- Michael L. Thomas; Part II: good kid, m.A.A.d. city (2012); 5 The Good, the m.A.A.d., and the Holy: Kendrick Lamar’s Meditations on Sin and Moral Agency in the Post-Gangsta Era- Juan M. Floyd-Thomas; 6 ‘Real is Responsibility’: Revelations in White through the Filter of Black Realness on good kid, m.A.A.d. city- Rob Peach; 7 ‘Black Meaning’ Out of Urban Mud: good kid, m.A.A.d city as Compton Griot-Riff at the Crossroads of Climate-Apocalypse- James W. Perkinson; 8 Rap as Ragnarök: Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and the Value of Competition- Christopher M. Driscoll: Part III: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) ; 9 Can Dead Homies Speak? The Spirit and Flesh of Black Meaning- Monica R. Miller; 10 Loving [You] is Complicated: Black Self-Love and Affirmation in the Rap Music of Kendrick Lamar- Darrius D. Hills; 11 From ‘Blackness’ to Afrofuture to ‘Impasse’: The Figura of the Jimi Hendrix/Richie Havens Identity Revolution as Faintly Evidenced by the work of Kendrick Lamar and More than a Head Nod to Lupe Fiasco- Jon Gill; 12 Beyond Flight and Containment: Kendrick Lamar, Black Study, and an Ethics of the Wound- Joseph Winters; Part IV: DAMN. (2017); 13 ‘Real Nigga Conditions’: Kendrick Lamar, Grotesque Realism, and the Open Body-Anthony B. Pinn; 14 DAMNed to the Earth: Kendrick Lamar, De/colonial Violence,and Earthbound Salvation- Ben Lewellyn-Taylor and Melanie C. Jones; 15 Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. as an Aesthetic Genealogy- Dominik Hammer; 16 ‘I’m an Israelite’: Kendrick Lamar’s Spiritual Search, Hebrew Israelite Religion, and the Politics of Celebrity Encounter- Sam Kestenbaum: 17 Damnation, Identity, and Truth: Vocabularies of Suffering in Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN.- André E. Key; 18 Hebrew Israelite Covenantal Theology and Kendrick Lamar’s Constructive Project in DAMN.- Spencer Dew; Conclusion: KENosis: The Meaning of Kendrick Lamar- Monica R. Miller; References ; Contributors

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the rich historical-cultural interactions between French concert music and American jazz in the first half of the twentieth century (190065), from both perspectives. Deborah Mawer provides a set of detailed musical case studies on Debussy, Satie, Milhaud, Ravel, Jack Hylton, George Russell, Bill Evans and Dave Brubeck.Trade Review'This is the book for which jazz scholarship has long been waiting: at last, the hugely significant interactions between jazz and modern concert music have been unravelled with the insight, technical understanding and contextual awareness they deserve. Professor Mawer delves deeply into this two-way process in a series of fascinating case studies which celebrate some of the most exciting and far-reaching musical cross-fertilizations of the twentieth century.' Mervyn Cooke, Professor of Music, University of Nottingham'At once an important survey of French music and jazz history, Mawer's book also brilliantly draws attention to the compelling cross-references and interactions between these worlds. The theoretical sophistication of the academy seamlessly merges with the dynamism of a jazz club, and the resulting mix has the intellectual and musical power of both.' Michael Beckerman, Carroll and Milton Petrie Professor of Music, New York UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction. French music and jazz: cultural exchange; Part I. Locations and Relations: 1. A historical-cultural overview; 2. Critical-analytical perspectives: intertextuality and borrowing; Part II. The Impact of Early Jazz upon French Music (1900–35): 3. Debussy and Satie: early French explorations of cakewalk and ragtime; 4. Milhaud's understanding of jazz and blues: La Création du monde; 5. Crossing borders: Ravel's theory and practice of jazz; Part III. The Impact of French Music upon Jazz (1925–65): 6. Hylton's interwar 'jazzed' arrangements of French classics; 7. (Re)moving boundaries? Russell's Lydian jazz theory and its rethinking of Debussy and Ravel; 8. Bill Evans's modal jazz and French music reconfigured; 9. Milhaud and Brubeck: French classical teacher and American jazz student.

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Book SynopsisSimon Shaw-Miller is Chair of History of Art, University of Bristol, UK. He is an Honorary Associate and Research Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.Trade ReviewShaw-Miller’s brilliant new volume is a virtuosic critical riff on improvisation as aesthetic principle and artistic practice. Productively entwining histories of jazz and abstraction in 20th-century visual art, this text is a revelatory account of modernism at its most playful and creative. * Daniel Grimley, Professor of Music, University of Oxford, UK *In a wide-ranging and compelling argument, Shaw-Miller rethinks the theory and practice of improvisation in early-20th-century transatlantic culture and offers an essential account of the “jazz modernism” that continues to challenge the racial and experiential hierarchies of modernity. * Michael Hatt, Professor of History of Art, University of Warwick, UK *Having amassed prodigious research, Simon Shaw-Miller is a terrific Orphic guide to the vast musical-visual territory that he fearlessly traverses. Even as he embraces the mutability of jazz as a category, Shaw-Miller offers a jazz paradigm for the visual arts that is sturdy and capacious enough to accommodate composition, execution, and reception in equal measure. * Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, & Photographs, Clark Art Institute, USA *Table of ContentsIntroduction & Theoretical Preliminaries: Art, Abstraction and All That Jazz 1. The Sight and Sound of Nascent Jazz: Words, Definitions & Rags 2. Orphism and a New Tune I: Dance, Music, Painting 3. Orphism and a New Tune II: Words, Music, Image 4. Orphism in America: Art, Machines and Jazz Rhythm 5. Objects, Improvisation and Rhythm: Kandinsky, Duchamp and Beyond

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Book SynopsisThis condensed paperback encyclopedia documents the enduring cultural impact and musical legacy of the Beatles, providing readers with a one-stop resource to the Fab Four's compelling story and breadth of achievements.Legendary in music and popular culture, the Beatles were one of the most successful bands of all time.Trade ReviewIt's Womack's book you'll pick up if you need a fact fast. * Goldmine *To those libraries and collectors interested in a dense edition of Beatles musical information, this volume could be a valuable one-stop resource. * ARBA *Well written, meticulously researched, and full of cross-references, this work concludes with a detailed index, a lengthy discography, and pages of recommended resources. Beatles aficionados won't be disappointed. . . . [I]deal for anyone with a serious interest in the quartet. * Library Journal *The 2016 version of the encyclopedia is a detailed examination of all things Beatles and includes copious information. . . . You cannot go wrong adding the 2016 condensed version to your collection (at the library and at home). Libraries with the two-volume set might consider adding one or more copies of the condensed version into the circulating collection, especially at universities offering one or more courses on the Beatles. * Reference Reviews *Table of ContentsAlphabetical List of Entries, Preface, Acknowledgments, Chronology, The Encyclopedia, Discography, Recommended Resources, Index,

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Book SynopsisRagtime, the jaunty, toe-tapping music that captivated American society from the 1890s through World War I, forms the roots of America’s popular musical expression. But the understanding of ragtime and its era has been clouded by a history of murky impressions, half-truths, and inventive fictions. Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural History cuts through the murkiness. A methodical survey of thousands of rags along with an examination of then-contemporary opinions in magazines and newspapers demonstrate how the music evolved, and how America responded to it.

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Book SynopsisIn this autobiography Billy J. Kramer (born William Ashton) tells his rags to riches story, from his working class childhood in Liverpool to the racy world of international pop music. Managed by Brian Epstein, produced by George Martin, and friend, confidante and colleague of the Beatles, Kramer gives a definitive insider's account of the birth of the Liverpool sound and also the "British Invasion" of the USA. But there are dark secrets in the Kramer story. Before he reached his twenties, he was in the grip of drugs and alcohol, and there were constant tensions between him and his backing band, the Dakotas. When the screaming stopped, he reinvented himself as a cabaret performer, and some of his best records were made in the years he was out of the limelight. With a young family, drink and pills made his domestic life, and eventually his professional life, a struggle. In this no-holds-barred account, Kramer brings to life the vibrancy of the sixties. He then reveals how he exorcised his demons and forged a new career in the United States. He assembles his current band, shows a growing mastery of songwriting, and returns to national tours of Britain and the USA, keeping the flame of the Mersey sound alive. The lifetime of experience he brings to his new songs infuses every page of this enthralling read.Trade ReviewHe was the most handsome man on stage, and well-dressed too - Ringo Starr; Billy J. Kramer and his band The Dakotas have always been an inspiration to me - Peter FramptonTable of ContentsForewordChapter 1: Little Children: 1943-1958 Chapter 2: I'll Be on My Way: 1958-1962 Chapter 3: Silver Dream: 1963-1964Chapter 4: It's Gotta Last Forever: 1964-1967Chapter 5: Twilight Time: 1967-1971Chapter 6: Gone Away: 1971Chapter 7: You Can't Live on Memories: 1972-1983Chapter 8: I Won the Fight: 1984-2006Chapter 9: To Liverpool with Love: from 2006Recordings List

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Book SynopsisThis new, revised edition of Hot Wired Guitar brings Beck's story bang up to date, from his adventures at The White House in December 2012 with Mick Jagger and US President Barack Obama, to touring the world with Beach Boy Brian Wilson and the 2014 release of Jeff's latest solo disc.The definitive account of Jeff Beck's journey from his childhood in 1940s South London to the world-wide success of 2010's album Emotion and Commotion and beyond. Author Martin Power has talked to former Yardbirds members Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty as well as manager Simon Napier-Bell and fellow musicians including Max Middleton, Stanley Clarke, Simon Phillips, Jimmy Hall, Mo Foster, Doug Wimbish and many others. Supported by full album reviews, rare photographs and an up-to-date discography, Hot Wired Guitar is the most complete and comprehensive account of the life and times of Jeff Beck, the man who took the electric guitar and showed the world just what could be done with just six strings and 'one hell of an attitude'.Trade ReviewThis book does the job thoroughly' Classic Rock 8/10 'A fulsome chronicle of one of the UK's best musicians' development...full of admirable gumshoe work by the writer.'Record Collector

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Book SynopsisJoel McIver's acclaimed Black Sabbath biography, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, concluded in 2011 that its subjects were at a crossroads. Could Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill manage after over 40 years in business to get back together one more time? After all, the veteran heavy metal musicians were grieving for their fallen comrade Ronnie James Dio and about to face a devastating medical diagnosis for one of their own. McIver's brand-new, updated volume brings the story up to date with the tale of Sabbath's near-miraculous return to form with the Rick Rubin-produced 13 album, which topped charts worldwide on its release in 2013. In true Sabbath style, however, nothing went entirely to plan, with internal arguments, last-minute band-member replacements -- and a genuine fear that this may be Sabbath's very last shot at glory.

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Book SynopsisThe definitive account of one of rock 'n' roll's most engagingly shambolic acts as well as an evocative portrait of the times in which they raised hell and recorded some timeless tracks, now updated with details of the sad death of keyboard player Ian McLagan.Trade Review'It's amazing. It's got a huge amount of information' Rod Stewart. 'Highly recommended.' The Beat. 'Overgrown adolescent ruffians riffing away through a fog of booze, bed-hopping and fisticuffs [are] well represented here by Neill, but the author also rightly praises the music that established The Faces as the quintessential touring rock 'n' roll band.' Four Stars. Record Collector. 'It's unthinkable that Rod Stewart's much anticipated reminiscences will plunge headlong into the nuanced depths of musical delight and moral depravity as Neill's tome does... rich in detail and behind the scenes yarns.' Four Stars. Mojo

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Book SynopsisThis is a true life story account of Len Garry's childhood memories of his childhood days spent with John Lennon and Paul McCartney and the forming of the band The Quarrymen. Also the day John Lennon met Paul McCartney for the very first time at St. Peter's Church fete on 6th July 1957, this book is a first hand account of what took place on that day plus more stories.

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Book SynopsisOne of the most iconic guitarists of all-time, his staggering performance on Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction heralded the arrival of a brand new superstar name in rock. His complex relationship with frontman Axl Rose and the phenomenal music that emerged from that band cemented his reputation in rock's history books; since leaving G N' R, however, Slash has masterfully plied his trade through a series of solo projects and high profile guest appearances. This is the first book to examine the complete story of Slash, from his humble roots in suburban London in the late Sixties, to his thunderous ride through the alleys and red carpets of California to his present day success with Velvet Revolver. The book also takes a fresh look at the Guns N' Roses saga and examines all of Slash's other projects in exhaustive detail. Paul Stenning is the author of several books on rock music and is a regular contributor to the pages of Metal Maniacs, Terrorizer, Alternative Press and Record Collector. He is the author of the best-selling book on Guns N' Roses, The Band That Time Forgot as well as biographies of AC/DC, Iron Maiden and My Chemical Romance.

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Book SynopsisThe Advanced Rhyming Dictionary represents the culmination of more than seven years of work. It is the first of its kind and is a compendium of two and three syllable multisyllabic rhyme schemes aimed at rappers, poets, educators and academics. Adam 'Shuffle T' Woollard has been a battle rapper for seven years, and is a UK Battle rap doubles champion, with his friend and long-time collaborator, Theo 'Marlo' Marlow. He has performed in the US, Canada, Australia and all over Europe. Jamie 'Bleez' Blackmore has been performing and creating rap for well over a decade and is a hidden gem of the UK hip-hop world, considered to be one of the best rhymers there is. He and Adam met in 2014 in Brighton and they have been working on this project ever since.

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Book SynopsisThe Complete Guide to Playing Blues Guitar is a three-part series that teaches you the essential skills required to become a master blues guitarist. You save 15% when you purchase all three best-selling books in this one edition!

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