Music & Movies

The best biography of any jazz musician that we have. Bird Lives! will stand for a long time as a major source of information and illumination not only of the great musician with whom it deals but of the entire jazz life in this society.--Ralph Gleason...

In his debut memoir, Jean Mellor invites his readers to experience his life through his words. Whether he is holding things down in Queens, or making important connections in Hollywood, Mellor captures the struggles of a young man whose life is created...

Anyone who has ever heard a Billie Holiday record knows the sound of her voice--sad, sexy, always relaxed but securely aware of the beat. Conveying a poignancy that cut to the heart of a song, she redeemed even trivial material with her impeccable sense...

(Jazz Piano Solos). 24 essential Evans standards arranged for piano solo, including: Alice in Wonderland * Autumn Leaves * But Beautiful * Everything Happens to Me * Here's That Rainy Day * How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky) * In a Sentimental...

This book analyzes the process of composition, learning and performance of the Southern folk blues of black America. Never before has this musical form been examined so scrupulously. Evans traces the impact of commercialism, especially the phonograph...

The analyses of both Ellington's music and his enigmatic personality are delineated with rare insight.--Leonard Feather, author of The Encyclopedia of JazzOne of the twentieth century's greatest composers, Duke Ellington (1899-1974) led a fascinating...

Acoustic Blues Guitar teaches blues chord forms, stylistic licks and patterns, blues scales, turnarounds, solo country blues style guitar, independent bass line and melody ideas, and more. The book includes a full-color photo section showing all types of...

(Signature Licks Guitar). Learn and explore the music of one of the most respected and pioneering jazz guitar players of our time. This book includes a hands-on analysis of 13 great performances: Affirmation * Billie's Bounce (Bill's Bounce) * Body Talk...

(Guitar Recorded Versions). 14 of this blues/rock axe master's transcriptions, from his Thin Lizzy days as well as his solo career. Songs: Bad for You Baby * Cold Day in Hell * Empty Rooms * The Loner * Midnight Blues * Oh Pretty Woman * Out in the...

A beautiful genre-bending tribute to the larger-than-life blues singer Bessie Smith. Scotland's National Poet blends poetry, prose, fiction, and nonfiction to create an entirely unique biography of the Empress of the Blues. There has never been anyone...

(Berklee Guide). This chord dictionary from the assistant chair of Berklee's guitar department includes 100+ chord forms, from basic 7th chords to guide tone chords and triads over bass notes. It is organized to reveal chord relationships and help...

Bass player extraordinaire Charles Mingus, who died in 1979, is one of the essential composers in the history of jazz, and Beneath the Underdog, his celebrated, wild, funny, demonic, anguished, shocking, and profoundly moving memoir, is the greatest...

The first decades of the 21st century saw dramatic changes in the music industry as technology transformed creation, communication, and consumption. Amid this turmoil one change occurred relatively quietly, almost naturally: so-called bedroom producers,...

On the heels of swing, bebop lifted jazz from the dance floor into an art form powered by virtuoso players. This engaging collection of essays, biographies and reviews by veteran jazz journalist Scott Yanow probes the lives and revolutionary works of...

Our generation made hip-hop. But hip-hop also made us. Why are suburban kids referring to their subdivision as "block"? Why has the pimp become a figure of male power? Why has dodging the feds become an act of honor long after one has made millions as a...

The first book of photography to be published by the Academy Award-winning film director and photographer Spike Jonze. Will appeal to every fan of Beastie Boys and golden-era hip hop, as well as photography and Spike Jonze's own focused audiences. Spike...