Genres Books

I can honestly say of all the instructional books I've purchased over the years (Near a hundred now), none have been as helpful as this book: Bass Extremes with Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey.

I bought this at a point where I had pretty much mastered the Flea and Claypool kind of slapping, and was looking for something to take my playing to the next level. Victor's "Super Bass Solo Technique" video was a great watch, but wasn't much help. This book however, offered a much more step-by-step kind of learning with clear and concise descriptions of the techniques and how to achieve them. With a little practice, this book makes it easy to incorporate Victor's open-hammer-pluck technique, as well as the double thump into your playing with stunning results. Never has my playing grown in such leaps and bounds than it did with this book.

The few downsides, well a lot of the tunes are performed on Victor's 4 string tenor bass, which almost nobody has readily available to them. Restringing with a lighter gauge and retuning may be necessary if you want to play the tunes exactly as they are performed. Even worse, all the Steve Bailey material is arranged for a 6 string fretless bass. So if you walked into this lesson armed with your fretted 4 string, you're pretty much SOL when it comes to Steve's lessons, not that they are any less amazing because of it.

The best part is that the tunes you are learning are well thought out and masterful pieces of bass music that are genuinely interesting. In fact you'll find yourself listening to the CD just to hear the songs, not necessarily with the intention of learning them. I feel that these eight tunes are some of both player's best work.

Overall for the most down to earth and hands on lessons from true masters of the bass, this book/CD is the best there is. I highly recommed it.

I bought this at the music store and although I've also got A Show Of Hands, Yin Yang and the Bass Extremes Cookbook CDs, this is the one I play the most. The structure of it is 12 songs, with Victor and Steve Bailey and Jack Bissonette playing with very different feelings, then an intro with tuning tones and 12 brief interviews, re-sequenced, with Wooten and Bailey describing the techniques used on each song.

These Songs Are ASTOUNDING. And, IMHO, stronger than Cookbook, by the same guys. "Thumb Start My Harley" cracks my son up and makes my wife tap her foot, and has a drum solo that justifies the whole idea of drum solos. A Chick From Corea is a series of musical jokes derrived from Chick Corea's music, and again, makes you smile, tap your foot and nod your head in disbelief- are you realling listening to a drummer and two electric bass players with nothing else??? Emerald Forest and Moon Ridge are lovely, gentle explorations and Madonna Lee is the classic (Donna Lee) revisited. Every song is gem.

Part of the strength of this CD is that each piece is built around a technique that Wooten and Bailey want you to hear, an once they've displayed it and had fun with it, they stop. No boogieing on. Its virtuosity on display. For $10 more than a regular CD its well within affordable and you can give the music book to someone who reads music- all the songs are there in all their glory. Not that you'd be able to exactly sit down at a piano and play this... although that would be pretty wild too. Make that two pianos...

As a listener, the how-to sections are interesting too, since they take appart their interactions and explain what each is doing and how it meshes with the other two. If you want to know how jazz (or any other collaborative art) is created, these little seqments, recorded after the actual pieces, are mostly pretty illuminating.

But even if you just play the instrumental tracks this CD is a joy to own and treat to share. And great way to share humor and complexity and unique vision with other music fans. It's particularly superb while driving along highway 395 in the Mojave Desert, with the family, silly and beautiful and unexpected.

I wrote my review (which you kindly posted) from memory but I mis-remembered how many tracks there are on the CD. There are actually 8 songs, an intro to the lessons, then 8 lessons:

1) A Chick From Corea
2) Bangkok Blues
3) Stan The Man
4) Victor's Jam
5) Thumb Start My Harley
6) Exerald Forest
7) Moonridge
8) Donna Lee

9) Introduction and tuning

10) Lesson 1: A Chick From Corea
11) Lesson 2: Bangkok Blues
12) Lesson 3: Stan The Man
13) Lesson 4: Victor's Jam
14) Lesson 5 Thumb Start My Harley
15) Lesson 6 Emerald Forest
16) Lesson 7 Moonridge
17) Lesson 8 Donna Lee

To VERY briefly summarize the material:
A Chick From Corea is about triplets and 'country and western' sound. Victor plays the melody, while Steve plays chords.

Bangkok Blues finds Steve playing etheral false-haromonics over Victor's anchoring funky blues,then Victor plays hammer-ons over Steve's fretless chording.

Stan The Man: Dedicated to Stanley Clarke. Victor plays a tenor bass- ADGC - against Steve's chords, both take solos at the same time. The chord progresson starts gently so you can hear it, then they crank it up.

Victor's Jam: A funk workout from Victor and drummer Greg Bissonette.A range of techniques is used to keep with the drummer

Thumb Start My Harley: With Steve's fretless played through wicked distortion (like Pink Floyd's "One Of These Days") over Victors pumping foundation, which turns into competing, over-the-top triplet solos. Jack Bissonette's emphatic drumming morphs into a VERY complex solo, in correct time. As Steve says in the lesson intro, "If you think you have good time, pat your foot all the way through that at the tempo of the song and you
should come out right. Until you do, keep trying!" Victor will later explain how he does the very funky "open-hammer-pluck".

Emereld Forest: Victor arpegiates chords through sweet reverb while Steve's fretless sings a sitar-ish melody.

Moonridge: Steve's solo, a study for the right hand (6 string fretless) keeping the D string going, with chords and harmonics. If you had thought there were any limitations to electric bass this should put those fears to rest.

Donna Lee: Victor plays the scales using thumb and index finger, using thumb-down, thumb-up, index finger triplets. The scales are sewn together in the familiar tune, while Steve pays the chords that Charlie Parker copped from "Indiana" to support it. DENSE, with some call and response at the end. (Another take on the same classic tune appears as "Madonna Lee"
on the "Cookbook" cd.

The book/cd has some great tunes on it, and that alone is enough reason to pick it up. However, there are a few mistakes here and there in the transcriptions, but these are in places where they are just improvising anyway, so it doesn't really matter. It's good music to improve your technique on without sounding like fretboard exercizes.

Well im playing bass for 4 years now, and as being so i really recomend this book. This is definetly not for beginners, but more for advandced bass players. Wooten explains some cool stuff for those who want to play funky stuff and Bailey is the living Pastoruius. The songs are really cool and even cooler, you got the notes to them and the coolest they explain what they actually do both on the cd and the book. Go ahead.

Charles Rosen by now is one of the foremost writers on music, especially piano music, of the Classic and Romantic eras. His books _The Classical Style_ and _The Romantic Generation_ are classics of their kind.

Inevitably, given Rosen's prolific output and its specialization, there is a slight feeling of deja vu about this volume on Beethoven's sonatas for piano. Rosen is laboring under the shade of such great writers on Beethoven as Donald Tovey. Nevertheless, the book offers fresh perspectives and many stimulating new ideas in its opening section, which views the sonatas through general topics such as "Phrasing" and "Tempo." The second section, consisting of commentaries on the individual works, more clearly apes Tovey and here, considered word for word, the older writer probably offers more detailed and practical insights for the serious piano student into the actual performance of these great works than Rosen. Nevertheless, this book is a valuable addition to any collection of writings on music.

There are a number of well-known books about Beethoven's piano sonatas. If one simply likes listening to the sonatas but has no intention of playing them, I wouldn't recommend this book, nor the ones by Tovey or Drake. I'd suggest reading about them in a book about Beethoven's life, or maybe the chapter on them in Kentner's book on the piano. But if you enjoy playing any or all of these sonatas, yes, you'll enjoy this book, with its emphasis on simplicity of style (which Rosen explains to us is the advice of Proust's grandmother).

While there's good advice on phrasing, pedaling, and trills, the most interesting part of any book on the Beethoven sonatas is going to be about tempos. This one is no exception. The author points out that it is not illegal to play a piece of music at the wrong tempo. One won't get a speeding ticket or a fine or a jail sentence for doing so. Still, even if a tempo seems comfortable to us, it may not be anything like what Beethoven had in mind, so it is useful to see what the correct tempos appear to be. I like the fact that Rosen tries to discover what those who read Beethoven's tempo descriptions would have concluded at the time they were written, as opposed to relying on what Czerny, Moscheles, Schindler, or others might have said long afterwards.

Rosen's comments are backed up with excerpts on an accompanying CD (played by Giulio Ricci). I think these add substantially to the value of this book.

And of course, if you play the piano but haven't tried the Beethoven sonatas, you are missing something truly special.

This is a nice read for hard-core Beethoven-heads. It'll change the way you approach playing the pieces, or at the least change the way you listen to them. There's nothing wrong with just listening to the music and absorbing it, not worrying about why a particular change is brilliant or why it should affect you. It's like watching a movie and just letting the movie touch you however it does, not worrying about why the director chose a particular camera angle or what some set detail might be referencing. But it is hard for modern listeners to realize just how much some of Beethoven's compositions broke against the assumptions of the time. When the harmonies pivot on thirds, for example, modulating through a series of keys before landing where the ear expects it, it doesn't necessarily hold the same tension to modern ears. Wagner, as well as every composer of cinematic background music, have now manipulated Beethoven's techniques to the point of emotional burlesque. But you get extra credit for being the first, and still the best, to do it.

But the best parts of reading Rosen- a scholar whose words are mostly measured- are those brief moments when he gushes. When he expands on the revolutionary character of the music. When he stops intellectualizing about music and briefly speaks as an admirer in awe. Compositional theory can only go so far, after all. Eventually you give yourself over to the sheer transcendence of this brilliant music.

It reminds me of a calculus teacher I had once. He was just about the slowest, driest lecturer I had ever had. But one day, when discussing the fact that the derivative of sine is cosine, his gaze softened. His voice choked for a moment, "this is when math becomes something more than logic, something more beautiful. There is nothing in the Universe that says the derivative of a sine wave will be a cosine wave. It didn't have to be..." I nice little warble of emotion broke through and I briefly cared about calculus.

Any pianist, amateur or professional, who is serious about playing the piano, particularly the Beethoven sontats, must not only have this book but also devour it. Charles Rosen has willingly shared his incredible intellect, musicianship, research and pianistic knowledge and understanding. To have someone of his stature and accomplishments willing to share a lifetime of performing experience with us is truly remarkable. A MUST HAVE for all pianists.

Beethoven's 32 sonatas are the glory of music written for the piano. They are music of Beethoven's lifetime in that their composition spans the period from his early days in Vienna to near the end of his life. In another sense, Beethoven's piano sonatas are the music of my lifetime. I first was exposed to them as an early adolescent through concerts, records, and my own early attempts at playing the easier of them. Today, all too many years later (I am 55), I still try to play the sonatas and I go to recitals. I listen to them on CDs now instead of records. And I read about them, particularly Charles' Rosen's edudite and eloquent study. With short periods away, Beethoven's piano sonatas are probably the most lasting interest I have had in my life.

Rosen was inspired to write this book by giving a performance of the sonata cycle and to lecture on Beethoven at a summer music festival and school. The book is, on one level, a continuation of Rosen's study, "The Classical Style" with application to the Beethoven sonatas. The book is marked by its wide-ranging references. There is a great deal of specific discussion of Beethoven's piano sonatas, of course, but the book is enriched immeasurably by examples from and discussions Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert, as their works are compared and contrasted with Beethoven's.

The book is divided into two Parts. Part I, "The Tradition" begins with a discussion of the nature and development of the sonata form. Rosen describes well how Beethoven's sonatas have, until very recent years, been a bridge from the world of performance of classical music in the home to its appreciation in the concert hall. This was certainly the case with me.

The book discusses various ways in which the sonatas have been interpreted over the years and attempts to find that elusive quarry -- the manner in which the composer would have interpreted the sonatas. Rosen devotes a great deal of attention to questions of tempo and questions of phrasing, with examples from Beethoven's predecessors. He concludes that modern performers place more emphasis on a smooth legato style than would have been the case in Beethoven's day and that Beethoven's tempos would be somewhat different from those at which we now hear the music. In some cases, tempos would have been faster, but I get the impression that in the main tempos were taken at a slower pace. The book comes with a CD recorded by Guiilio Caesare Ricci which illustrates helpfully many of Rosen's musical examples. Rosen stresses that there is no single way of performing these complex, wonderful pieces of music. His discussion of performance practices still is highly useful in understanding the sonatas and in listening to them.

The second part of the book consists of a chronological discussion of each of the 32 sonatas. The discussion is arranged in five parts: a)the early 18th Century sonatas (the sonatas from opus 2 to opus 22); b) the sonatas of Beethoven growing in popularity and independent style (the sonatas from opus 26 to opus 28) c) the sonatas in which Beethoven attained mastery (the sonatas from opus 31 through opus 81a) d). the sonatas composed during Beethoven's years of stress and personal difficulty (the opus 90 and opus 101 sonatas and the "Hammerklavier" sonata, opus 106 ); and e)the last sonatas (opus 109. 110,111)

In each instance Rosen offers some general comments on the character of each sonata followed by detailed thematic, harmonic and pianistic discussions.

I found it useful in this section of the book to read first Rosen's discussion of the sonatas with which I was most familiar, either by attempting to play them or by repeated hearings over the years. Thus I began with Rosen's discussion of the opus 26 sonata and followed it the the "Waldstein", the "Pathetique" and the opus 90 sonata. I then went through Rosen's discussion work by work as it appeared in the book. There is much to be learned, and Rosen's discussion will be useful in listening to the sonatas and following along with the score or with Rosen's discussion.

It is worth noting that Rosen spends a great deal of time on sonatas which are relatively little performed, particularly the opus 54 (which is given in full on the CD that comes with the book) and with the opus 31 no. 1 sonata. His discussion of these work illuminates them and illuminates Beethoven's output. He also gives thorough discussions of more familiar works particularly the "Moonlight" sonata and the Hammerklavier -- with respect to the latter, he follows-up upon the lengthy analysis of this work in The Classical Style.

Beethoven's piano sonatas are indeed music of a lifetime. If you love them, by playing or by hearing them, you will love this book. If you want to learn about them, this book will be an outstanding guide.

No sentimentality here. Just warm, rich story telling of a great man. I'm actually embarrassed to say that after lifetime of jazz I just dicovered The Duke. This is a very well written and balanced portrayal of a man,his music and his times. If there's more to say I don't want to read it; it's time to listen.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable story of the life and times of one of America's greatest and most prolific composer/musicians. It characterises the "Duke" as a caring, people loving person with close family ties, and a quest for excellence against all odds. The Forward by Wynton Marsalis is clear and insightful. The author has accomplished an easy to follow sequence of events enhanced by photos and drawings. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the genre.

Beyond Category is the best introduction to Duke Ellington's life and music. It was created to coincide with a Smithsonian exhibit and it offers a quality professional biography of Ellington's life and times. The author considers Ellington's life a series of problems to solve for his mind. Some of these problems are how to learn piano, how to start a band, how to compose with a partner, how to react to the recording band, how to deal with the loss of key soloists, how to compose larger works and ends up hitting many of the high points of Ellington's life and works.

Most of the new research at the time came from Mercer Ellington's enormous donation of his warehouse of materials for the Duke Ellington collectionl. Yet as a book intended for a popular audience, the musical content of this trove was not really fully dealt with. Mercer's collection comes through in the fabulous photographs that are interspersed throughout the book. It may have been better to have all the photographs grouped in several sections as not everyone will have time to read the entire book I suppose.

One very helpful aspect to the book was that at the end of each chapter there was a guide to key recordings of Ellington's life. This type of material is very helpful to those new to Ellington's life.

I found the prose to be clear and adequate although not as lively as some of the other excellent jazz biographies I've read such as Chambers' Milestones.

This book gets a 4.5 star rating for anyone new to Ellington. It's accessible, readable, and gives you several ideas to approach the true gold mine of Ellington's music.

For jazz researchers and scholars, there's still room for a knockout biography of Ellington that adds the information from the Smithsonian collection to wide ranging interviews and even better prose. Researchers will want to read this, but I'm not sure how much of this material is groundbreaking.

4.5 stars for neophytes
3.5 stars for Ellington scholars

4 stars overall

As an old time lover of Jazz, but rather new to really examining the lives behind its great musicians, and particularly Duke Ellington, I started out with "Duke Ellington: A Spiritual Biography" by Janna Tull Steed (great book (and just 192 pages) for anyone new to the Duke & jazz). It was Steed's book that really built the interest to explore Ellington in more depth and, Hasse's book is just what I was looking for. It is a hefty book but it is absolutely and completely accessible, just what is required to approach this great man of Jazz.

His music has resonated all around us for nearly a century. We almost unconsciously react to the melodic rhythms of his brilliant compositions as we watch television or listen to the radio. Often the arrangements are backdrops to our daily lives...soothing our mood or stimulating us to tap our feet or simply sway to its almost spiritual cadences. Such is the music of the Great Duke Ellington. In "Beyond Category" we find an outstanding biography of arguably the greatest composer the world has ever known. From his early days as an aspiring composer/bandleader in Washington, D.C.; through his New York days at the Cotton Club; and onto his unprecedented tours of Europe, Africa and the Far East, this book takes you on a delightful journey into the creative mindset and personality genius of Ellington. Unlike many writings of this nature, Hasse manages to avoid sentimental veneration in conveying many of Ellington's talents in regards to people, business dealings, and his relationship with women. The book is a well-written, enjoyable composition that draws the reader into Ellington's world. Additionally, the author grants appropriate respect to the musicians, artists and businessmen who aided Ellington throughout his career, thus balancing the text superbly. I highly recommend "Beyond Category", not only for the Ellington fan or even a Jazz fan, but for anyone interested in the life and times of a musical genius and an icon of American history.

I am a singer and many of the songs I sing come from this book my favorite is "Being Alive". It's got a lot of songs from very familiar Musicals like the King and I and Sound of Music. Also most of the arragements are not bad either.

This is a great book of show tunes. There is quite a bit of variety here. Many new songs are included, along with plenty of old favorites. The music is challenging to play, but you can always fake it, if you're a piano hack like me!

I "read" this book because I'm a big fan of broadway and have always wanted to learn new showtunes. This book is great if you want to learn lyrics of great songs. Many of the songs in this book are popular such as "Memory" from Cats.

There is quite a bit of variation in this book. there are songs from all sorts of musicals. If you want to learn the tunes of the songs in this book, it helps yo play the piano or quitar. The songs are mostly in b flat. There are many time signatures too. I play violin, and I could learn tunes by playing violin using the music in this book too. If you are looking for some songs to sing for an audition, or to play for an audition, or just for fun-this book is great!

Bought this along with the definitive Broadway for my teenage daughter. Thorough compilation and she was thrilled

I am a singer and many of the songs I sing come from this book my favorite is "Being Alive". It's got a lot of songs from very familiar Musicals like the King and I and Sound of Music. Also most of the arragements are not bad either.

This book is very very good this is a must read for everyone that loves to read.

Richard Timothy Brown Jr. is the son of a pastor and a teacher with a church upbringing. Richard is known as a quiet church boy. When his family is faced with financial difficulties, they are forced to move into Fort Greene projects in Brooklyn NY. Richard has no friends that until he meets Kendu who quickly becomes more then just his best friend he becomes the bro he never had. Kendu is the one who nicknames him "Bishop".

When Lisa the flyest female in fort green takes a liking to Bishop, he discovers a love like no other. Bishop and Lisa love one another unconditional; this is a problem for her ex boyfriend Shameek who does not take the break up to well.

Shameek is a thug, drug dealer and all around ruthless person. Now out of nowhere this church going kid has a beef going on. When Kendu is gun down by Shameek's soldier all hell breaks loose. Bishop struggles with his up bringing and the feeling of having to avenge his friend's death.

Take the roller coaster ride with Bishop. Read the story and find out who makes it out the hood and who does not. Find out does Bishop have what it takes to avenge his friend's death and protect his family or will he turn the other cheek. This story is action pack. Has love, backstabbing, loyalty, drugs, murder, robbery all the making for a great story that could easily be a movie. This book is unpredictable and a must read.

Author Miz does a great job bringing this story together, while putting the hood in pen form. I commend him on his introduction of the characters. He gives you background on each one of them to the point that you saying damn I understand now why they did x, w, z. I also commend him on his choice of the cover once you read the book the cover totally makes sense. Sometimes a cover does not jump out to me but I have to admit the cover hit it right on the nail. I look forward to reading more from this Author. I had this book for months and I am so glad I pulled it out my waiting to be read pile. I brought part 2 when I brought Bishop so now I am off to continue the story.

SiStar Tea
ARC Book Club Inc.

Richard Brown Jr., known as Bishop on the streets, was raised in a loving home by Rev. Ricahrd Brown Sr. and Maria Brown, a schoolteacher. Forced to live in the projects, Richard was introduced to street life in his teenage years and got caught up in the game of drugs and murder. While his street life continues to spiral out of control, Richard struggles between the personalities of "Richard the churchboy" and "Bishop the gangster."

Bishop is a powerful story of how quickly the tough streets can take over and end lives.

I slept on this book, I must admitt. I met OH!, who was promoting the book for Miz at a book signing. I purchased the book with the intent to just pass it on, but I must say that I am so happy that I didn't. This really was a great book. "Bishop" is a church-going dude living in the projects of Brooklyn. One act of violence changes his life forever. This is a good book and I recommend it to all! Especially dudes who try and keep out of the World of drugs, and violence while living in the projects! Enjoy.

Bishop, born Richard Timothy Brown, Jr. is the son of a pastor and a humble school teacher. Their household emphasized good morals and lived by the word of GOD. The Browns faced a financial problem when his mother was laid off. Losing their house, they were forced to move into the notorious Fort Greene projects in Brooklyn, NY. Growing up a church boy in the projects surrounded by drugs and the thugs, Richard had no friends. Until he met Kendu, a young fly kid from the streets who accepted him for who he was and they became inseparable like brothers. Bishop seen love for the first time when he was approached by Lisa, the baddest chick from the pj's. The young couple shared an unconditional love and unbreakable bond. Bishop's life takes a dramatic turn when Kendu is gunned down by one of Shameek's ruthless soldiers. Not only is Shameek a vicious thug, but he is also the jealous raged ex-boyfriend of Lisa. Now Bishop is forced to avenge his best friend's death, while struggling with his morality. To kill is a sin, but he must protect himself and his family by any means necessary. What will The Bishop do? This is an invitation for all readers to take a walk through one of New York's illest boruoghs and indulge into a life of loyalty,faith, love,murder, and mayhem...



I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO YOU IT'S ACTION PACK FROM BEGINNING TO END.I ALMOST SLEPT ON IT I'M GLAD I DIDN'T. THANK YOU MIZ N OH.....WILL BE LQQKING FOR MORE GOOD READ FROM YA'LL....... FAN 4 LIFE. :)

having a unique maiden name as Elzy, I like to see what I come across on the web. When I came across David Weaver's book on black divas and whom the book was about I couldn't resist. Not only is this a book about a wonderful singer, but about a person whom made her dream a reality with the help of god and some wonderful friends. The determination she had, her beliefs. This book was so informative and easy to read, that I am going to pass it on to others to read. I don't know if she is a relative but this book has given me the inspiration to find out.

Ruby Elzy, on the scant evidence of the one recording that I have yet heard (St Louis Blues, in the film of Birth of the Blues), was a great artist, both as actor and singer.

David Weaver's fine book is a most moving and informing tribute to Ruby Elzy's life and career. It is also a tribute to the achievement of a people emerging with triumph from slavery and discrimination. Despite their triumph, this book also indicts the nature of ongoing discrimination, against Afro-Americans and against all other people of colours and beliefs and ways of life that cannot be accommodated by the fear-based, unreasoned and unreasonable prejudice of other people across the world. This world is too small a place to contain both a diverse humanity and oppressive, evil prejudice.

In spite of the great interest and pleasure that I found, and continue to find on re-reading, in David Weaver's first book (surely, other books may follow), reading it was a painful experience - it has forced me to confront my own, deep-seated prejudices. There is a story where Ruby Elzy is walking with her friends and is mocked by a racist white boy. When she starts to sing a joyful spiritual instead of being downcast, the boy then acknowledges, in a kind of begrudging wonder, that she surely could sing.

David Weaver's work in creating this good book has helped many of us to share that boy's wonder. Sharing his admiration and affection for this great woman and her people is a gift that earns him the warm, well-earned gratitude of his readers.

David Weaver is now preparing a CD of Ruby Elzy's work and no doubt this will be sought after by many people on its release.

Ruby Pearl Elzy was born in small town Mississippi, but even when she was a young child it was evident that her voice would be too big to keep her there. Her dream of becoming an opera singer seemed unfathomable considering the fact that her father had abandoned the family and her mother worked multiple jobs,one as a school teacher, just to meet the basic needs of the family. But like her mother, Ruby had strong faith that God would make a way for her and neither of the two women was afraid of hard work. Their faith and work ethics, coupled with the dedication and help from others, both black and white, allowed Ruby to continue her education and eventually study at the famed Juilliard School. Despite racism and the barriers it created, she was able to perform on stage, radio and film, her trademark role being that of Serena from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Although she never accomplished her dream of starring in Verdi's Aida, her brief career was full of notable accomplishments. Tragically, Ruby Elzy died in her prime, before she could accomplish her goal to sing in grand opera. Yet, she left an indelible legacy that has inspired many.

Before I picked up this book I didn't know who Ruby Elzy was, but thanks to this book, I not only know of her accomplishments, but also a little about her on a personal level. I was even inspired to search online for audio clips so that I could hear the voice I read so much about. David Weaver has crafted a work that is a perfect balance between Elzy's personal and professional lives. When he writes about issues such as her divorce from her first husband or her relationship with her father, he does so with a respect that is often missing in today's biographies. He also does a wonderful job recreating the zeitgeist of the 1930's era by providing just enough relevant historical information. It is obvious from reading the book and scanning its extensive endnotes that BLACK DIVA OF THE THIRTIES is a well-researched book; it provides a comprehensive view of an important, but often overlooked woman, whose life was cut too short.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

A gifted four-year-old black girl child sings in church in a remote village in the hills of north Mississippi. She, two sisters, brother and schoolteacher mother are deserted by the father. In the 1920s existence in this farming community is hard for white folks, and much harder for a deserted black family of a woman and four children. By the time this girl is grown she will have graduated from Juilliard as a singer of classical music, given concerts throughout the country, entertained at the White House, performed in movies, become a favorite of George Gershwin and originated the role of Serena in Porgy & Bess. How it all happened has to be a biography because you would not believe it in a work of the imagination. It is all true. And it is well told in Black Diva. Although published by a University Press it is as far from academic gobbledygook as could be. Mr. Weaver writes well and has constructed an exciting story. This is not one of those bios where you know little more when you finish it than you did before. He "connected" with this girl, Ruby Elzy, and you get to know her, the times, the music, the atmosphere as well as if he had written a novel. Once famous, Ruby is now nearly forgotten. She shouldn't be. I invite you to read this book. You'll like her. And you'll want to hear her sing.

BLACK DIVA OF THE THIRTIES: THE LIFE OF RUBY ELZY is a fascinating and moving tribute to the great American soprano by first-time author David Weaver. Mr. Weaver's solid musical background serves him well in capturing the successes and the ultimate tragedy of this incomparable artist's life and career, and it's a testament to the author's style and sensitivity that no lofty musical pronouncements tarnish the pages of this book. Weaver treats his subject with intelligence and respect and it shows.

Biographers new to their craft often fall into the trap of overstating (and overstuffing) their subject's history, but all such pitfalls are avoided here. The book is a model of its kind and portrays Ruby Elzy's life and times in a warm, comprehensive and thoroughly engaging fashion. Weaver is also a born writer and I defy anyone to sample the marvelously evocative Prologue and not read on.

The book is a joy to read but more importantly, through the quality of his writing and the integrity of his research, Weaver ensures that Ruby Elzy's distinguished contribution to 20th century music will not be forgotten. The greatest test of any musical biography is whether the reader is compelled at the end of the book to seek out the subject's recorded legacy. With BLACK DIVA OF THE THIRTIES David Weaver has accomplished that task triumphantly, leaving the reader only to regret that so little recorded material by Ms. Elzy has survived her untimely passing.

This is a wonderful book by a gifted writer and an essential addition to every serious music lover's library.


Derek Mannering is the author of MARIO LANZA: A LIFE IN PICTURES published by Robert Hale, London. The author's acclaimed and newly revised biography MARIO LANZA: SINGING TO THE GODS will be published in the United States in summer 2005 by University Press of Mississippi.

Mr. Shaw's book gives an excellent insight. Looking forward to more of his books. Looking forward to also seeing his books on the big screen

After reading this book and listening to the CD of the same name, readers/listeners will say "The Velvet who?" This is rock and roll at its strangest, most twisted and rebellious. Mr. Shaw's story borders on the fantastic, but it really happened! Five GIs shaving their heads and dressing in black and pumping out punk music a decade before the Sex Pistols, the Clash et al. Who woulda thunk it? This is truly an essential addition to any rock musicologists library.

Eddie Shaw's book, BLACK MONK TIME, is an in-depth look at the mutation of a standard 60s rock n roll group into the first punk band. As bassist for the Monks, he is able to give readers an inside look at the dynamics of a working rock n roll group. His prose really starts to catch fire, appropriately enough, when the band begins to undergo radical changes; both musically and satorially. Fans of the Velvet Underground to the Sex Pistols should give both the book and the Monks sole album (entitled BLACK MONK TIME also) a whirl.

Incredible. Everything you've ever wanted from a band that time forgot, but never get. Really well written, with the ring of truth and a great sense of humor. Some great cold war stuff too. Maybe this is what Johnny Rotten was refering to when he talked about going under the Berlin Wall. Such a strange, interesting story, that now I've read the book, listened to the CDs over and over, even saw one of the guys walking around NYC with a baseball cap on and still have a hard time believing all this really happened. But right there in the book is a photo of a tonsured Dave Day comparing notes with a spit-curled Bill Haley; and there's even a German poster advertising, in clockwise order, an album from The Who, Hums of The Loving Spoonful, Fresh Cream, and lo and behold, black monk time.

Unromantic, exhausting, frightening, unrelenting, damn funny and the whole thing rings true...just like The Monks music. Wanna know what rock'n'roll in the 60s was really like? Read this. Eddie Shaw's writes this book as if he were telling you the story of his life with The Monks while sitting with you at a bar over the course of a beer soaked evening (which is how this story should be told!). His intimate and engaging style rivets you from one moment to the next and makes you feel as though he's telling you secrets he's never told anybody.

On top of everything else, the love story between Eddie and his wife is nothing short of inspiring and beautiful.

The Monks are the greatest American rock'n'roll that unfortunately never got to play in America. Thankfully, this book is here to keep the legacy alive.

It's Monk Time!

I love the way this book redesigns the creative sense of writing. To think that a college paper can utilize 6-12 different genres to represent one wholistic them is brilliant!

This latest book by Romano provides yet another way to incorporate writing into the classroom. He briefly touched upon the mulit-genre paper in his Writing with Passion book, but fully expands the ideas in this book. This book is helpful for those who have not used the mulit-genre paper. (Sharon Draper's Tears of a Tiger is a great example of a multi-genre book.) Included in the back of the book is a reference list of teachers who teach the multi-genre paper with ways to get in touch with those teachers. If you are looking for a way to get your students thinking while they're writing, get this book. You can't go wrong with the examples that are included or the many contacts provided.

I love this book and have decided to base my Masters Project on this concept. Tom Romano gives such clear and concise examples and information that this book is such an easy, but very imformative read. There are several whole multigenre papers that are printed in their original form in the book that I found very helpful in explaining what forms these papers might take.

This book gives many examples of an emerging style of writing, the blended genre book. Originally designed for classroom teachers, this book explores the concept of writing a collection of short pieces on a related theme or topic, and allowing the subject matter of each piece to determine the appropriate genre of presentation for the material. The book offers many examples of college level work that are appropriate for high school Students. The elementary and middle school examples are average or low-level responses that may or may not encourage your students to do their best work. I used this book successfully with my seniors last year on a final project that resulted from a preliminary research assignment as an alternative to a second major research paper for the year.

For authors that are interested in writing in this style, it explains the concept of the multigenre text and refers repeatedly to Michael Ondjatte's work "The Life and Times of Billy the Kid." If you can find this book, it is a great example of a Multigenre work.

The one area that is less than five star quality is the explanation given for the concept of "the repetend." Tom Romano's explanation of the repetend, or the unifying element that ties all of the separate genre pieces together, is slippery at best. Romano's explanation does not make this concept any clearer for the writer or the teacher.

What do Avi, Sharon Draper, Walter Dean Myers and Stephen King have in common?

They all write books that secondary school kids love to read and they have all begun to experiment with blending genre and style in their novels. This book is a fantastic resource for the writer and/or instructor of writing. I happen to be both, and the masterful teachings of Tom Romano have been instrumental in elevating my ability as a writer and enhancing my skill as a teacher.

Romano crusades on a mission of smashing the shackles of expression in writing without destroying the important standards of traditional expository and descriptive approaches. I am not sure how he would feel about this extended metaphor, but I feel like he helped me organize my toolbox and left me with a great new power screw driver to boot!

I have watched very reluctant writers get excited about composition when they are presented with the idea of designing a skateboard graphic design or cartoon... to express their opinion on a given theme. Romano helps us give permission to students to look around the world they live in for models of authentic writing and experiment with using those models in both descriptive and expository (and dare I say even research report) assignments.

I promise this, along with his other books, will rejuvenate your teaching and writing!

This is the single best history of Bluegrass. I've purchased several volumes, because I lend the book to others who are becoming interested in the genre, unfortunately noone ever returns my loaned copy.

Rosenberg draws from his experiences working with Bill Monroe and other bluegrass musicians in this compelling and intriguing history of bluegrass music. The early chapters sketch out an interesting history of folk music genres that laid the foundation for bluegrass. Rosenberg then provides special attention to Monroe's role in helping to create a new sound. I especially appreciated the metaphor between playing bluegrass music and playing baseball. Rosenberg explores the symbolic and literal connections throughout the book to provide a great way to understand how the music (and game) is played.

If you're interested in the history of bluegrass music, I would recommend that you begin with this book. Rosenberg is an engaging writer and a fine historian. He also performed with Bill Monroe and has continued to maintain a strong presence in bluegrass music. The work rightly focuses on Monroe's early contributions to bluegrass music, and Rosenberg demonstrates how the musical structure and context is linked to major social issues and cultural expressions in American life. The connections that Rosenberg makes between bluegrass and baseball are fascinating and right on the money.

Bluegrass music's greatest practitioners have always been plain-as-burlap folks who wouldn't give a hoot about dissecting and intellectualizing the music that pops out of them as naturally as sweat. As an appreciator of real deals, I wouldn't have it any other way. However, I'm glad that folklorist/musical historian Neil V. Rosenberg has been around for several decades now, poking his scholarly nose into the fascinating haystack that is bluegrass and putting the needles into cultural perspective. This sweeping and heartfelt book, Rosenberg's crowning achievement as the planet's foremost bluegrass oracle, will stand as the last word on the subject for a long, long spell.

Unlike rock 'n' roll, whose Big Bang genesis one fateful day in Memphis reverberated like a sonic boom, bluegrass had more fitful beginnings. The music's raw ingredients had been fermenting in Appalachia for untold years in the form of homemade "hillbilly" music before a shy Kentuckian named Bill Monroe began distilling them in the 1930s into a distinctive musical form. Monroe deliberately crafted the sound and personality of bluegrass and, much more round-aboutly, gave it its name. As the central figure in bluegrass, Monroe's patriarchal spirit looms magnificently large over Rosenberg's history, which, after all, is ultimately Monroe's story.

Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, arguably the next most important innovators in bluegrass, also figure prominently. In the 1940s, the two had been underpaid sidemen in Monroe's Blue Grass Boys band before abruptly striking out on their own in 1948 and becoming Monroe's main competition. Heavy turnover was a fact of life with the Blue Grass Boys, but the mercurial Monroe was outraged by the pair's defection and didn't speak to them for over twenty years. Transformed in the Sixties by television ("The Beverly Hillbillies") and movie ("Bonnie and Clyde") exposure into world-wide icons, Flatt & Scruggs achieved fame and commercial viability the likes of which bluegrass - including its inventor - had never known. Rosenberg's delineation of the famous Monroe/Flatt & Scruggs "feud" is one of the best things in the book.

Rosenberg's writing style can be stiff and he tends to exaggerate the significance of certain events, such as the use of a bluegrass soundtrack on an obscure experimental art film called "Football As It Is Played Today." Also, his laborious investigation into how the term "bluegrass" came to be applied specifically to the music is a bit of a yawn. The book is thorough almost to a fault, but it's petty to criticize Rosenberg's leave-no-stone-unturned work ethic. He has written the definitive bluegrass bible and clearly done it from the heart. If you appreciate true country music, of which bluegrass is the truest, this book will both delight and enlighten you, as it did me.

447 pages (including index), extensive notes, bibliography and discography, 40 pages of photos.

Rosenberg is a practing academic, and it shows in his attention to detail and writing style. However, he is also a former Blue Grass Boy and manager of Bean Blossom, and it shows in his thorough love of the Music. Fascinating details alternate with a comprehensive picture of how Bluegrass fits into the wider context of American popular music. The Big Mon (Bill Monroe) comes out as a true creative genius, yet still very much subject to outside forces, for example, the folk music revival. Rosenberg avoids sensationalism, which sometimes limits the "juicy" stories that can be told about Monroe and many others, and instead focuses on the movement and the social forces around it.

Highly recommended for fans and scholars alike, even if somewhat hard reading for non-academics.

The photographs and the written text of this book compliment each other
perfectly. This book is put together not just for the Bob Marley fan but
any style music fan and also for fans of photography.

AUTHOR WAS OBVIOUSLY A CLOSE FRIEND OF BOB'S!

MY ONLY SUGGESTION IS THAT THOS BOOK REALLY POTRAYS CLEARLY THE LIFE OF A LEGEND.

Pi up this book put the record on and get into this love and obscurity of "Slave Driver". Enjoy it.

One of the most surprising things you'd expect out of me, a 15 year old skate punk kid, is my collection of books. Big and small, short and long, all of my books are spanned on a shelf system that runs around my room. An those are just the good ones. The really good ones go in my night table drawer. This is one of them. Bob Marley is and was one of the most inflential people not only in my life, but in many others as well. This book not only shows that, it also shows the feels and vibes of Caribbean life during his time. It richly illustrates reggae in general, racial boundaries, and social problems of Marley's time. It is a vividly painted portrait of one of the greatest musicians of our time. With facts from his birth to his death and everything that happened to him in between, it helps you (the reader) to fully understand this great person. Bob Marley was truly influential, and this book illustrates that fact completely. You will read it over and over and over again.