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Bright Balkan Morning: Romani Lives and the Power of Music in Greek Macedonia

Published in Paperback by Wesleyan (2002-12-09)

Authors: Charles Keil and Angeliki Vellou Keil

List price: $39.95

New price: $26.37
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Average review score:

Extraordinary

Helpful Votes: 14 out of 23 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-28

This book is, in a word, extraordinary; so is the accompanying CD recording, which gives in addition to music of the Macedonian Romany people, a slice of their life in cafes and markets. One hears their daily activities, the sale of pita, and various wares, as well as juke boxes and street sounds as the Mahala awakens.

Mahala, for those unaware, is the village ghetto to which Rom people are generally confined, although the anthropologists who compiled this book do not seem to know that it is Arabic for ghetto, and the same word used in North Africa and other Middle Eastern Muslim nations to describe the Jewish and Christian ghettos in which those dhimmi groups are similarly confined. Dhimmis are the non-Muslim minorities in Muslim lands, and their treatment (and in Muslim nation remains) generally described and defined by the Islamic laws of jihad.

Unlike most other recent books about the Rom, this one contains a massive amount of research on the lives and music of these people, as they live it; but what I like the most are the oral histories that provide readers with a real sense of the hardships suffered by the Rom in Greek Macedonia. While the book mentions the great and disastrous Turkish invasion of Greece in 1922, it does not note the great massacre of an estimated 150,000 Christian Greeks and Armenians in Smyrna on the Aegean coast that year. This undoubtedly included some Rom, as the town was then (as now) central on the Turkish coast.

But without knowing it, the authors have demonstrated some of the ill effects of Muslim rule, for they do discuss, via oral histories, the great liberation experienced by Greek Roma in 1924, when Turks were repatriated to Turkey and 1 million Greeks from Turkey to Greece. The latter may have lost some territory, but she gained liberation from Muslim oppression.

As Greeks from Turkey poured into Greece, the town fathers in Jumaya, for example, and presumably everywhere else the Roma then lived in Greece, began to allow the Roma to go to school with Greeks. Beforehand, the Turks had imposed separation on non-Muslim peoples. But with Turks gone, Greeks exiled the old cast system too, thereby relinquishing the system that had helped imprison Greek Roma in lives without equal education. Now, suddenly, the Rom could attend the same school as everyone else.

There are many wonderful features of this book, including the photographs and the music CD at its end. But make no mistake, the oral histories are the best feature, making this one of the best books on the Rom I have read to date.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

THEY'LL STEAL YOUR HEART, TOO

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-10

In the rich and wonderful BRIGHT BALKAN MORNING: Romani Lives and the Power of Music in Greek Macedonia (Wesleyan University Press. Includes a CD), Charles and Angeliki Vellou Keil write of how, since the earliest days of Byzantium, commentators have remarked, sometimes positively and sometimes negatively, on the power of the Romani people to "steal your heart." With its stunning photographs by Dick Blau and its evocative CD produced by Steven Feld, this book is just one more instance of stolen hearts. The Romani, who are sometimes called gypsies, have stolen the authors' hearts and are well on their way to stealing my heart as well.

I urge you to buy this book. I say so as someone who almost never reads anything published by an academic press. I am definitely not an anthropologist or a social scientist of any kind. What I know about the raw and the cooked doesn't get very far beyond my kitchen, but I couldn't put BRIGHT BALKAN MORNING down. This book ought to be that rare thing: an academic book with popular appeal.

The easiest way into the riches of BRIGHT BALKAN MORNING are Blau's black-and-white photographs of the Romani playing their instruments for weddings, wrestling matches, and the little parades that apparently form wherever they go. When the dances started up, I have a feeling that Blau joined in, for these pictures just pulled me along. I could smell the perfume in the grandmother's handkerchief as she held it out to Blau and, through him, to me, as we all danced together. I could see the textures of the road when I took my place in the wedding parade; I could almost hear the sound of the zurna (a kind of outdoor oboe) being played in my ear.

Of course Steven Feld's CD brings the actual sounds to life. The CD begins oh so slyly by introducing Romani music emerging from the ambient sounds of twentieth-century Macedonia. The Romani are, if nothing else, great survivors of history's cultural wars, and you can hear so many diverse musical strains-from the Muslim to the techno pop. Eerily enough, the rhythm of the dauli (a two-headed bass drum) being played sounds exactly like the bass-drum pounding at a high-school football pep rally.

I wasn't as happy with the book's writing style, but then the authors seem to be wrestling with shaping this heartfelt information of theirs into all the requirements of academic publishing, and that struggle oddly mirrors the lives of the Romani. This sometimes awkward prose becomes just one more instance of the dance the Romani inspire everywhere they go as they blend in and out of the moment's culture.

--R. M. Ryan
Duncans Mills, CA

Bright Balkan Morning = Late Chicago Night!

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-03

Last night I planned to read this book for just a few minutes before going to sleep. Hours later, instead of sleeping I was transformed into the world of the Balkan Roma musicians and their incredible culture! I simply couldn't put this amazing book down. I love the stories and interviews with the old musicians, the informative history of the Roma people and their culture, the full-of-life photos, and the CD with soundscapes. All these pieces combine to give the reader a great view of a people and their heritage, and one that has been largely overlooked in the past. I found the work ethic of the musicians described in this book to be very inspirational. To be able to play all kinds of requests for days on end is really something to admire. Musicians of any genre could learn a whole lot from reading about the musicians in this book. Years ago, these authors turned me on to the subculture of polka in the USA (and made a polkaholic out of me) with their super "Polka Happiness" book. They have clearly done it again - informed the world about an incredibly rich culture that was largely hidden from view.

Big Fat Roma Music Book

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-18

This book responds to my interest in the social context of folk music and dance. The focus was on the lives of the people who make the music, in this case the Roma of Jumaya (Iriklia) in Greek Macedonia. The writers give you quite a rounded view, describing how the music is performed, at what kinds of events, how people relate to the music and each other, how the musicians see themselves and their occupation and how making a living as a Roma musician fits into Greek society. There is also a strong sense of history and how things have changed over time in many ways - the history of Roma in Greece and other Balkan countries, the specific history of Roma in Jumaya, and the stories of individual musicians and their families. The consistently positive way that the writers approach their subject is also refreshing - they describe how Roma have used music to survive and, in some cases, prosper, and how in doing so they have contributed to the multi-layered fabric of Greek-Macedonian ethnic identities.

What is especially interesting to me is the authors' view of how multi-ethnic society works in Greek Macedonia as compared to Bulgaria or Former Yugoslavia, and how the strategy of Roma musicians is different in these different countries. In Greek Macedonia the musicians play the music of all ethnic groups in order to maximize their flexibility and income. During multi-ethnic celebrations the musicians follow a strict policy of playing everyone's requests in the order requested, so that no one feels that they have priority. There is a fascinating description of an ethnically mixed wedding where the families have to adjust their various wedding traditions to accommodate each other, making it up as they go along to some extent.

The authors compare and contrast this with the approach taken by Roma musicians in other areas of the Balkans. In Kosovo in the 1980s the Roma musicians are said to have purposely selected music from traditions from other than Serbian and Albanian in order to avoid conflicts. In Bulgaria the wedding band tradition is described as leading to a new pan-Balkan "fusion" style which borrows from many cultures but still feels Bulgarian. Ultimately the motivation behind each strategy is the need of musicians to make a living.

The book is interesting reading from a North American perspective as well. Keil contrasts the multi-ethnic consciousness of Greeks, where the same person may have several types of ethnic and national identities simultaneously, with the concept of "multiculturalism" which he describes as slices of a pizza in which there are lots of ethnicities but everyone is either one thing or another. This raise the question of what is really going on in such immigrant nations as Canada and the United States.

The accompanying CD is a potpourri of sounds, including music of various types, and there is a section of the book describing the contents of the CD. Some of the track titles are Market Day in Jumaya, Afternoon at a Mahala Café, At Home in the Mahala, New Year's Party in Serres, Taverna Party at Nikisiani. The combination of the text, the many high quality black and white photos and the soundscape are successful in putting you into the experience, as much as this is possible. There was also a nice balance between Angeliki Keil's straight-forward and very readable reporting of the lives of the musicians and Charles Keil's more theoretical musings about ethnicity, the music and the role of the musicians. My only complaint about the book is its weight - it's printed on very heavy, glossy stock, no doubt adding to the quality of photographic reproductions, but it is so big and heavy that you pretty well have to read it sitting up. An alternate title could be, "Your Big Fat Roma Music Book."

Evocative, Engrossing, Encompassing

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-16

When you get Bright Balkan Morning you are likely to open it up and then leaf through it, looking at the photographs. After a few minutes of this you'll remove the CD from the inside back cover and put it on. Then you continue looking at the photos while listening to the sounds.

That in itself is a rich and satisfying experience. But don't stop there. Read the text!

It tells of Roma (aka Gypsy) musicians who have cornered the market on live music in polyglot Greek Macedonia. While they are at the bottom of the social order, anyone who wishes a proper wedding, festival, or party of any kind hires these musicians. The musicians generally perform in trios, one playing a bass drum while the other two play the zurna - a double-reed woodwind found throughout Eurasia and Africa. Their repertoire is drawn from the peoples who live in the area, or passed through at one time, and is sometimes more Oriental, sometimes more European - whatever the customer wants.

Keil and Keil give detailed accounts of several performances - a baptism, a wedding, and a saint's day festival - tell the life stories of a dozen or so musicians & family, and recount the broad history of the Roma in the Mediterranean as well as presenting a more focused account of their sojourn in Greek Macedonia. Blau's photographs range from intimate portraits, to dancers in full party whirl, through street scenes jumbled or measured, to serene landscapes. Some of his shots are so strikingly composed - the cover image, for example - that the effect is both subjective (Blau's aesthetic) and objective (we're looking at things, out there, in the world). Steven Feld's soundscapes give us the living flow of sound. Not only do we hear the twin zurnas flying through drum rhythms, but dancing feet, shouts of joy and exertion, motors churning, sheep braying, and Stevie Wonder piped in through a tinny sound system.

Bright Balkan Morning is a milestone. See it, hear it, read it. Take pleasure in it.

The Brothers

Published in Hardcover by Little, Brown and Company (2000-09-19)

Authors: Art Neville, Aaron Neville, Charles Neville, Cyril Neville, and David Ritz

List price: $24.95

New price: $0.96
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Collectible price: $24.95

Average review score:

The Nevilles: the road to reognition and resolution

Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2000-10-06

The Brothers is a coherent and compelling series of autobiographical narratives, alternating among Art, Charles, Aaron, and Cyril. These perspectives are a valuable record of collective memory, as well as moving individual journeys. American culture from the late 1930s to the close of century informs and drives these voices: here is camaraderie and racism, love and alienation, spirituality and hedonism, cruelty and tenderness, peace and rage, cocky determination and chilling fear, triumph and despair--all related with a palpable frankness. Those of us born in the 30s and 40s will find parts of ourselves here; those born later will see how true it is that "past is present." Lovers of jazz, blues, early rock'roll, funk and r&b, and New Orleans rhythms will revel in the stories of contacts with the "greats." The street language may put off some readers. With all respect to those readers, I suggest their tolerance. It is no small thing that those who struggle with personal demons may find a light to their paths between the covers of this book. Over 300 pages, family photos, discographies, and an index.

Exellent bios

Helpful Votes: 16 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-13

This autobiography is actually a quartet of autobiographies as the essence of each of the four Neville brothers come alive in this book. The non-fiction focuses on the individual personalities, their personal take on music including their solo careers and group performances and recordings. It also Includes their evaluation of the last four decades of music especially in New Orleans and their personal trials and tribulations.

All this marks this non-fiction, as several cuts above the typical wave of rock and roll biographies that seem like perfect flavors of the month. Instead this tome provides a "Tell It Like It Is" feel that fans of the New Orleans sound will enjoy. Anyone who reads THE BROTHERS NEVILLE will seek other works by master music biographer David Ritz (see his works on Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, and Aretha Franklin, etc.) as this reviewer plans to do.

Harriet Klausner

A Musical Journey to Self Discovery

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-23

The Brothers is a extraordinary look at how music and culture nurture us and redeem us. The power of this book lies in the unashamed honesty of the Neville Brothers and the wisdom and confidence of the author to allow the brothers to tell their own story. Unencumbered by analysis or author's comments, the brothers simply present their stories while the author ties the threads together to show how the Neville brothers as individuals worked through their personal problems and came together as a family and a musical group. There is no other book that means more to me than The Brothers. Their story has helped me to make sense of my own journey as an American journalist and music critic living and working on the island of Trinidad in the West Indies.

Extraordinary!

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-10

David Ritz has helped many rhythm and blues musicians write their autobiographies, including Ray Charles, B. B. King, Marvin Gaye, Etta James, and Aretha Franklin. The characteristics that these books share is the sense that the subject is writing directly to you as you read, and that the bad times as well as the good times are revealed. If you are a fan of the musician, you feel like you have a better understanding of them once you've read the book Ritz helped them write.

The Neville Brothers' story must have been complicated to organize because there are 4 Neville Brothers, Art, Charles, Aaron and Cyrille. They tell their stories simultaneously, a paragraph or two by one brother and then a paragraph or two by another and so on. The story they tell is fascinating and often horrific! Violence, drug abuse, crazy characters, prison terms and danger fill virtually every page. These are fascinating lives to read about, but I wouldn't want to live them! Aaron and Charles seem to be the most forthcoming and the most sympathetic of the brothers. If you love Neville Brothers' music, you'll want to own this book!

very complete

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2000-11-27

THe Neville Brothers are a very solid unit.Great talents.this book takes them not only as a Group but also as People with feelings&outlooks.David Ritz does a Great job of doing books.always Interesting reads.this is a very complete book.long overdue on these greats.but better late than never.

Carmina Burana: Vocal Score

Published in Paperback by Schott (2006-11-10)

Author: Hal Leonard Corporation

List price: $35.00

New price: $20.00
Used price: $21.65

Average review score:

Beats heck out of the part score for chorus

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-11

This book has the full vocal score, well-printed, well laid-out. If you're doing Carmina, you want this score! Clear type, adequate size, good binding, and you can see what the other parts are doing, which really helps most choral singers.

Expensive, but worth it. Particularly if you're going to do Carmina maybe 5-10 times in your career.

Music score

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-29

The music scores are just perfect. The timeliness of delivery is better than I expect. I recieved them much earlier than the published official "snail mail" pace (up to 4 weeks)of SuperSaver free shipping option. It is disappointing if indeed it does take several weeks to mail pages of sheet music from the warehouse while business is conducted at internet speed.

Carmina Burana

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-09

This was exactly what I was looking for so that I can have my own copy to use for our performance. Thank you.

At last CB scores at a fair price

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-27

Those greedy Orff heirs have been ripping off American singers for years because we have been stupid enough to pay their inflated prices to perform this popular work. Incidentally the score lists for $35 in America and only $20 in Germany and England. I can't wait until CB goes public domain. After all, it was Carl who created this great work, not those money-grubbing leeches who will then have to go out and get honest work like the rest of us.

Carmina Burana for a Working Singer

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-13

This was a good score. Clear and well layed out.

Celebration!

Published in Paperback by Seton Saint Clare Books (2000-10-10)

Author: Kay Moser

List price: $11.99

New price: $2.65
Used price: $0.25

Average review score:

A Truly Life-changing Novel

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-31

I gave my hair stylist a copy of Kay Moser's "Celebration!" for Christmas because reading that novel totally changed the way I look at life.
I just went to get my hair cut, and my hair stylist said the following things:

"I just want you to know that I think Kay Moser is the best writer I've ever read. I just finished reading 'Celebration!' and I've never read a book that meant so much to me. I could not quit reading it. I read late into the night; I read in the car; my whole family kept saying, 'what's wrong with you? You never read a book!' As I got toward the end, I kept noticing how few pages were left, and I just couldn't stand it. 'I don't want this book to be over!' I kept saying. 'I don't want to leave these characters. I can't stand for this book to end.'"

When I asked my hair stylist to comment on what the book had communicated to her, she responded,
"I never thought about everybody having a story that explains why they have become what they've become. I never realized how much choice I have and how much my choices decide my life."

As I handed my stylist a check, her eyes suddenly flooded with tears, and she whispered, "I am that woman in 'Celebration!' I really am Rachel! I need to make some changes in my life. This book hit me so hard; I've got to re-read it. You know, the author was so kind to me in that book. Over and over she took me to the edge, to the point that I thought I would drown, but then she gently pulled me back from the edge. I needed to almost drown in order to finally hear the truth. Thank you for giving me that novel!"

When I got home, I wanted to know more about Kay Moser. I did an online search and found www.kaymoser.com. I'm glad I did! I e-mailed her, and she answered!

Celebration! by Kay Moser

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-14

I thought this book was wonderful. It really shows all of the right qualities a book should have. I think that anyone that wants to read a good book should grab this off a shelf. It really re-lights that flame for God.

Celebrate This Book!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-25

My Mom introduced me to Kay Moser, and I just loved this book. It is such a meaningful and powerful story. I would highly recommend it.

An Awesome Read

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-09

I couldn't put this book down. It's the first novel I've ever read that was both entertaining and healing. It's the story of Rachel, a woman who is terribly successful so she thinks she's worthy. When she loses everything, she feels worthless, but as the novel continues, she learns the true sources of her worth. This book really helped me deal with some issues of worth I have been struggling with. Read this book! You will be entertained and changed for the better. Give this book to your friends! They will thank you.

This book is truly enlightening!!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-03

At first, I read the first 20 pages, and put the book down, thinking it was a just a depressing, domestic abuse book. My uncle told me to try again, as it was not about that at all. He was entirly correct!! It was the first book that I read in 2 nights in my entire life. You will view the world and yourself differently after reading this book. Where is Kay Moser now, and why isn't she writing more books???

Chet Atkins: Me and My Guitars (Russ Cochran Books)

Published in Paperback by Hal Leonard (2003-05-01)

Authors: Russ Cochran and Chet Atkins

List price: $30.00

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Average review score:

The best book on Chet so far.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-05

I can't stop looking at the lovely pics. of all Chet's 60 guitars. And the stories in his own words. The best book in the world.

Chet Atkins

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-08

This is a ghost written autobiography of Chet and his various guitars. It has outstanding photography and provides insight into the character of the man.

BEAUTIFUL GUITAR PICTURES & STORIES

Helpful Votes: 14 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-02

At first I just meant to thumb through a few pages but Chet's easy-going and enjoyable writing style sucked me in. The next thing it was 2 am and I'd finished most of the book. Although I suffered the next day at work I didn't mind it a bit.

If you like vintage guitars or Chet Atkins' playing I can't recommend this book strongly enough. It is full of beautiful color pictures and behind-the-scenes descriptions of the development of some very interesting and historic instruments. Chet's stories of the people he played with, the guitars he played and the music he made are wonderful and totally engrossing. Buy this book today!!

A Chet Atkins Treasure!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-16

As I Chet fan, I am always wanting more photos, information etc. on Chets's life, guitars, equipment and technique. This book is fantastic!! The book quality is superb and the photos are exquisite! I am very well pleased to have this book in my Chet collection.

Beautifully Illustrated With Engaging Narrative

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-08

Chet relates the story of his life and describes the guitars he owned and helped design in an easy-going, yet informative, manner in this book, which is lavishly illustrated with photographs of his guitars. As a country music enthusiast, I found Chet's story to be very interesting -- he had much more contact with some of the early artists (such as Karl Davis and Bill Carlisle) than I'd realised. Chet's narrative is characterised by his modesty and generosity to others: for example, he relates how Mother Maybelle Carter and her family fought some elements of the Nashville establishment to ensure he was permitted to play in Music City; and he is very complimentary of other guitarists (e.g. to Australia's Tommy Emmanuel).
I have no hesitation in recommending this book to any country-music enthusiast or country guitarist, though the book also has a much wider appeal.

Child in Time: The Life Story of the Singer from Deep Purple

Published in Paperback by Music Book Services Corporation (1995-04)

Authors: Ian Gillan and David Cohen

List price: $16.99

Used price: $51.16

Average review score:

What an outrageous life!

Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 1999-11-03

Child In Time is the autobiography of Ian Gillan, best known as the singer behind Deep Purple's legendary Mark 2 lineup (responsible for such hard rock classics as "Smoke on the Water," "Highway Star," "Woman From Tokyo," and yes, "Child In Time.") But he's also fronted his own band, Gillan, and Black Sabbath (on one album), not to mention sung the role of Jesus for the original Jesus Christ Superstar. All the while he has lived an interesting life, from his humble beginnings as the child of a divorced marriage, through his early singing days (inspired because he wanted to get into the movies like Elvis), through becoming DP's hard-drinking but always affable singer--and developing a love/hate (some would say hate/hate) relationship with the guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore. In fact the main reason I got this book was to try to get the "dirt" on their relationship. There are some juicy tidbits here, including the time Ritchie smashed a plate of spaghetti in Ian's face because he thought that the singer had put ketchup in the pasta. "Come on!" Ritchie taunted, but Ian just walked out of the room, almost in tears. Eat your heart out, MTV's Real World! But seriously, Ian acknowledges that they're like apples and oranges even if some of their musical collaborations have been magical. Elsewhere, Ian documents his views on drugs, sex, business dealings, and how to deal with traveling in unfamiliar countries. Not to be missed is the hilarious section on his year-long stint with Black Sabbath--pure Spinal Tap if it's to be believed. While there are some egregious mistakes in the book (concerning certain dates), I believe a recent edition has corrected them. Also, some feminists might not cotton to some of his views regarding male/female relationships, even if he seems happily married. Check out Child In Time and learn more about Ian Gillan (and Deep Purple!) than you'll ever see in one single book again (unless the 1983 Deep Purple Illustrated Biography is ever updated and re-released, that is).

SImply superb

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-07-21

If you are a great fan of deep purple or Ian gillan this book is a must have

A must for any real hard-rock fan !

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1998-06-25

It tells in details the life of this marvellous singer, known by many people as The silver voice ! Ian Gillan is well known as the character of Jesus Christ Superstar in the record of the opera in the early seventies. Ian tells his career in full details, his family, his passion for music and drink !! Deep Purple is part of his life (most of it) and you can see it well detailed over here. A magnificent job by Ian. A complete biography of one of our most loved singers of all time: Mr. Gillan from Deep Purple. Hope you can enjoy it as I did.

A must for fans of Deep Purple, and all of Gillan's work.

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1997-07-11

Regarded by many as one of the greatest rock singers of all time -- this book details the life and times of Ian Gillan, best known as the lead singer for Deep Purple. Many will also remember him as the voice of Jesus on the original recording of the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar".

The book is a biography, written by David Cohen, with facts obtained from Ian himself. It gives insight into the clashes within the Deep Purple clan, and how Gillan went on to a successful solo career (only to return to the Purple camp he loved so well).

It's the world of rock and roll as seen through the eyes of one of its most witty and talented players.

An excellent bio of Deep Purple's outrageous lead singer

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1997-12-16

The incredible story of Ian Gillan, one of hard rock's greatest and most influential vocalists. Ian offers up many an outrageous tale of the life of a rock star, beginning with his childhood to the start of his third stint with Deep Purple in 1993.

The writing is witty and quick-paced and seemingly quite honest, as Ian relates freely both his triumphs and failures as a solo artist and as a member of such classic hard rock outfits as Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

I highly recommend this for any fan of Ian, Deep Purple, or of hard rock/heavy metal in general.

Circle of Song: Songs, Chants, and Dances for Ritual and Celebration

Published in Paperback by Full Circle Press (1999-10-01)

Author: Kate Marks

List price: $35.00

New price: $35.00
Used price: $21.99

Average review score:

An excellent compilation

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-25

This book provides an excelent resource of movement and song to assist with meditation and reflection. It is firmly based in the Creation spirituality tradition and affirms alternative spiritualities and way of approaching God.

Essential resource for ritualists

Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-12

As a Pagan and musician, I love this book! But you certainly don't have to be Pagan to use and enjoy this extensive collection of spiritual songs -- Many faiths are included here. The book is decidedly geared toward honoring the earth, the elements, the Spirit, and the Spirit within, and is essential for anyone following an Earth religion or who wishes to recognize their spiritual connection to both the Earth and Spirit in their worship. If you organize and/or write rituals for your religious group, you should not be without Circle of Song. The book is well organized, includes notations and sheet music for every song, and even suggests dances that can go along with some songs. Whether you honor Yemaya or Yahweh, God or the Goddess, you will be delighted with this valuable collection of songs and chants.

A valuable resource for any Earth-based ritual or workshop.

Helpful Votes: 13 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 1997-07-15

Circle of Song is a wonderful resource for Earth-based ritual and workshops. It features words and music for 300 Pagan, Native American, African, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Jewish songs. It includes instructions for 30 dances which can be used with the songs. There are meditations, background notes, a complete discography and bibliography for sources. No one who uses this kind of material should be without this book

An excellent compilation

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-25

excellent resource

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-12

the songs here are gathered from many sources, but they all reflect a real joy. well organized for pagan use. you might also enjoy pagansong. i hope thet all this material will lead more people to use song in ritual and circle!

The Classic Ballet: Basic Technique and Terminology

Published in Paperback by University Press of Florida (1998-05)

Authors: Carlus Dyer and Lincoln Kirstein

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Great for Ballet Buffs

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-28

I purchased this book because I wanted an updated copy of the 1971 version. This book is practically identical to the older copy, but it's still great information and a really cool book.

Timeless Beauty Revisited

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-16

This beautiful classic, repackaged by Alfred A. Knopf, will remain a treasured addition to the library of any lover of the ballet. Six hundred stunning illustrations, in 156 plates by Carlus Dyer bring life to the concepts.

Fantastic book!!!

Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-13

I have the hard bound edition of this book, published some time ago by Alfred Knopf, and I never tire of looking at the drawings and appreciating the mathematical precision of classical ballet. The reading of this book will be of an enormous assistance to studying ballet, and it is also invaluable if one wants to study the more technical facets of the subject. Ballet is one form of dance that can be mathematically systemaitized and characterized, and this book is a great reference for such an undertaking. Definitely worth having and the paperback edition with its low price makes it completely accessible to all.

Good Info

Helpful Votes: 15 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 1999-12-28

I thought this book contained good information and the drawings are incredible- although confusing at times. There are many steps described in this book, both advanced and beginner. I find this book a great addition to my ballet collection. As a dancer, it is a good reference book for me when I have a question or uncertainty about a step. This book describes in detail how to preform barre exercises, allegros, turns, pointe work, etc. This is a necessity for all dancers and dancer-wannabes.

These Drawings Are Clearer Than Photos!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-17

This is a wonderful book for beginners as well as experienced dancers. In particular, this is one of the best references for barre exercises, but the center steps are well covered, too. This is actually my first choice when recommending barre exercise references, which is reason enough to include it in a ballet library.

Classical Music in America: A History of Its Rise and Fall

Published in Hardcover by W. W. Norton & Company (2005-03-30)

Author: Joseph Horowitz

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Average review score:

Lively & approachable

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-12

Horowitz writes in a lively and approachable fashion, telling the story of how music and musical performance evolved in our country with brisk and provocative ideas. He's both scholar and journalist, an unusual talent.

Please Expand Your Thinking

Helpful Votes: 21 out of 30 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-02

As you may well guess from the title, Mr. Horowitz isn't very happy with the current trends in American music. In many ways you can't but agree with him. He claims that classical music in the United States peaked at about 1900 and that since then it has been falling in impact, in quality, and in just about every other way.

I'm not so sure that I completely agree. One of his points is that American orchestras have become fixated on performing only the music of the old masters and ignoring American composers. In fact he says that at the turn fo the century we were waiting for a major American composer to come in and set the stage for the new country. And that didn't happen.

Music has certainly changed in the last hundre years, but there are more symphanies than ever before. Even the smaller cities like Salt Lake city, San Jose, etc. sport local orchestras. Performances at places like Vail, Colorado and Tanglewood draw good crowds.

I think that there may be a discussion waiting to happen on what is classical music. Shakespeare is certainly classical literature, but it was theater of the masses in its day. Musicals on Broadway, movie themes like John Williams work on Star Wars aren't defined as classical. But in a hundred years Phantom of the Opera may well be considered classical.

Mr. Horowitz certainly raises interesting points, and has crafted a book well worth reading.

Superb -- and Disturbing

Helpful Votes: 22 out of 27 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-18

For the classical enthusiast, this is a must read. It puts into great perspective the problems currently facing us -- and frankly leaves me despondent about the future of live, symphonic music. Everyone involved gets blamed: conductors, soloists, union members, orchestra managers, audiences, composers, music schools...
The book is nicely divided into historical periods, and all the big (and not so big) names are here. Horowitz obviously knows his subject, writes about it passionately and communicates to the reader well. He also likes obscure words: more than once I had to grab a dictionary.
There's a nice Naxos web page that offers up substantial samples of much of the music mentioned in the book.
My only complaint is that I wish he had added a last chapter: What We Need to Do! There are plenty of people who need to read this book, but I fear that it's length will prevent wide readership.

Thank Goodness for Criticism!

Helpful Votes: 26 out of 29 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-27

For years we have been sustained by a notion that we could, if we worked hard enough, use documents of all kinds (musical scores, diaries, images, letters, etc.) to figure out something like "what really happened" in the past. Alas, the past is a much vaster ocean than we imagine. The refreshing thing about Horowitz's brilliant Classical Music in America, is that he's not about writing a chronicle, he's about telling a particular story. In the end, it's not whether you agree or disagree that there was something like a Golden Age in the United States around the turn of the century followed by a gradual but inevitable slide, but that the reader is bathed in the very richness of the tale and the telling. Through his passion, his gifts as a writer and thinker, and actually through the very idiosyncratic thinking that can annoy, cajole, and prod, he compels attention, and stimulates deep thought about the past and the present.

Horowitz has been one of our leading cultural critics for decades, and this is a book that should be on every music lover's bookshelf.

Engrossing, comprehensive history of American musical scene

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-14

Horowitz's panoramic history traces the development of American classical music institutions, performers, and composers from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Emerging from such low-brow entertainments as "monster concerts" with multitudes of choral and orchestral performers, so numerous that they could hardly hear each other, the American musical scene came to maturity both in Boston and New York, two locales around which much of the author's chronicle centers. Horowitz's chronicle charts in detail the history of many performing institutions in both these cities, the men who ran them, and those who kept a watchful eye on their doings: the music critics. Orchestras, opera companies and solo performers parade past in dizzying array, kept from totally overwhelming the reader by Horowitz's firm organization, both by chronology and by topic area.

It is the attempt to establish a distinctive and indigenous school of musical composition that most interests Horowitz, and here his discussion is at its most valuable. He gives due weight to names that are now fashionable once again, such as Amy Beach, but also speaks up for some that are still neglected, notably George Whitfield Chadwick in Boston. The distinctive musical cultures that arose in the two cities are painted with a sure hand, resulting in many fascinating revelations: Edward MacDowell's chilly relations with many of Boston's pre-eminent composers, for example, came as a surprise to me. Alas, according to the author, though America has produced many major composers in the twentieth century, a truly distinctive and thriving culture of original composition has never succeeded in establishing itself. Horowitz blames this failure on the cultivation of what amounts to performer worship and the endless recycling of a canon of old masterpieces that took hold after World War I. His conclusions may be arguable, but his observations are unfailingly lucid and engaging. This is a book that will sit by Richard Crawford's recent book on American music, and books on American opera and singing by John Dizikes and Peter G. Davis, on my shelf of frequently consulted sources.

Creedence Clearwater Revival: A Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Guitar Styles and Techniques of John and Tom Fogerty (Guitar Signature Licks)

Published in Paperback by Hal Leonard Corporation (2008-03-01)

Authors: Dave Rubin and Creedence Clearwater Revival

List price: $22.95

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Average review score:

If you like Creedence and want to play it, this is your book

Helpful Votes: 14 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-15

This book basically breaks down all the chords making their near-perfect music very easy to play. I am a novice at guitar, and I found this book very helpful, some some of it is just way too advanced for me. I highly recommend it for those who want to play good music.

MUST HAVE

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-11

If you're reading this then you're clearly a CCR fan and you need this book. It has tabs and chords as well as standard notation. Forget internet tabs, play it the right way.

Great book for CCR music

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-13

I saw CCR in 1970, give or take a year or so. John Fogerty and the band rocked the house and it was one of the best concerts I ever went to. I've never gotten tired of hearing their music, it's timeless. I bought this book, I think it's superb and recommend it to anyone wanting to learn CCR music. The music isn't difficult to learn to play, but sounds great, just like Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Great Music

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-14

This Book is for Beginners and Advanced guitar players alike. The music is easy to play, but yet is still a challenge. I love all these songs and i learned these songs quickly. If you're just starting and want to impress your friends, i highly recommend this book. It also includes a biography of the band. So go and buy this book for cheap!!!

Learning Rock Guitar? Start here...

Helpful Votes: 71 out of 71 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-18

Without a doubt, Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of the best, and most important, rock and roll bands that America ever produced. And the chief creative driving force behind this band was John Fogerty, the main songwriter, singer, and lead guitarist.

Many of Fogerty's immortal classics are contained in this terrific book: Proud Mary, Born On The Bayou, Bad Moon Rising, Green River, Fortunate Son, Lodi, Who'll Stop The Rain?, Up Around The Bend, Have You Ever Seen The Rain?...this small group alone is enough to insure CCR's inclusion on any Rock and Roll 'Hall of Fame' lists...

What makes these songs so memorable are the simple, yet brilliant, guitar passages that John Fogerty always crafted his songs with. Both the rhythm and lead parts to these songs are all derived from the basic roots of rock and roll guitar...learn them, and you will have a terrific foundation on which to build your own guitar vocabulary and style, whatever direction you decide to go.

The tablature to these songs are accurate and spot on, yet not too complicated or overwhelming for someone just beginning to learn how to play...if you are familiar with the songs, this book will show you how to play cool sounding stuff very quickly...

With great songs, great guitar parts, and great guitar tablature to match, this book is a great value for the money. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. lr*****