Genres Books

This is a interesting book that uses some very good paintings to help illustrate Jimi's message and beliefs

What a beautiful display of art and love.My copy was accidently binded backwards, probably a message to love by jimi, and packed with good vibes and heavenly artwork. Interesting that she left this realm after completing...but thanks for what they left us. Hendrix lives on in this one.

this is the most pure and fact proving book I have ever read that even mentions Jimi Hendrix. This book tells of his REAL life, not the life people who thought they could put him in his place have given him. A MUST READ!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Do you know how or why he died? No you don't. read it to find the true Jimi the one who didn't commit suicide, the one that was one of the numerous victims to malpractice.

The artwork is worth the money. There's a full color piece on almost every other page. Monika is an extraordinarily gifted painter. She also has much insight in to the legend that is Hendrix. (Hard Cover Edition)

This book made me laugh, cry, and tell everyone all of the things that I learned 'bout Jimi. I wish I could get in touch with Monika and thank her. Thank You Monika, -Love Cherie.

"For theater lovers, this holiday brings books that should satisfy even the pickiest soul. My favorite is a gossipy portrait of Broadway over the past 60 years - IT HAPPENED ON BROADWAY, AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE GREAT WHITE WAY..... It's fun to browse in (lots of nice pictures), but addictive as a bag of potato chips."

IT HAPPENED ON BROADWAY: AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE GREAT WHITE WAY By Myrna Katz Frommer & Harvey Frommer

The Bloomsbury Review, November-December 1998

What better way to write a history of the last fifty years of Broadway theater than to get the information from those who made it all happen! The Frommers have compiled an oral history that is told by many of those wonderfully talented, hardworking people who spared no effort to create great hits and, yes, occasionally, flops. More than one hundred actors, directors, choreographers, producers, composers, lyricists, and playwrights as well as set, costume, and lighting designers, extras, and publicists have contributed to this deliciously enjoyable compilation of material about the great white way.

It Happened on Broadway is filled with background information about the Broadway shows of the last half century, and the successes, failures, struggles, and uncertainties of many personalities. Many interviewees have been household names for generations, others are just achieving recognition, and some names are not likely to mean much to most readers. Yet they all bring us some of the most interesting experiences and insights about the Broadway theater of recent years. One wonders how the Frommers managed to persuade so many luminaries to share their tales.

The first chapter "Broadway Calling," should be required reading for every theater student, aspiring actor, and budding theater professional. To hear Carol Channing, Jerry Herman, Betty Buckley, Manny Azenberg, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Al Hirschfeld, Richard Kiley, Leslie Uggams, Louise Lasser, Charles Durning, Patricia Neal, Jerry Zaks and many more tell how they got started in their careers is an education in itself and makes for superbly entertaining reading as well.

Much of the book is devoted to musicals, since those were the majority of "name" Broadway shows of the last half century, but there are also stories of the Theater Guild, from Eugene O'Neill and Bernard Shaw to William Inge and Sean O'Casey and the last week of Clifford Odets, and about the extraordinary talents of Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams and such performers as Marlon Brando and Tallulah Bankhead. Celeste Holm tells how her Broadway career began when she was cast by Lynn Fontanne in The Time of Your Life together with Gene Kelly and William Bendix. And there is talk about the groundbreaking impact of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun.

In one chapter "Look, Look, Look Who's Dancin' Now," Gwen Verdon, Marge Champion, Donna McKechnie and others share stories about Agnes DeMille, Jerome Robbins, Gower Champion, Bob Fosse, and the creation of Chorus Line and Chicago.

Most new shows go through a difficult gestation period before they are ready to be presented to the public. In some instances, a late edition of a song or conversely, deletion of some material can turn a potential loser into a future hit. Backstage tales, candid comments on their own performances and those of their fellow actors, the roundabout ways in which producers obtained production rights, often after years of effort, all make for fascinating reading.

This book gives the rare opportunity to hear the comments of those who were involved in the creation of Guys and Dolls, Cabaret, Zorba, Wonderful Town, On the Twentieth Century, The Will Rogers Follies, Annie, Nine, Grand Hotel, Titanic, and many, many more.

To sum up, the Frommers have combined these interviews and stories into a rich, seamless, history that masterfully captures the essence of Broadway's last five decades in a most enjoyable fashion. _____ __

Paging through this book is like stepping back through those years in the mid to late 20th Century when Broadway was bursting with fresh talent and wonderous creativity. Fantastic photos (many of which I have not seen elsewhere) and the collected personal memories of an army of Broadway veterans. Instead of muddying these memories with reams of connecting text, the editors have grouped related anecdotes into chapters and let those who lived this history speak for themselves. A great read for anyone who loves the theatre -- Broadway in particular.

This is a one of a kind Broadway book. The stories, the photos, the whole feel . . .it is like table hopping at Sardi's.

The stars, both onstage and off, that have helped create the Broadway theatre of today have committed their lives to one of the most important and vital of all the arts. This book gives them their due in a way few others have. It Happened on Broadway is a very well-done book recording for posterity the fine tradition that is Broadway theatre, using almost entirely the words of the people that actually lived their lives there. It is funny, touching, englightening, and a must-read for anyone who loves Broadway and theatre as much as those in the book who gave their lives to it.

A wonderful book of Bach pieces transcribed for the electric bass. I'm a music teacher who is primarily a guitarist, but I also have a few bass students, a couple of them who have progressed beyond the fundamentals of rhythm, position, and left and right hand fingering.

These pieces offer a refreshing contrast to the more contemporary styles usually associated with the electric bass guitar, and the duets are fun to play with students.

Not the most thrilling of all music you can buy, but it is accessable to intermediate players like myself. Nice to play something different besides Rush and Cream, and my wife doesn't mind listening to it either.

Not for beginners. May be useful to know what the piece sounds like before you attempt to play it.

This is a great book for intermediate to advanced level Electric Bass. There are two duets for Bass and Violin (or G Clef instrument) and one for Bass with accompaniment for Piano. Includes the tab notation which helps a lot!

Great book, and even better if you've got a mate who can learn the accompanying parts.
Bach pieces arranged for the bass vary from the simple to the all out incredible, but with this bok you can work over the easy and the hard stuff at your own pace. Tab is there for those that need it, bu the notation is also there which is very important to get a feel for the pieces. The notes are also most informative with regard to feel, time signature and speed. Given enough practise, you can master a few of the arrangements very quickly, and before long, be able to impress a few people with your new found dexterity. Then impress them more when you do a full duet with a mate...

Having not studied classically, the JS Bach book has helped my technique enormously and I can already see and feel improvements from playing the pieces. Enjoyable and interesting studies to play. Definitely a must buy for all bassists whatever style. Guaranteed fast results...lets see what my jazz colleagues think of my solo pieces now! Go buy it now!

A simple but effective running of the history, with comments on the individual recordings, of the songs that appear on James Browns first major album hit, "Live at the Apollo" recorded in October 1962 alongside the then occurring critical world event of the Cuban Missile Crisis, makes for an effective time capsule telling by Douglas Wolk of the making of this classic recording.

While the author veers towards the over stated at times (did the 1,500 in the audience based on the limited public news released really behave as they did based on the belief they could die in a week!) he does a much better job of nailing the history of James Brown. These include how he got to make this recording against his record company's indifference; his on balance limited hit record success to date offset by his constant touring of an all action performance, but most of all that what was on show here was one man's personal and stylistic interpretations of a suite of songs that covered black music across the 20s to the early 60s. Some songs had undergone numerous adaptations and recordings by others plus JB before the versions done here (the ripping of of other peoples songs seems almost to have been a lifelong JB hallmark). What was really being performed was an exercise where songs could only last for less than a minute to over ten minutes as JB backed by his ever tight band riding on their leaders moods and his reading of the audience emotions laid down one of the truly original live recordings made.

The fact that the LP was in popular demand for many months after to be played in full on R&B radio stations at a time when single hits were paramount was testament that something unique that connected with the black audiences of 1962/1963 had occurred and it was to be some time before JB reconnected in such a way again (and certainly never again with another live album, despite several attempts).

Wolk also does a very good expose of Brown's ego and resulting mis-treatment of all around him plus how the recording was not a true full recording from having to be adapted and edited from the true JB live revue show, which while visually spectacular would not have translated into such an effective audio format.

A story telling which is certainly "on the good foot" throughout.

Fans of James Brown will find Douglas Wolk's slim but hard-hitting classic, Live At The Apollo: 33 1/3, brings to life Brown's performance in 1962, piecing together what took place, what was recorded that night, and Brown's musical heritage and contributions as a whole. Live At The Apollo recommended pick for any avid fan of Brown and a welcome contribution to 20th Century American Music History collections.

the cuban missile crisis almost brought an end to life on earth as we know it. who saved the day? maybe it was j.f.k.... or maybe it was the number one soul brother james brown. douglass wolk makes a good case for the godfather of soul in this well-researched, compelling, funky good time book.

A great short read about the live recording sessions that led to the creation of one of the seminal R&B albums. The writing is punchy, respectful, and never overwrought -- except for the glaring and jarring detours into the Cuban missile crisis. The episode is clearly relevant to the story, because the concert in question took place in roughly the same 24-hour time span that the crisis was unfolding, but while everyone in the Apollo that night may have had the crisis on their minds, the digressions into what the fighter planes and the decision makers were doing at exactly the same time that James Brown was wiping sweat off his brow as he switched gears and tore into another song are distracting and ultimately tell us little about why the crisis made the night charged. Wolk should have stuck to the performances and the music or else found a better way of weaving the crisis into the book.

Given a book-length space to fill, many magazine writers do what comes naturally: they write a book-length magazine article. Wolk, however, approaches his narrative from the top down, treating the long form with the reverence and intricate attention of a clockmaker god. His story moves chronologically in an evening's frame, but it's also shot through with a series of gears and patterns, nibble-sized pieces, and odd bits of synchronicity that align in unexpected choruses. Gliding across it all, of course, is the electric, eccentric energy of James Brown. Scrapbookers, beware: this is more than simple homage. It's a work that stands independently, with one hell of a soundtrack to boot!

Jazz Life is a great book in every senses: Fantastic photographs,very good informative text and wonderful audio CD, besides its weight and its size. Very, very good. Great find.

Gorgeous book. One that I will want to have out and look through over and over. Amazing, you see something different every time you look through it.

This book has great pictures of famous entertainers. It is very heavy, though. I got the best price through Amazon. It came more quickly than I imagined, We are very pleased with the book and the service and wouuld do it again.

I just received this enormous book; yes enormous in every way. Both in vision, content, printing and weight. I have plenty of jazz photo books and some earlier collections by Claxton, but this certainly reaches beyond the rest. It reminds me of the work by the great Cartier-Bresson. It is far beyond publicity shots and the compositions are real and echoes what language can never say. I am reminded of the great writer Albert Murray. He delves deep into the entire ouvre of this American art form. The large two page bleed photos are breathtaking. The book is largely b&w which suits me just fine. One seldom comes across such empathy and passion for a subject and at the same time shoots like a painter. This is a bargain at twice the price.

If you were a jazz fan in the Fifties this book will be the ultimate visual memory jogger. It is a huge book, too, weighing in at over fifteen pounds (a bit more with its handy carrying box) and with spreads opening to an impressive twenty-three inches wide by sixteen deep. The 696 beautifully printed pages feature an expanded collection of photos originally taken for the 1961 German book 'Jazz Life' produced by Joachim Berendt and William Claxton.

In four months during 1960 these two motored across the America and it would seem photographed every important jazz musician that mattered and what stunning photos they are. Page after page of folks you have been listening to for years and not just recording studio shots but plenty of informal and location photos. Musicians everywhere get a look in, New Orleans, Kansas, St Louis, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, from ragtime to bop to East and West coast styles. Each area has an essay and all the photos are captioned. Looking through the book for the first time with its huge page size and Claxton's sympathetic jazz camera is a rather awesome experience.

There is a forty-two minute CD with the book (the original German edition had two seven inch LPs) of music recorded by Berendt but I thought it was rather bland in its choice of tracks. Predominately New Orleans traditional and spirituals with a very small sampling of other styles some of which annoyingly fade out before the end. I bet at the time though the music added to the book's success in a still rather war-torn Germany.

'Jazz Life' celebrates a great American music style with photos you can almost hear. I doubt there will be anything as good as this published again.

*A Shorty Rogers tune dedicated to Bill Claxton

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

This children's book is a wonderful celebration of our nation's rich history of Jazz Music. The beautiful illustrations themselves are enough to make this book worth buying, however the text is great too and is set to a jazzy beat. The book alludes to several famous jazz artists and has a brief glossary in the back giving more detail about the artists' lives. The book also includes a cd in the back. This book is great for classrooms or homes, a delightful read that children will love. This book is also a great investment for anyone who loves jazz music.

Leo & Diane Dillon' Jazz On a Saturday Night celebrates the jazz style in an excellent picturebook story packed with descriptions of the jazz experience. Kids are provided with the essence and feel of jazz in a moving story line with fun, action-packed drawings.

This book is a nice introduction to the world of jazz music. A short history of Jazz in the front of the book was helpful to me as I planned a K-2 art lesson centering around Jazz music. Students enjoyed the rymes accompanied by bold, silkscreen style illustrations. The accompanying CD is simple enough for young students and highlights jazz instruments one by one giving a short description followed by the sound that instrument makes. The CD concludes with a jazz song which includes lyrics that match words from the book. Especially of interest to my students was the bio on the authors/illustrators....who often listen to music while they paint! Just like we do in class. : )

The renowned team of Leo and Diane Dillon sparkle in this fond evocation of jazz greats, as entertaining as it is educational. They contrive a "dream team" of six jazz legends, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and Max Roach, and one relative newcomer to the pantheon, bassist Stanley Clarke. We're there with the all-Black audience in a small theater setting, delighted and inspired as the fantasy begins with Miles soloing on trumpet, and--one of my personal favorites, sometimes overlooked--Max Roach on the drums:

Repeat on the beat
When Max Roach keeps the heat
On his drums, rhythm thrums,
Makes you jump in your seat.

The Dillons know their stuff, whether it's the period (1950's) clothing, the audience reaction (Feel the beat in your feet, what a treat), the roots of jazz, or the nicknames and styles of the musicians: Charlie Parker's alto sax riffs "fly through the sky, on the wings of a bird."
They capture of essence of Monk in two sentences--in a book for kids!

Thelonious Monk invents on the keys,
Does his own thing, not aiming to please.
Discordant chords now blend ta be
Pure genius, joined in harmony.

The richly saturated illustrations are as captivating as the text, While they could be computer-generated, they're warm and have a graphics/poster quality. An "African" style pattern often backs the foregrounded musicians, providing visual interest and unity. I have a few very minor qualms, trivial really--but perhaps expected from one who is a major fan of jazz as well as kids' books: While the musicians' portraits are generally excellent, they don't quite get Ella Fitzgerald right. (In fact, a lighting technician backstage resembles Billie Holiday more than Ella's picture resemble Ella.) Miles Davis could blow both hot and cool jazz, but it is for the latter that he is most famous. Puzzling then, that Miles' trumpet's "sparks heat up the skies." Finally, Charles Mingus is the definitive bass player, and belongs here for both historical and stylistic reasons. Perhaps the Dillons wanted to included a somewhat more contemporary player.

I assumed the included CD would be a brief, watered-down composition, but I was wrong. After an interesting 12-13 minute sampling of the various instruments (contrasting different saxes, drums, volumes, and tempos), the uncredited band plays an
exciting number that shows off the instruments' individual and collective expression. As with the text, the CD strikes just the right balance of easy-going instruction and sheer finger-snapping, toe-tapping fun. Better get this one into yo'soul, and onto your bookcase!

I picked up this book at a small local book shop and immediately had to have it! The Biblical theme makes it posible to use in Sunday school classes, however, the art work and idea of dealing with change makes it appropriate for school use, too. I teach education courses and plan to use it in my Art in the Classroom course as well as Children's Literature. Children could make up their own stories to go with the illustrations which come from original art of many ages and countries. All the illustrations are explained and identifed in the last pages of the book. I have given away my copy to someone who saw the potential for use in the classroom because she was dealing with seasons. This book is for anyone who enjoys outstanding picture books, not just children.

Chiunque avesse intenzione di scoprire qualcosa di veramente entusiasmante dovrebbe acquistare questo libro in cui sono raccolte tutte le emozioni e le sensazioni scritte da chi mi fa emozionare ogni volta che ascolto le sue parole. Ian Anderson, geniale nei suoi testi come nella sua musica, vi porta in un mondo fantastico con argomentazioni varie e mai noiosamente ripetitive. La musica dei Jethro Tull deve essere ascoltata ma anche...letta!E vi assicuro che per chi come me riesce anche a suonarla l'emozione più bella è quella di addentrarsi in ogni sua sfaccettatura. Vi consiglio di acquistare questo libro che è cultura...non solo musicale. Io devo ancora acquistarlo perchè in Italia non si trova!!!Ma non mancherò di accaparrarmene una copia quanto prima,a costo di farla arrivare dall'America. Per i Jethro Tull...questo ed altro! W la musica (quella buona) e W chi ti infonde lo spirito per volerla suonare, fino in fondo.

Quality hardbound book essential for any Tull fan. Lyrics for the audibly challenged to help us understand what that leapin' lemur of a musician was singing and snarling all these years. If you were a fan, this book can resurrect your latent Tull spirit. Book even covers his "warty rejects". Get a fill-up of Tull fuel and drive Baker Street enlightened.

For anybody bothering around with the lyrics one does not understand or possibly even misunderstand, this book is essential. Now I have wider access to the meaning of the texts sung by Tull.

This is a nice resource for Tull fans -- most of whom probably already have it, but mine just arrived yesterday.

Anyway, for anyone who doesn't already know it, this volume collects all of the lyrics from Tull's and Ian Anderson's official releases from _This Was_ in 1968 to _Roots to Branches_ in 1995.

The first twenty or thirty pages consist of Ian Anderson himself providing a retrospective/commentary on the various releases, and on the stages of Tull's long and varied career. These are culled from a couple of talks with Anderson and they're clearly transcriptions of oral interviews, with all the limitations thereby implied. (For example, the word "tempo" is consistently transcribed as "temper".) They're pretty informative, though, and at any rate I like the transcriptions since I enjoy listening to Anderson talk.

The lyrics themselves will be most useful for those albums/CDs with which the words aren't already included in the liner notes, but there are also a handful of helpful footnotes scattered throughout. (Nothing interpretive; just stuff like the actual name of the "Winged Isle" and the significance of "Beltane," items probably already familiar to longtime Tull fans but perhaps not to the band's newer audience.)

There are also a dozen-odd pages of photos, some of which had never been published before this. (There's a list at the back of the book telling who's in them and when they were taken. Incidentally, one allegedly from "1974" -- Anderson on a motorcycle -- appears to be misdated; it looks to be from a decade later. I assume "1974" is a typo for "1984".)

Some customers may also want to know that Anderson donates all his royalties from the sales of this book to a fund for the preservation of wild cats. I'm delighted to have contributed to such a cause and I'd have bought the book sooner if I'd known.

This is a must have book for any Tull fan. It covers the lyrics to every album from This Was through Roots to Branches (hopefully a new edition will be forthcoming to cover J-Tull.Com and Ian Anderson's Secret Language of Birds) There is also commentary on each album by Ian Anderson for further insight.

To have one book with all of Tull's lyrics in one place is well worth the price. If you're a Tull fan, get it.

This is definitely the best Jim Brickman that I own, and even if you own some of his other books, he puts variations on his pieces that aren't found in other books such as "Rocket to the Moon" and "Picture This". The music was great, the only reason I gave it four stars instead of five was because the book cover fell off, and some of the music has fallen out. I don't know if its just mine though.

This book is amazing compilation of Jim Brickman's music. The pieces are put together perfectly and are some of Brickman's best songs. This is an amazing book for anyone interested in his music. It doesn't get much better than this.

I am a beginning piano player, long time musician. This book is wonderful, I enjoy practicing these songs. They are a challange though.

I think we've all experienced the disappointment of buying a book or CD for a song we love only to find the rest of its contents only mediocre. Playing through this book is quite the antithesis to that kind of emotion. With every turn of the page, there is a beautiful heartfelt tune captured from one of several of Jim Brickman's collections, including 6 arrangements of some old favorite lullabies. This special edition is worth every penny. A gold-mine find!

This is definitely his best book ever. It's a collection of his most beautiful pieces ever such as Angel Eyes and Valentine. If you are a Jim Brickman fan like me...then THIS IS A MUST-HAVE! (If you don't know who Jim Brickman is..buy this anyway because you will get hooked on his music!) I encourage all of you to buy it because you will not regret it. Other pieces here include By Heart, If You Believe, In a Lover's Eyes, Borders, Heartland, Rocket to the Moon, We Met Today, Hero's Dream <--VERY BEAUTIFUL, Picture This, You Never Know, Dreams Come True, The Gift, Destiny, Love of My Life, Your Love, and more!

I'v been a Brahms' music fan for a long time and i have read three different biographies, without having the opportunity of get closer to his thoughts before i buy this great book. Now I know how Brahms' mind worked, how (really) was his relationship with his friends and how were his feelings and thoughts during the periods he composed that wonderful music.

I'm not an english born speaker, so i had some difficulties in understand the meaning of some sentences, more exactly, some modisms, wich are very frecuent in Brahms' speech.

In spite of this, I recommend this book because it's just wonderful.

Unfortunately, Jan Swafford did not have a chance to read this book before writing his own "biograohy" of Brahms. If he had, he would have been privy to a wealth of information, much of which has not been available to non-german speakers. Avins' commentary on the letters of Brahms and many of his correspondents is clear and well researched.

The virtues of this book are several: about 800 previously untranslated letters of Brahms, masterfully translated and carefully and judiciously annotated, based on research entirely from source materials which, among other things, give the lie to the unsavory myths of Brahms childhood, proving beyond doubt that he came from a hard-working, well-meaning family who lived in a good neighborhood, and provided him with a good education and normal childhood. The author's research confines to the rubbish heap the silly Freudian theories, never based on any evidence, for his reasons for not marrying. This compendium of letters and their absorbingly written annotation is a gold mine for amateurs and professionals interested in a truthful picture of Brahms.

"Richly informative" - Sunday Times, London. "Occasionally a book comes along which changes perceptions of its subject. This is such a book. ... [The] annotations are not only scholarly but often witty and always full of common sense. ... Wherever you read, you will feel you are in Brahms's world and that he is speaking to you." - Sunday Telegraph, London. "There are many gems here ... much to be gleaned from what Avins has selected.. Those who seek to be on more intimate terms with Brahms and his circle... will find much to pore over in this collection" - Los Angeles Times. "Little short of a bombshell ... Ms. Avins's contributions are terse and often illuminating... fascinating illustrations, a helpful chronological table and other tools... Brahms reveals himself in workaday as well as transcendent moods." - New York Times. "This is a work that will thrill Brahms fans and provide much pleasure to those entertained by the personal correspondence of great artists. Recommended for general and academic libraries." - Library Journal. "It is not much of an exaggeration to say that the book presents Brahms in a new but quite convincing light... the book can be read as a biography... this composer has seldom seemed more lovable, more vulnerable, more honorable." - Gramophone. "This is one of the most important music books published in recent years." - The Oldie, London.

"Johannes Brahms, Life and Letters" is a new biography published by Oxford Univ. Press and is based on the composer's letters. The letters were selected and annotated by Styra Avins and its 550 complete letters which constitute the first such general collection of letters in English, were translated by Josef Eisinger and Styra Avins. The book also contains 48 rare photos, detailed notes and appendices (e.g. on Brahms and Clara Schumann), and a bibliography. The lively text joining the letters is based on the latest Brahms scholarship and provides a fresh view of the composer's life, much of it in his own words. It sheds new light on the early life of Brahms, his numerous friendships, his family, his work, his character and his personality. A well-written book which will heighten anyone's appreciation of the man and of his music. Highly recommended to lovers of biography and music.

This is a wonderful value for any ukulele player. Not only does it contain John King's transcriptions of these great pieces in both musical notation and string and fret numerical notation, it comes with a CD of him playing these pieces.

The notation on the pieces is easy enough that a rank beginner like myself can follow them. What a thrill it was to receive the package and be able to begin playing Bach, Chopin, and the traditional Japanese song 'Sakura' right away.

The CD is also very beautiful to listen to.

Overall a great package for any ukulele player interested in expanding their playing horizons.

This is a great product for the intermediate to advanced ukulele player. John King's compositions of classical songs are very easy to read and challenging but not impossible to play. The only problem with the book was the lack of explanation for the tablature.

Being new to the ukulele I thought I would find John Kings book hard but quite the opposite. Unlike the guitar where I could read the music when playing here I needed to use the symbols. After a while it becomes really easy with the symbols. He has a good selection in this book and the arrangements are carefully designed to lie under the fingers. I would recommend this book as an antedote to anyone who thinks that the ukulele is simply a 'strumming' instrument.

And tell Tchaikovsky the news: The Classical Ukulele turns the popular perception of this little, four-string instrument as a toy or musikalischer spass on its head. This book/CD collection presents serious music for the perennially whimsical ukulele and the promise of some serious fun for those players looking to stretch their abilities and fulfill their latent musical talent. The music is presented in both standard notation and tablature so it's not necessary to read music to learn these beautiful classics. All the pieces - from Bach and Beethoven to Scott Joplin - are supplied with generous fingering instructions as well as historical notes and helpful tips. The recording, done with a bottom-of-the-line production ukulele (you won't need a vintage Martin to sound great), is absotutely faithful to every note and rest in the written score. The recording - both the performance and technical apparatus - is first rate and I often find myself just listening to the recording for the sheer pleasure of it. Mr. King is a musician first and I seldom think about the instrument he is playing when I have the CD on in the background. But the music flows forth unstintingly in freshets of rippling, shimmering notes. I like this set because it delivers 64 pages of well-loved, professionally engraved pieces in a graphic format that is easy to comprehend and will challenge the skill and intellect of the player. Now all we have to do is convince Mr. King to do a book of Chuck Berry transcriptions for an encore!

John King plays ukulele like a virtuoso violinist plays a violin, and the result is pretty much the same. Wonderful music. The Campanella style works really well on uke, and the tones ring wonderfully. On the more chordal pieces, his technique is enough to carry them off. I can recall playing the Chopin Prelude on piano when I was a piano student. To hear it on ukulele is amazing. The tab and notes are well done, and I can see they will present a real challenge. If you can finally play some of these wonderful arrangements, you have arrived as a ukulele player. If you love good classical music, well performed, grab this set. If you play ukulele and you don't have this set, you are an idiot.