Genres Books

Here is a well-rounded, nicely illustrated guide to classic Hollywood flicks from the '30s to the 1960s. In terms of coverage, there aren't many surprises; all the "usual suspects" are here but as an introduction to some ageless films, it's a nice piece of work.

Author Afton Fraser divides the films into various chapters: Must See, Drama, Suspense, Film Noir, Good Guys & Bad Guys, Comedy, Screen Teams and so on. Each film typically gets two pages of coverage, a mixture of text and four-six photos. Aside from a short plot summary, brief production notes, information on the stars and tidbits on the movie are given. Each section is preceded by a one-two page summary on why Fraser picked the films found in that section.

The book is sub-titled 'A Guide for the Beginner and the Aficionado.' I think it would be most useful for those people wanting to learn about America's rich cinematic history.

Recommended.

This is a book for everyone, for those that grew up with the Film Noir and those that would like to discover anew the B&W film era. The photos are beautiful and the information about each film intriguing. I recommend it highly, I will give several as Christmas presents to relatives this year.

This is the best list of "must see" films that I have ever seen. It is written by a movie star's wife, who knows many of the old stars, and provides their favorites lists.

This book is amazing! This book is written by Brendan Fraser's (The Mummy) wife. This book has 15 chapters. Some of the chapters are Must See, Drama, Suspense, Comedy, Romance, Tearjerkers, One of a Kind, Musicals, Westerns, and Screenteams. Also on each new chapter she has on the side of the page a list of movie stars' picks of classics. It's their must-see list! This book even has a preface by the "Million Dollar Mermaid" herself, Esther Williams. The book includes a lot of never before seen photos. Another great thing about this book is on each movie, Mrs. Fraser includes info on Oscar awards, gossip, info on the leading stars, quotes, and info on screen teams (it shows info on what other movies the stars did together). This book is great for beginners who want to see old movies or just great as a gift for that special movie lover. Afton Fraser did a great job on this book and I hope she does another one! If you love old movies buy this book!

If any person immediately condemns Hank Williams, Sr. as a pagan, heathen, and non-Christian, he or she would do well to look at this book. This work shows that there was more of the grace of God involved in Williams' life than many give him credit for. The authors show how Williams deliberately included Gospel songs and recorded them in disregard of financial benefit. There was more to Hank than one might realize.

This book was a very helpful beginning to understanding the relationship of country gospel to both country and gospel music. It brings up a lot of major players that gave me a quick glance at where they fit in and where to begin searching if I wanted more info. From the Carter Family to the Gospel influence in more contemporary County, this book was a quick and enjoyable overview.

I like country, just don't spend much time actively in it. This treatment of the subject is thorough and easy to follow in its points. Written from a solid Christian perspective, the authors make the consistent point that country has as its roots a Christian, gospel orientation.

While such orientation does not predominate, it is there and has always been there. Now, contemporary country fights the battle with other venues of the pop culture. Amazing the story of Alan Jackson at the CMC awards. Right on Alan. I knew this man was a winner!

One learns much about the real world from country music. Nothing is hidden in the lyrics of this music, it tells it like it is. People can relate to it. It's not all the hype of pop. Until, Garth et al started letting it seep in.

Suggest also Mark Zwonitzer's excellent book on the Carter Family where he shows how the Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis types cut their musical teeth on Country Gospel, then lost it to the commercialism.

What we sell our souls for! This book exposes that while admirably detailing how traditional country supports classic Christian values. Well done and great read!

While I'm not a real fan of country music myself, I did find this book to be a great read. Country music may be the last vestige of popular American culture that still has Christian underpinings but it has also begun to drift as it is swallowed up by the "no-brow" culture of marketing. The authors do seem to have some trouble with facts (Bristol is in Virginia and Tennessee not Kentucky and the relationship between Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart) but other than a few minor points the thesis still holds up.

As a big fan of DOA since the late seventies, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Joe gives you a great amount of background about one of the hardest working bands ever.
If you love punk music and the DIY attitude, this book is must read.

Anyone, and I do mean ANYONE, who is interested in the west coast punk scene needs to read this book. Keithley gives a fantastic first hand account of how he formed his band and all of the tests they endured going from relative nobodies to one of the biggest and best known punk bands in North America.

The book is also a mini how-to manual for anyone interested in starting up their own punk band. Keithley talks about the business side of the music industry, what it's like to play gigs to crowds of different sizes and interests, and above all, he gives a great first hand account of just what it takes to make it in the music business.

Finally, Keithley's writing style is very easy to digest. The book is written like the lyrics to many of his songs; straight ahead without and BS! What's more, the book contains many pictures and personal anecdotes about Vancouver and places beyond. In reading the book it easy to see yourself sitting at a bar with Keithley as he tells a couple tales over a couple of beers.

If you're a punk, or even think about calling yourself a punk, then you owe it to yourself to give this book a read.

Sit down at a kitchen table with Joe Keithley. Open a few beers, and hand him one, or two... Ask him to give you a crash course on himself and his legendary punk band, D.O.A., making sure not to gloss over the interesting bits.

If you can't arrange to do this with Joe, picking up a copy of this book would be your only alternative. It's 200+ pages of compelling reading, written by a man who helped define punk music both in and out of Canada, and who certainly put Canada at the roots of the punk historical tree.

Unlike a lot of books about punk bands, this is first-person stuff of the first order.

I will start by claiming 100% bias as I've known the author for well over 20 years and have greatly enjoyed his contributions to punk rock for over 25 years. DOA taught a lot of us how to go out and get it done, with "it" being spreading the music and message to the less than masses spread out among the world. Joe's book is simple, straightforward blast of history that will interest anyone into the punk rock way of existence. Essential reading, so get it and enjoy!

Love this cd and wonderful with Celine Dion. I like all the different languages and "Si Tu Me Amas, and Dour Que Tu M'aimes Encore (and all the others too.) Tell me, re: Ancora...my daughter (who speaks French and Spanish fluently) and I are guessing that ancora means, again, encore, repeat....are we right?
My best to the four true divos! Stephanie, Newport Beach, CA. USA

From the information provided on the Amazon web page I knew that this was a paperback book...contents unknown. It should be labelled as "music sheets for piano, vocal and guitar". I could not get further information from Amazon about the contents, so bought the book thinking it might be a discography or highlights of a recent tour. I cannot comment about the usefulness of the songbook as I am not musically inclined.

i was very pleased with the item. It is worth it to buy as it has all the music sheet for the album ancora of Il Divo and the arrangements are true to the original

If you love Il Divo, you HAVE to have this book! Ancora is written for Piano/Vocal/Guitar and has the vocal harmonies written out. It is a great find! The group takes popular songs and sings them in a classical style. It's something fun and different! I love it!

I received this book as my Birthday gift and ever since, I have found it to be indispensable, the reading is clear, and the author even included some interpretations of the drawings. If you like Anne Holander, Vision of Fabric, then you should consider getting this as well. Not only do I appreciate the text, I end up imitating the paintings illustrated in the book.
Get it!

This book feature high quality photos and interesting text. It also covers impressionism outside of France.

This is an excellent, excellent review of the movement.

The color plates are second to none, but its overall greatest strength is the writing, which puts Impressionism in historical context. The reader will come to understand why it continues to be such an important movement today.

This book is very good! A very nice print and wonderful pictures. Quality is a need in art books and then this is an important matter to buy some. The book go through many aspects of the impressionism movement and is easy to read, I'm not an art expert and find it good to understand.

First off, Joe Diorio is a major, major talent and this book, like all his others, has loads to transmit. I was at a place in my playing where I knew I needed a new approach to soloing; I intuitively felt it'd be a help to start thinking more "intervallically," so when I found this book I thought Perfect! It definitely opened new approaches for me and certainly broadened my understanding of what it means to think in intervals rather than scales, scales, scales. I do think, though, that the sound of these lines aren't at all "ultramodern"; many of them, if used in a jamming situation actually come across sounding like exercises. The idea with this book is to absorb the core concepts and then apply the approach to what you're already using in your soloing. It broadens horizons, but shouldn't be looked upon as a book of soloing ideas as such.

The thing about this book that got to me is there's no stinkin metronome, and no stinkin chords, just 99 or so awesome licks. If you've ever wondered how guys like Eric Johnson got as good as they did, you don't have to look too much further than this book. If you can get these lines into your hands, you will improve your lead playing ability regardless of musical bent. It's a visceral book from a guy who's grown beyond convention. Suggested harmonies for the designs are given but the lines are powerful unto themselves. At the end Joe does two takes on a free form blues improvisation in B flat. This dude can play !

This book tries to break the average guitar player out of just playing scales and more towards playing intervals. It shows you how to take something like a minor pentatonic and play it intervallically, which really helps open up your ears to ideas you would never get from just practicing scales up and down. Very good to widen your vocabulary of lines. A++.

This one of the most unique guitar books EVER ...
Whatever style you play this book will teach you something ! it starts with very simple pentatonic intervalic designs and then gradually stretches to the outer limits ! it has a cool section which explains (via examples) how outside sounds are obtained over common chords, rather that just play the licks you'll finally understand how the "outside" sound is produced, with this book you'll also see where frank gambale, scott henderson, jennifer batten and even paul gilbert got a lot of their stuff :) I don't even play jazz but this book has REALLY helped me in many ways, Joe Diorio is a master player and the lines here will also help your technique, they're HARD !

...but at the forefront, always sincere. Nicole is NOT just a young, sarcastic hipster, as is often the case in arts and entertainment nowadays. She gives thought to the people, community, family, friends, reality, and things beyond just herself. The initial sighting of her own pets, her commissioned pet portraits, or her anthropomorphous animal artwork might suggest surface kitschy cuteness, but through her zine work you see she has an obvious empathy for animals that extends towards real pet and animal issues.

Lastly, her comic-diaries are FUN, as fun as any graphic work out there. A perfect balance of intelligence, realism, animation creativity, and humor.

Reading this book reminded me that even ordinary moments carry magic. Riding your bike is important. Having your morning coffee is important. Not in a narcissistic way, but in a mindful way. This collection of stories was like freshly mowed grass. Like a day spent thrift shopping with your best friend. A perfect example of life as art.

I'm a total fan of Nicole Georges' work. Not only are her scenarios witty and her humor charming, her drawing is beautiful in its sweetness.

This beautiful anthology compiles Nicole's first 8 issues of her self-published zine plus some new material. Nicole is a beloved fixture in the Portland zine scene, and she does that scene proud in this book. You really get a feel for her life in PDX; her jobs, friends, dogs, her many cups of coffee per day. Her drawings seem ripped right from her sketchbooks, which gives them a real spontaneity. She draws herself like a little girl or inner child version of herself, perhaps that's why I found her comics so innocent and endearing. Many of us can relate to wanting to settle down but feeling unsettled about it. I like Nicole's stories because she's searching, at times with hesitancy, at times with blind bravery, she explores and tries to live the way that feels right to her. There are many obstacles to this, hence, comics for us to read and learn from. . . . Reviewed by Kelly Froh.

I am actually going to be in the performance of this hilarious piece. I really like it, it's just good old fashioned British humor.

If you are going to watch a performance of Iolanthe, you might enjoy having a copy of this to follow what's going on. It goes fast in places, and is sometimes hard to follow even for someone who has gone through it several times. It truly is awesome!

This has been the standard vocal score for "Iolanthe" since I first performed in it about 1960. It certainly was not new even then. It is well-printed on good, creamy paper. The musical notation and the accompanying lyrics are of convenient size and clarity. Dialogue passages are printed in block in the appropriate places between musical numbers. The binding is thick paper. Personal experience has shown that it is hardy enough to survive three or four consecutive productions.

The contents reflect the standard performing version of "Iolanthe" used throughout the Twentieth Century by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Among the G&S canon, "Iolanthe" has been subject to less innovation than most. The only significant cut was a song for Strephon called "Fold Your Flapping Wings," which was held to be too political. (My copy of this score is now the better part of fifty years old. I do not know whether the publisher modified its printing plates to include Strephon's song when the New D'Oyly Carte Opera Company restored it to the stage in the early 1990s.) This score is otherwise very close to the version conducted by Sullivan on opening night back in the 1880s.

Few opera/operetta librettos read very well on their own (of course, they weren't intended to). In the case of Gilbert and Sullivan, the exercise is not only sheer pleasure, but almost a necessity; such is the speed of the monologues and intricacy of the ensembles that much of Gilbert's brilliant verbal wit gets lost.

'Iolanthe' is one of his most enrapturing confections, the story of a shepherd, Strephon, half-fairy half-mortal, whose mother, Iolanthe, is a disgraced sprite (it is forbidden for fairies to marry mortals), and whose father (unbeknownst to either) is the Lord Chancellor who won't let him marry his ward, Phyllis, darling of the Lords.

The material may be fantastic, the setting pastoral, but the satire in this 1882 work is spot-on contemporary, with jibes at the Irish problem, the uselessness of the House of Lords (who as a caste are as close to fantasy as the fairies, so it is no surprise they exchange the House of Peers for the House of Peris), and the ruling class' fear of democracy and universal suffrage. A most delightful fancy has the fairies take over Parliament in the shape of Strephon, whose every whim unites the notoriously factional Liberal and Conservative in his favour.

this is Gilbert at his funniest - the verbal contortions he undergoes in the search for rhymes break all linguistic boundaries, and his view of the fragility of centuries-old English institutions prescient. There is an extraordinary patter song by the Lord Chancellor which shows the man embodying Law and Constitution plunging into nightmare, the culmination of a libretto in which identities and forms, as well as seemingly irrevocable laws and customs, are repeatedly broken down or metamorphosed.

Great! A marvelous satire of Victorian politics. Iolanthe, a fairy, has a son, Stephon, who is half mortal and cannot marry his true love because the entire House of Lords is in love with her too! To revenge themselves on the Peers, the fairies put Strephon into Parliament and arrange it so every bill he chooses is passed into law.

[The following is a review I gave for a slightly different version of this same exact book, the Real Book from Sher. I've decided to copy it here because it's applicable.]

From playing in both my high school's and college's jazz ensembles, it was clear to me that "The Real Book" was the bible of jazz standards. No instructor was without a copy. As a bass player, there have been countless times were I was just tossed a photocopy of a page from the Real Book and the instructions of "Here, do a walk over this chord progression."

A number of things made this book the most demanded of its kind. First of all, it contained hundreds and hundreds of jazz songs in a single volume. Second of all, it mostly followed a one-page-per-song format, showing the most essential parts: the chord and structure changes, the introductions, and the melody. If a song seemed to center around something like a particular repeated bass line, then that line was also shown. And last but certainly not least, the type face and unique "hand written" look made it the by far easiest book to physically read (no eye strain!)

Unfortunately, The Real Book was next to impossible to hunt down. No music stores carried it, or at least admitted to carrying it. It was pretty much an under-the-counter item that you could only get if you knew somebody. I guess these $50 books were always secretly copied and bounded in some local guy's basement, in hopes of skirting all the legal copyright issues.

Finally, Sher Music Co. has taken the original Real Book, got copyright clearance from each and every living composer, and in so doing even got to correct many mistakes based off the the composers' very own lead sheets. They also threw in a number of full-page photographs of jazz greats. The result is the only LEGAL, updated, and widely obtainable version of the original underground book.

One of the reviewers here [NOTE: again, this was for the "other" Sher Real Book I reviewed] seemed to make the gross assumption that this is a piano book. It's not. It's a book for everybody in the band. The fact that there are C, Bb and Eb versions of the book should tell you this. I've always been amused by "Piano/Vocal" sheet music books for bands that never even had a piano or keyboard player. For rock bands, they usually attempt a bad transcription of the guitar on the treble clef, and an even worse transcription of the bass on the bass cleff (written an octave down, of course).

Which brings me to the reason why this book was always called "The REAL Book": it's because it didn't take the shortcuts that "Fake Books" take. "Fake Books" are called such because they allow you to "fake" the song, i.e. dumb-down some chord changes, play it in a presumably easier key, and usually even try to adapt the whole song to the single instrument of piano.

It's so great to see a legit copy of this book in print. If you play jazz, this is the one book always worth investing in.

If you're looking to this book as an updated version of the old "Real Book", you will likely be disappointed. While there are a few tunes in common, most of the tunes in the old "Real Book" are not present here, replaced by newer (sometimes more complicated) compositions. The format and calligraphy in the book, while most excellent, is noticeably more formal than that of the old "Real Book", and may take some getting used to.

THAT SAID, if you disregard the implicit connection to the old "Real Book", this book stands on its own quite well. It IS an extremely well-prepared collection of jazz tunes, some of which you would be hard-pressed to find transcribed anywhere else (e.g., "Waterwings"). This doesn't really replace the old "Real Book", but it supplements it nicely.

This is one of the best. Easy to read during a gig. Very comprehensive. Plenty of tunes to keep you busy memorizing them for years. One book cannot have every tune, but this a great start. I also recommend volumes 2 and 3.

This book has hundreds of pages filled with all kinds of jazz tunes, written in the clearest font possible. Most tunes have the basic chord changes and general solo's, but some are "as played by ..." and may even have the bass, piano or rythyms section written out, if it's particularly special. A must for people playing jazz from sheet music. If you could ever finish this book, you can get versions two and three both filled only with new, completely different songs!

Jazz, America's music, is an improvisational art. In Bittersweet Blues Marsalis and Vigeland do a lot do educate the reader just how this works. Not just on the bandstand but also on the road and in the life of jazz' leading spokesman. The book helps you see how musicians must comminucate, must hold each other with respect, must listen with an ear for creativity and must withhold judgement.

The book alternates between Vigeland's discussion of the events in life of Marsalis' Septet and Wynton's discussions of what it means to be a jazz musician. This interplay is what gives the book it's beautiful tone and variety. In a sense, you see the two authors improvising around each other's styles. What amazed me the most was the pace of Marsalis' life and the breadth of his associations. I enjoyed learning more about the creative process behind some of my favorite music as well.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in road stories, jazz or how artists create the ir art.

Picked up Marsalis + Vigeland's work and just couldn't put it down! From descriptions of events, to understanding the personal struggles of band members, Jazz in the bittersweet blues of life fully expresses the goings on of the Wynton Marsalis Septet. Above all, I found Marsalis's commentaries on life, love, and music striking chords within my soul, and left me pleading for more.

Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life is a chronicle of one artist's ten year journey as he shares his gift and talent with the world. Marsalis' words, which appear in italics throughout the book are both profound and poetic. As you read, you can hear him speak, but most of all you feel the passion he has for his craft. He poses the question early in the book when explaining that everyone is an artist, "...how do you want to make me feel with your art, and what insights do you have that distinguish your ideas from someone else's?" A rhetorical question for every artist.

You get a sense of the daily experiences of Wynton and the other musicians in the Septet, from composing on the road, to the daily pick-up basketball games, to the lectures in schools across the country to the musicians ironing their clothing before each performance. It is a demanding, yet rewarding life. Throughout the book (and his travels) Marsalis not only meets and encourages young musicians, but he keeps in contact with them through periodic phone calls, updating himself on their growth as musicians. Some of the young musicians he met early in his career became members of the septet.

Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life, has shaped me as both an artist and author. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Marsalis at Book Expo America. He is as personable, down-to-earth and charming as he appears in this book.

You can't just say those words without putting music to the most famous road anthem by Willie Nelson. That's what this book is about: life on the road with jazz musicians.

Co-author Carl Vigeland was invited to travel the country and Europe with jazz superstar Wynton Marsalis and his band.

This is about the music of jazz, the blues and the road. Vigeland and Marsalis make numerous references to the book's title "Jazz In The Bittersweet Blues of Life. Vigeland covers personal observations of life with its rigors of the road, the overwhelming passion to produce quality performances. You don't get too much of the personal life of Marsalis, he shares little about his two older boys living in New York.

Brother Branford splits for a rock band
We also get very little info on tenor saxophone Branford Marsalis along with member Kenny Kirkland who left the band in the early 80's to play with rock superstar Sting. Branford also did a short stint as band leader for Jay Leno's "Tonight Show." In the book, we DON'T' get a clear understanding about the departure of his brother Branford and member Kenny Kirkland. Little is known here about Branford's departure, only mentioned here is "that others have thought that it may have been hurtful to have your brother leave for a rock musician." This book doesn't discuss that a rift was occurring and the finality was the departure. But I believe now, all is well with the brothers.

Marsalis, on the other hand, shares keen insight into the world of jazz, his composition style, and rhythm including his relationship with the trumpet. About the trumpet, he says "you can never force the trumpet, you got to baby it, treat it gently, coax it. It's always there when you need a high note, or something very loud. If you don't handle up on it, it won't respect you"

He teaches us about playing the songs and how the members produce an evening's show. We learn about his amiable personality and he exudes the passion to please his audience.

Observations from the Jazz man
Just from this book alone, we get the impression that Wynton Marsalis is cool and collected, caring of young children, family man and friend. His insights into life are fascinating. Of people who hang out at bars, discos, etc., he says are the unhappiest and lonliest blankety blanks in the whole world. He says, "If you want to be happy, go inside. Inside yourself, inside the people you love, inside your art. Inside seems much lonlier than outside, don't be fooled, you go far enough, it's always warm and good."

But most of all, Wynton gives us an idea how he works, how he composes; it's incredible. It may be no surprise that he is also an accredited author with his books by "Marsalis on Music" and "Sweet Swing Blues on the Road." Wonderful read....MzRizz