Music and Audio Books

In Heritage Not Hate: Discovering Gullah And Finding Myself, Marlena Smalls provides us with an intensely personal narrative of the insights she developed through her own studies of slavery in America, its aftermath of discrimination and continuing residues within the African-American community today. Enhanced with the music of The Hallelujah Singers, Heritage Not Hate offers 90 minutes of informative and entertaining listening that is a "must" for all students of contemporary Black culture, southern history, and the fans of Marlena Smalls and The Hallelujah Singers.

Multi-talented guitarist Deva Priyo and his band Gypsy Moon create a sound that is quite different, in that, it is not pure flamenco or nuevo flamenco. It has elements of both ,combined with electronic variances in what he describes as "Afro-Mediterranean Gypsy trance music." The blending of all these elements results in a fresh new organic sound. Filled with chants, overdubs, percussion, Arabic influences and Spanish guitar the music is world music at it's finest.The track "Gypsy Trance' best exemplifies the integration of the various styles to create a something totally unique. The song begins with mystical undertoned refrains (in Arabic?), coupled with Spanish guitar riffs and a percussive dance beat mixed between flamenco hand clapping. The exotic sounds of Gypsy Moon can be laid back and sensuous in the style of Sensual Sensual. Such is the case with the track,"Profundo Blanco," where soft female vocals are layered between the nuevo flamenco fret work of Priyo. Other hot tracks include "Lamento" that is a rhumbaesque tune, "Trance 7" which has a aboriginal down under feel to it( the band formed in Australia), there is a certain dream world quality to this mystical song and finally the fiery, inventive energy of " Cool Passion." This is a highly spirited disc that fits comfortably between your flamenco and nuevo flamenco collection. Priyo can also be found as a contributor on the totally different, meditative, spiritual Ocean of Mercy and Jewel of Hari. However, the work on this disc is nothing like what you will find on the aforementioned discs as this is his own band. If you are looking for something different(aren't we all?) than check this innovative disc out, you won't be disappointed.

I tried a few different guitar method books in teaching my son to play - everyone get you through the notes on the six strings and then dumps you in the middle of no-where.

After a few false starts with other methods I found the Hal Leonard Guitar Method books and I absolutely love them. They are the best by far and we've been very please with them. I play a bit of guitar but never had formal instruction. These books served as my "lesson plans" for teaching my son and it works!

We've gone through all three (Book 1, 2 & 3) and then started working with a few specialized/focused books (Blues guitar, Rock guitar, Guitar Theory, etc.). They all move at a good comfortable pace and leverage exercises that build and reinforce the concepts being taught.

If you're thinking about learning to play or teaching your children to play, this book is a great investment.

This is a hilarious audio cassete with songs from John R. Erickson's first Hank stories. Hank the Cowdog will make you laugh and want to sing along. This tape will delight children, teens, and adults; it is great for any Hank fan. I loved it!

I used to borrow this book/tape ALL the time when I was younger. I highly suggest it for anyone who wants to hear a catchy tune!

Jon's books are intended for those people who don't want to spend a lot of time "up front" learning music theory. Jon presents the essential basics and then gets right to playing the instrument. This book has a good variety of tunes...some you know...others you may not. The instruction is good and the examples are excellent.

This is AMAZING. Everything from the thorough documentation in the liner notes to the way the chronological presentation gives an audio history of pop music in the decade is perfect. Even though licensing restrictions exclude a lot of significant music, it's still a really fun musical history lesson. It's also a powerful mnemonic. Put it on and be transported to wherever you were when these songs were popular!

Described as "a thought modification program with supportive verbal coaching," this is one of Dr. Eldon Taylor's most popular and effective tapes for transforming your life. I have thorough experience with this title in its "Echo-Tech" technology version, which requires the use of headphones. There is an audible voice with echo effect and music over the soundtrack of inaudible subliminals. What's so great about this one is that it covers most important areas of your life with affirmations like "I am pwerful/energetic/creative/honest/truthful/forgiven/stress free/healthier" etc. whilst the audible voice is warm, reassuring and authoritative, even poetic at times. It is certainly a pleasure to listen to regularly and lives up to its promise of stimulating the desired improvements in your life after repeated listening.

This CD is an Eastern Christian Service (Akathist, I believe) that has a slight "Western" sound to it as it is performed by Eastern Catholics instead of Orthodox. It is basically Eastern liturgical music with a slight Gregorian sound to it. It is clear, in English, and very professionally and beautifully done. The fact that it is promoted by both Eastern Catholics an Orthodox is telling of its quality.

So far, the Naxos Life and Works series has given us boxed sets of CDs with the lives and works of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Verdi. They have all been written and narrated by Jeremy Siepmann with the assistance of actors such as David Timson. To this impressive series we can now add "Joseph Haydn" (8.558091-94) on four CDs with a running time of 4 1/2 hours.

The running theme throughout this audiobiography is Haydn's marvelous sense of humor. This trait can be spotted from his music alone, but it is good to hear all the wonderful anecdotes concerning it that fill this recording. Musicians will be impressed by Haydn's loyalty to his players and the remarkable tact he showed in swaying his "serene highness" bosses to his way of thinking.

The recorded text is supported by many musical examples drawn from the deep pool of Naxos recordings. As with other entries in these series, I feel that some of them are a bit too long; but after all, the title of the series is Life and WORKS. David Timson is the voice of Haydn, and he is supported by actors Sam Dastor, Nigel Anthony, Steve Hodson, Roger May, and Frances Jeater.

As always with these Naxos sets, the booklet alone is worth the price you pay for the whole product. Its 146 pages include eight sections: Track lists, cast, historical background, Haydn in his time, his major works and their significance, a graded reading plan, recommended reading, personalities, a calendar of Haydn's life, a glossary, and advice on how to use the CD-ROM feature of these discs.

Highly recommended, as is the entire series.