Mississippi Queen Books

This very fine book has been in print in one form or another since the early-to-mid 1980s. Not many music books remain in print that long, but this is an exceptional collection of model solos in the urban blues style.

The book is quite popular with music teachers (as evidenced by the other reviews) and it is enjoyable and productive for students as well. The book is aimed at the ambitious early intermediate student, and a few of the solos will challenge an intermediate guitarist.

There are 25 full-length solos in the book, each written in notation and tablature, and each recorded note-for-note on the accompanying CD. The band on the CD is excellent. There are five solos in C, five in G, five in D, five in A, and five in E. The solos are played to standard blues progressions, meaning that they may be "plugged in" to similar blues progressions that are found in many, many songs.

The solos sound exactly like the solos heard on real blues records. They are varied and performed with taste, authenticity, and feeling. You can hear why the author was a columnist for Living Blues Magazine and why his work has received consistently high reviews in a number of guitar magazines.

Great book, highly recommended.

I wish all music instruction books were written in this format. The song tabs just go from one page to the next without a bunch of talking/writing in between, and the song numbers in the book actually match the song numbers on the cd...what a rare and unique idea! Of course, none of that would matter if the material were bad, but that's not the case, the solos are great - quite diverse too. There is a lot of helpful information in this book: theory, writing your own solos, a guide to blues styles and artists,etc. - but it's all in it's own section of the book, not sprinkled throughout the book here and there making it impossible to find. As a full time guitar instructor I would just like to say "great job", "great blues solos" and "great, easy to use format". Thanks.

The author of this book, Larry McCabe, is re-releasing books that have gone out of print for one reason or another. This particular book is an old friend. After I received it, I went into my library and found a copy. It has been in print in one form or another for 25 years. Most instruction books don't last anywhere near that long. First, this book (as the author warns) is not for beginners. You need to be familiar with the movable blues scales we all use. If you are playing out, and feel comfortable with the whole neck, get this book. The style of lead is closer to Gatemouth Brown and Freddie King than anyone else. If you don't know who these men are, buy their CDs. You are in for a treat. Please read the author's introduction. There is a lot of good info there. The Tab system is the older style. It should take about 30 seconds to adjust. It's actually easier to read than the current form. If you consider yourself a Rock guitarist instead of Blues, you really could use this book. If you use these solos as a "how to", instead of just memorizing them, they will give you some new weapons. You know, for scaring the heck out of other guitarists.

This book is was not written in an enjoyable format. Martha Ward jumped from person to person and date to date and back and forth and all around. She also injected her views on people and places without presenting proof of validity. They were simply her views, but the way she wrote them in, they could appear to be factual.

Great book , loved it, thought it was wonderful

Many people have fallen in love with the women who is known as Marie Laveau. Not much is truely known about her, but Martha Ward does an excellent job in giving it's readers an inside look at the "Spirited Life of Marie Laveau". This book is a must for anyone interested in the subject of New Orleans folklore.

Martha Ward deserves great kudos for this incredible work of love and devotion, Finally bringing the enigma of "Marie Laveau", BOTH of the Marie Laveau's to us in this day and age where she is so very much needed again to Bless her 21st Century Children now as a bona fide "Lwa"! Excellent!!! May the Good Mother Bless Martha Ward, And ALL of Us! So Be It!

Another reviewer here has stated that the author should perhaps have written a historical fiction influenced by Leveau, like what Atwood did with Grace Marks in "Alias Grace".

To be honset, I wouldn't have read the book then either. That's because I can't read this book without feeling... well... search inside and read a brief excerpt. The writing reads like a freshman comp paper. I can't take it seriously because the author's put so much fluff into it.

Check it out for yourself, but read the excert before you go out and actually blow some scratch on this book. Who exactly is she qouting in that first chapter?

Bah... if you're interested in Marie Leveau, a topic worthy of interest; then I recomend Long's investigation into the who Marie Leveau was. It too, has it's short-comings, but I assure you that it is more worth your time than this.

I have read other books by Mary Morris and have always enjoyed them. So I was excited to find this one. This could have been a fascinating story; except that I as a reader lost my patience with the author very quickly. If I was a river runner and she was my passenger, I'd have thrown her out with the anchor. She obviously did not know what she was getting into, had a very naive view of what the journey would be like, and didn't seem to be learning much. She complained constantly and got too much into daily minutea. Tho I ended up not finishe it, topic still interests me, and I hope to find a better book about that journey soon.

In her memoir, The River Queen, Mary Morris takes her readers on a unique journey down the mighty Mississippi as she makes a private journey of her own--coming to terms with her father's passing. Her naïveté is refreshing, and she admits early in the book, "I don't have the river in my head, yet." Unlike the writer's friend, who never thought about the river despite growing up in St. Louis, I grew up twenty miles southeast of St. Louis, and the river has been a large presence in my life. Like many Midwesterners, I have traveled the river and visited some of the places Morris describes. By the book's end, Morris has changed. She has learned things about her father's life and about herself, contentment evident as she pilots the last leg of her journey with the river firmly fixed in her head. I agree with T.S. Eliot, "The sea is around us, but the river is in us." Reading Morris's memoir will put a little of the river in every reader.

I loved the River Queen and am sharing it with the group that I am escorting on a Mississippi River cruise on the American Queen next July. Mary Morris gave wonderful discriptions of the Mississippi as she learned to love the river. I can just picture the "River Queen" as she called the house boat she was on with Tom and Jerry, 2 great river boat captains. She also understood her father much better after her trip. When we cruise in the luxury of the American Queen we will remember Mary's cramped quarters in the cabin, the shower that didn't work, the locks and dams she went through, the heat, the bugs and enjoy our turn even more! I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about the Mississippi.

Although I had heard of Mary Morris, I had never read any of her books. The River Queen is excellent, and her other books are now on my "to read" list.

The author decides to travel down part of the Mississippi on a houseboat, and she takes us on the ride with her. It is interesting (and humourous) to learn about the Mississippi river, and all the small towns and characters she meets along the way. The book is also about her father, who passed away at the age of 102.

Ms. Morris manages to intertwine, very successfully, the story of the river and of her father.

The personality of the two men (and a dog) that she hires to take her down the river really adds to the appeal of the book. I wish there would have been photographs!

Mary Morris' father lived to the age of 102. He was many things during his long life; dandy, ladies man, business man, developer, husband and father. He also left strong memories in his daughter of his uncontrollable and unreasonable rages that he took out on whatever family member happened to be near. A portion of his life, but by no means all of it, was spent in small towns along the banks of the Mississippi River. Mary hires a houseboat, and sets off on a journey down the river to try and reconcile her grief, ambivalent feelings, and understand her father's roots better. Sounds like a fascinating journey. The trip down the river is an adventure in itself, encountering hurricanes, hazardous currents, and busy shipping channels that make navigating the houseboat a serious undertaking. Ms Morris writes well. The story flows, and the transit between musings on her memories and telling the story of her river journey is smooth and not jarring. It is a well written book. However, the story both of the river trip and her father seemed superficial to me. She tells mostly of everyday occurrences; who cooks dinner, where they eat on the boat, and the never-ending quest for a hot shower. The towns they visit are only given sketchy portrayal. She mostly doesn't care for the people they meet, and gives them a wide, therefore un-insightful berth. Her father's life lives within the same boundaries her memory supplied before the trip. She finds no insight, does not experience either elation, grief, or camaraderie of his memory by being on the river. A good travel book can be engrossing. A good book of exploration of familial ties can be enlightening. I was neither engrossed, nor enlightened, but I was also not bored to the point of giving up. I read the book waiting for the "other shoe to fall", and it never does. Nor will I take any memories from this book as I lead my life. I read it, it's done. Reading this book is like holding a handful of Mississippi river water; it trickles between your fingers, then it's gone.

We enjoyed the way this book took us on a journey through time. "Mark Twain and the Queens of the Mississippi" carried us from the village of Cahokia to our modern time. We were intrigued by the historical details given in the form of graphs, charts, diagrams, and factual information. Harness vividly outlined the advances in our technology. We liked the realistic descriptions given in the book. The detailed descriptions did tend to slow down the reader's attention at times. It was rather emotional reading about tragedies that have happened in our countries history. These events may be disturbing to some readers. The pictures in the book were realistic, artistic, breathtaking, disturbing, and colorful. The artwork contributed powerful meaning to the story. The illustrations helped readers understand the details and language of the story. We recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the Mississippi River, steamboats, or Mark Twain. Mrs. Scott's 7th period sixth grade reading class rates this book with 4 stars. Please read this book and enjoy the wonderful illustrations.

This interesting little book was originally published in 1956 and in it you will find the legend of Marie Laveau, as well as a section on "chiromancy" (palmistry) and some folk tales "from along the Mississippi" [river].

While Marie Laveau (1794-1881), "Queen of the Voodoos", was listed as a "free mulattress" in the vital statistics of her day; Mr. Martinez offers up other possibilities for her parentage. With his alternating style of "reporter" or "storyteller", he is careful to point out which "facts" are documented, and where they can be found, as well as giving the names and addresses of the long-dead principals.

The book is well worth it's modest price, if only to be used as reference to look up the various newspaper articles that were written about this mysterious woman, who's name still carries weight in some New Orleans circles.

If you're looking for an accurate history of Marie LaVeau, or insight into real Voodoo, this is not the book for you. Read "Jambalaya" by Luisah Teish instead.

However, if you want to step back in time to 1950's racism--complete with the N-word--and dark rumors about Voodoo, this is the book to read. Frankly, I was horrified to note Martinez' condescending, sometimes sneering, stereotypes. This book is already in my stack of paper to recycle.

For example, Martinez says that a loincloth is "the customary dress of the Negroes in Haiti, and for that matter, South Africa and most tropical countries." And, he advises us that Marie LaVeau's snake, Zombi, "fed only upon fair and tender children."

In describing Voodoo, Martinez claims, "Marie's rituals were, of course, so outrageously vulgar that children were forbidden to witness them...no person who pretended to be self-respecting could admit that so depraved a performance was enjoyable or even interesting."

But, as another reviewer noted, you can use this book to locate newspaper articles from Marie LaVeau's era. Otherwise, it's a waste of paper, unless you want to see what once passed for a generous and kindly attitude towards people and traditions of African descent.

After finishing my first trip to New Orleans, I was hungry for more information on Marie Laveau and of voodooism. I found this little book in an airport shop and read it on the flight home. Interesting in a short story sort of way.

Overall, I found the information and stories in this book to be fascinating. The writing style, however, is sometimes a bit confusing and jumbled. Martinez does give excellent references to historical sources such as newspaper articles, and his logic in either supporting or refuting some of the legends regarding Marie Laveau are sound. As a collector of occult books, I found this one to be useful for background and history, as well as full of entertaining folk tales.