Music Books

Superb book.

No really, this may very well be the book I have enjoyed the most, ever (though principally these kind of judgements are bollocks and nothing more, of course).

If you have the slightest acquaintance with psychoanalysis (the Lacanian field, preferably), the book should be read with Zizek's "The Fright of Real Tears". Here Zizek has some really perceptive discussions on Kieslowski the filmmaker and on charachters in the Colour Trilogy - without too many forced obscene jokes, I might add.

He wanted his audience to be interested in his films....and so we are. He wanted to stir people to something...he does. He wanted to inspire us...and that he did. Fans of Krzysztof Kieslowski, film buffs and aspiring filmmakers alike will get as much out of his story told in "Kieslowski on Kieslowski" as through his cinematic works of art.

Although not a very long career, due to his untimely death, it certainly was an illustrious one. And how fortunate we are to have had the filmmaker who brought us the beautiful and moving films "The Double Life of Veronique", the "Three Colours Trilogy" and the unbelievably intuitive "Decalogue", tell us in his own words his views on life and what he was thinking during the filming of these works.

The book, wonderfully edited by Danusia Stok, takes in Kieslowski's early years as a child, his film school years, his early short films and finally the feature films. Kieslowski is open and frank about his life and his work. He didn't see himself as a genius at all(we fans may tend to disagree on that point),quite the contrary he tends to point out what he feels were mistakes and his shortcomings. He talks of working in Poland, having to skirt around the political upheaval around him, films he made that were never shown to the public, and his quest for trying to make the stories as authentic as possible.

He discusses each and every film. He gives much of the credit to the cast and crew and although he touches on what the films meant to him,he usually speaks more of the technical aspects of each than the analytical.He talks of what was going on in the world, his life and his mind during the making of each film. The feature films are given more time and one whole chapter is devoted soley to "Three Colours"(these films were still in the editing stages at the time this book was written).

Included are many still photos of working on the sets, and personel pictures with his family, the actors and his collaborators. There is a section devoted to notes on many of the names and events, and also a complete filmography with a brief summary and list of credits for each film.

"You make films to give people something, to transport them somewhere else and it doesn't matter if you transport them to a world of intuition or a world of the intellect"....Krzysztof Kieslowski

Kieslowski lets us know in this book that we don't have to analyze each scene...just enjoy it for what it is. This book is a must read for fans and filmmakers alike!...So...enjoy...Laurie

Kieslowski is one of my favorite film directors, maybe because I can identify with so much of what he shows in his films... So I was very happy to read "Kieslowski on Kieslowski" and learn about his years in the Film School and the events and memories connected with the making of many of the movies. The autobiography, edited by the director's friend, Danusia Stok, is very good and a must-have for his fans, but it is an autocreation, not a katharsis! It cannot be forgotten that Kieslowski was an artist also in his life so this book is not just a collection of facts.

The book also contains sharp comments and a very good background on the situation in Poland and how difficult it was to push one's own vision. The collection of photos is a valuable addition as well.

In his own words, Krzysztof Kieslowski tells you about the agony and the ecstacy of the independent filmmaking process.

The late Polish filmmaker is up to the challenge, delivering his characteristic frankness nestled within the pages of this short retrospective work, narrated in his own words, and magnificently edited (translated, too?) by Danusia Stok.

The book is tailor-made for "idie" filmmaking buffs, and supplies a glimpse into the enticingly magical personality which was Kieslowski's. Eschewing a typical rote autobiographical style, Kieslowski divulges key details about himself via the device of his extensive filmography -- revealing things about his thinking process and the high value he places upon delicate human emotionality through a step-by-step examination of his long filmography.

Spanning his early years as a prominent documentary filmmaker during the stifling years of Polish Communism and state censorship -- especially during the imposition of Marshal Law in Poland during 1980-1 when Kieslowski couldn't work for half a year -- and ending with his magnificent trilogy "Barwy" (Three Colours: Blue, White, Red), we're subjected to a feast of Kieslowski-isms regarding his thoughts pertaining to such diverse notions as:

** casting for acting talent.
** Kieslowski's penchant for making his ENTIRE crew a part of the idea-generating process for his films.
** the nature of artistic filmmaking in Europe compared to commerical filmmaking in the US.
** the demands of time on a filmmaker's personal life.
** the differing range of skills between Western and Polish filmmaking crews.

A right pity Krzysztof Kieslowski is no longer with us to share to a burgeoning generation of up-and-coming filmmakers what might very well some none-too-optimistic viewpoints on the state of today's "international" filmmaking.

The book is written in Kieslowski's typical unassuming style -- par for the course from the Polish master. The late director doesn't bowl you over with how much he knows about film history, or about the complicated craft of filmmaking. Kieslowski doesn't tell you that he's better than you or me. Rather, through a detailed accounting of his past achievements, Kieslowski's emphasis is always upon that which is most human: the wellspring of all his works, and the central reason why filmmakers must indeed make films, in his esteemed opinion.

Still, I found the book ended suddenly.

Not shockingly so, just that the work might have gone on for much longer than its seemingly scant 227 pages. There's so much to know about this magnificent paragon of the film community, and if anything, it will be a primer for further reading on the man, the legend, and his favourite subject: films.

Five-stars.

-- ADM in Prague

Reading the book was like watching another wonderful Kieslowski film. His casual authentic narrative throughout the book gives it a touch of a documentary almost.

I appreciated every page of his life story, as he tells it so that his personal story as a director - from his childhood through filmschool, his first films right to the Three Colours trilogy - is combined with the situation in Poland, with the Communist times, the censorship, the hopes and the fights with the system, the fears, the communication with the public through hidden messages, and the victories when succeeding to outsmart the censors.

All wrapped up in one, sprinkled with wit and natural story-telling style, the book is all you ever wanted to know about Kieslowski and the background of his life and filmmaking.

In the interviews throughout the book, he not only talks about the films, he also explains why he had to do them the way he did - both, the story and the style - about his personal beliefs, about his life and work in the Communist Poland (in which I could see similarities with the former Czechoslovakia, where I was born, as well), and about how it shaped his views.

Real reading pleasure, educational and entertaining, this book is one of the best I have read lately! And, I believe it gives another dimension in understanding of his films as well.

At the end of this book, author Andy Hamilton reassures Konitz that it will become a classic of jazz literature. I guess Hamilton was speaking at least half tongue-in-cheek, but, for what it's worth, I also think he's probably right.

As it's been said elsewhere, the author's editorial prowess is phenomenal, and the proof is that the book is extremely easy to read, while, at the same time, it is packed with information and insight. Hamilton has also been able to engage Konitz in some interesting discussions, like his views on several musicians - Anthony Braxton, most memorably - or his assessment of his own playing, and on the actual physical and psychological aspects of the process of improvising music.

This is pretty close to my ideal book on a jazz musician, where the subject has the chance to tell his story while speaking freely to a knowledgeable counterpart.

Highly recommended.

I found this book to be one of the most clear, informative and honest books in jazz literature that I have ever read.
Lee comes across as a candid, humble man, a servant to his art.
Through the conversational and well researched style that the writer Andy Hamilton adopts, Lee Konitz offers many realistic, straightforward insights into his life and study: and the lives of those around him.
As a jazz musician myself, this book opens many doors of perception.
It cuts through the myth and hyperbole that often surround the lives of the truly great ones in this wonderful artform.
Highly recommended!

In this book of lively conversations on the improviser's art, Lee Konitz talks about all aspects of his music, from his beginnings (as a student of the clarinet, during the late 1930s) to the early years of the new century, and he does so with great candour. There's lots about the Cool School of playing and Konitz's musical mentor, the blind pianist Lennie Tristano. Tristano's music ran on a parallel track to bebop, but because it wasn't such a hot, sweaty affair it's been dismissed as a pallid version of the real thing, cerebral and abstract, disconnected from feelings, a music to be analysed by beard-strokers rather than enjoyed by foot-tappers. Konitz dismisses these false distinctions and emphasises both the vitality and originality of Tristano's music - points supported by several musician-contributors to the book.

The criticisms and comments that Konitz offers are frank, thoughtful and well-argued. Several of the chapters cover specific decades in his career. Others include: Formative Influences; Working with Tristano; Early Collaborators; The Art of Improvisation; The Instrument; The Material. Embedded within each of the chapters is a series of brief interviews with musicians, most of whom have worked on the bandstand with Konitz or recorded with him, including John Zorn, Phil Woods, Mike Zwerin, George Russell, Clare Fischer, Sal Mosca, Alan Broadbent, Sonny Rollins, Rufus Reid, Ornette Coleman, Harold Danko, Wayne Shorter, Paul Bley, John Tchicai, Greg Osby, Martial Solal and Evan Parker. Although this is fundamentally a book of interviews, Andy Hamilton provides scene-setting introductions to each of the chapters, explanatory links between subsections, and brief comments that help the reader better to contextualise the interview material. His contributions are considerable, but they're done with such a light touch the attention remains firmly on Konitz throughout.

Although Konitz broke with the Tristano school, Tristano's foremost `disciple', tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, remained in a strong creative partnership with him until the late 1970s. Marsh is undoubtedly the saxophonist whom Konitz admires most, and Konitz's aesthetic, sound and approach to improvisation owe perhaps more to Marsh than any other player. He contrasts Marsh's approach with that of several other major players, including Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, whose solos relied to some degree on pre-prepared material. Throughout the book, there's much useful discussion about the philosophy of music-making.

Konitz is a great talker, with lots of interesting things to say about his own music and the music of Marsh, Tristano, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Parker, Coltrane, Charles Mingus and a host of others, and the book is peppered with valuable comments about `the jazz life'.

This is clearly one of the best books about jazz I ever red. I'd put it next to P.Pettinger's "How My Heart Sings", J Szwed's "Space Is The Place" or E.Jost's "Free Jazz".
Pretty differently, here author chooses an original, extensive interview format, augmented by short essays written with the complete approval -and corrections, is said- of Mr.Konitz himself. Many great insight and analisys of this great, epocal musician are offered for a good work of comprehension of the complexity of Lee Konitz music and his belonging to jazz tendencies such Cool Jazz and Tristano's and others, his relations to many major jazz figures.

Despite Lee Konitz's illustrious career, there had not been a book-length treatment of his music and life until Andy Hamilton's book appeared. There have been numerous published interviews with him, but none is as informative, thorough, or enlightening as this book. Considering that Mr. Konitz is much better known in other countries than in the U.S., it is no wonder that an Englishman decided to write a book on him. One of the things that I liked about the book is that the artist got involved in the process, for example, proofreading the text himself. This lends a high degree of authenticity to the book. In addition to the interviews with Mr. Konitz, there are a number of shorter interviews with other musicians, which are also intriguing. This is an exciting and enjoyable book and I highly recommend it.

I gave this book to my son after reading it. It teaches basic skills to those who need some encouragement that, yes, they too are a musician. But it's also very entertaining and he tells some great stories.

This is a delightful collection of essays on how to sensitize yourself to and appreciate all the sounds around you, from frogs and birds to dinnerware clinks to foreign languages being spoken.

I read the book in Chinese, since that was all our library had. I only give the translation a B, but the meaning mostly came through, and I don't think I missed too much from the original English.

My favorite section was the one on musical composition. It contains several practical suggestions that I haven't seen in other books on how to compose your own tunes. I had discovered the notion of AMAPFALAP ("As much as possible from as little as possible") independently before, but Mathieu's approach provides a concrete and excellent starting point to developing your own musical ideas and stretching and firming up your musical muscles.

Mathieu ends with some thoughts on why his students would always say "thank you" for all they learned in his music workshops, but just "that was interesting" in reaction to his concerts of improvised music. He seems a bit miffed, but ultimately comes up with a rationalization he can live with.

Music is more than just Beethoven and playing the notes on the score; in this book, Mathieu helps you find out just how much more it is.

This books is amazing. It's very fun to read and really opens up your ear. My only issue is that sometimes he uses words that I can't find in the dictionary, so for that one sentence, I don't know what he's trying to say. But they don't affect what he's telling you. I think he puts stuff in there for himself. haha

anyway, get the book

W.A. Mathieu is utterly in love with vibrating air molecules, and this thoughtful, warm, and fun collection of short essays is bound to impart some of that to you. This is not a book about composition, about developing your own personal style or anything of that sort. It is a way of focusing on and developing your relationship with your ears, with sound, with what sounds good to you in music and in nature and in all of the world, both inside and outside of your head. In playful exercises for musicians and non-musicians alike, we examine the nature of a single note played on an instrument, or sung alound, or even just a series of spoken or drawn-out syllables. There are ways to bring music into a group of people; there are ways to draw it out of inanimate objects; there are ways to find it in silence. He's not trying to convince anybody that traffic, barking dogs, and 3 AM garbage trucks are as beautiful as a Bach piece; some things will sound better to you than others. But practice makes perfect: if you practice hearing, you will hear more, and you will hear better, and you will find more things that sound good, and you will get a richer enjoyment of them. This is "Discovering Your Own Music."

I love reading books that are funny and educational, it helps the information sink in. This is exactly that type of book, x3! Mr. Mathieu is truly a gifted writer and an enormously talented musician. Play on!

Dwight, please give us another 20 years of words.

dwight yoakam has always been my favorite rockabilly, and he will always be. this is a great book and yes a must have. love the lyrics, even knowing i have the lyrics already on his cd's i still love the book a worth haveing if youre a fan of dwight yoakam's. worth every penny. a happy fan

I have every CD Dwight Yokham has ever put out, plus ever video clip he sings on CMT, and I would love nothing better to come to the States to hear him sing live in concert, as I have recently discovered I am terminally ill and there is no cure or treatment for my disease, as it so rare. I will keep on watching CMT to get as much as Dwight Yokahm as I can before this dreadful disease claims me, and then when I get to heaven I am going to ask God to put CMT on in heaven, so I can still listen to him up there. I am 46, happily married with 2 children, Tamara who is 26 and simon who is 24 and getting married on Easter Sunday next year, and hopefully, I will still be around until then.

Monica Sprott

Dwight Yoakam does not write complex lyrics. What he writes are lyrics of deep emotion and unsurpassed longing. Without the twang-and-swing of his honky-tonk melodies, these songs are reduced to their bared bones, stripped and displayed in all their anguish and despair. From the straightforward "It won't hurt when I fall down from this barstool; it won't hurt when I stumble in the street; it won't hurt 'cause this whiskey eases misery; but even whiskey cannot ease your hurting me" to the more thought-provoking "Don't look inside, don't look there, 'cause you might find yourself somewhere, walking around lost and alone, without one clue that it's a long way home" Dwight speaks to the heart and the mind, and to deeper emotions.

"Twelve Years of Words" is printed as a simple, straightforward book of poetry, introduced with Dwight's eloquent, thoughtful prose. It is true that anyone who has the CDs already has the lyrics, printed on each CD insert. But there is a beauty in this presentation, all of his poems gathered together into one slim little volume without the music. I'm very much hoping that, in time, there will be "Twenty Years of Words" and it will be updated as he continues to write those simple, elegant, words.

I saw this book in the public library, and I knew I had to have a copy of my own. Yoakam was reared in Columbus, Ohio, where I live, and I think he is the freshest talent in music in any genre. His lyrics are simple and direct and tell wonderful stories; it's as if he can look into everyone else's hearts when it comes to differing emotions. I am a fan of this man's music, and he's a great actor, too. I appreciate that he has not sold himself to pop music like other country stars -- but then again, I don't consider him a country star. He's carved a niche of his own. Bless you, Dwight, and your mom (she still lives here!).

I love the LOTR music, and these books (I have all 3) are great. The music is above beginner level, but not impossible to play.

When I first looked at the music, my impression was "This is it?" I must admit I expected more, but after playing it my opinion changed. It definitely takes intermediate skills to play as written, but with a few minor adjustments (like leaving out a roll or slowing down the tempo) late beginners can enjoy this music too.
While playing, I find the constant page turning annoying. The music could have been condensed into a smaller amount of pages without omitting any of the notes thus making playing easier.
Overall, it is beautiful. All of the well-known melodies are there. Played with the right emotion and expression, "Gollum's Song" is heartbreaking; "Evenstar" is beautiful; and "Rohan" is powerful. The music is not as complex as I had hoped, but it sticks to the notes played in the original score.
Is this a good arrangement? Yes. Is the arrangement worth $12.71? No, but I guess the higher price is for the pictures included.

The Two Towers Music score is wonderful and will be enjoyed by people who love to listen to the LOTR soundtracks. The music for Gollum's song is wonderful, and not too hard once you get it down. Evenstar is very beautiful and also very easy. "Isengard Unleashed" features "The March of the Ents", one of my favorite parts of this book. "Breath of Life" is not exceptional if you ask me, but it's there. "Forth Eorlings" is wonderful, especially the ending! And finally, If you've been trying really hard to figure out how that Rohan theme goes, wait no more. Here it is, and it's really fun! So if your at least an intermediate piano player and love Lord of the Rings music this is for you.

This book contains some of the best music ever written! I play this stuff over and over, because not only is it awesome, it's fun. "Gollum's Song" is a haunting, beautiful song - one that really makes you feel sorry for Gollum. "Evenstar" is also a beautifully flowing piece. It's easy to put a lot of expression in it when you play it. "Isengard Unleashed" is a more complicated piece, once you get about half way through it, and it's rather hard to figure out in the beginning. "Breath of Life" and "Forth Eorlingas" are pretty simple, but redundant at times. "Rohan" is an absolutely amazing song that just makes me want to cry when I play it. That also lends itself to expression while playing. All together, this book is an absolute masterpiece, and while harder than the book for The Fellowship of the Ring, in my opinion, it is still pretty simple, and the arrangments are much better. I highly recommend this book. It's beautiful!!

It's books like this that made me wish I had the natural talent for music, or had at least studied and practiced hard enough to develop talent. The motion picture score that Howard Shore composed for The Lord of the Rings trilogy is absolutely brilliant, and while nothing can match his magnificent orchestra, there is something unique and incredible about hearing the same music played on a simple piano -- coming from your very own fingers.

The front cover is one of the promotional posters (NOT the DVD cover as was the case with the other two piano books from the trilogy) showing Saruman from the back commanding his 10,000 Uruk-hai. If you look on the right, although it is geographically incorrect, you can see Edoras in Rohan in the distance. Inside the book are forty pages, eight of which are movie pictures. Once again, there are some gruesome orcs pictured inside, in case you have little hobbits around the house that might get scared.

The music includes:

- Gollum's Song, the end-credits song of the movie. Not very enjoyable to play, I'd say...it's a rather mournful and melancholy song.

- Evenstar, which is all-Elvish, but surprisingly doesn't provide the translation. Shouldn't be too hard to dig one up on the internet, however. The tune is pretty, the background for Aragorn's dream/vision of Arwen in The Two Towers.

- Isengard Unleashed, which begins as the soundtrack score does, with the lament for Haldir upon his untimely death in the battle for Helm's Deep. Then it moves on to the score for the Ents as they march to war. This is probably the longest in the book, maybe of all three books. Afterwards, they give the translation of the war song of the Ents.

- Breath of Life, the quiet but stirring tune/song that you hear when Aragorn lies wounded after a battle, and receives another vision/dream of Arwen that gives him a (let's all say it together now) "breath of life". Elvish lyrics, English translation at the end.

- Forth Eorlingas, my favorite one (at least to HEAR), the tune that shows the rousing of the remaining soldiers at Helm's Deep, their death plunge out the causeway, and Gandalf's near-biblical arrival to the rescue. The second-best in this book, in my opinion.

- Rohan, which was an absolutely necessary piece to include in this book. It's short, *almost* simple enough for a beginner like me to pick my way through, and beyond gorgeous. It begins with the noble theme for Éowyn, and peaks into the majestic score for the kingdom of Rohan. This one alone is worth getting the book for.

This book makes an excellent addition to your piano library, or an excellent gift for your musically-inclined hobbit-heads. Go for it.

I gave my granddaughter who is an avid "Lucy fan" this book for Christmas and she loved it because it focused on Lucy's movie career.

I'm a classic movie fan and read many biographies. This is the way biographies should be made! The author and publisher went all out for this wonderful book. The book is a real treasure for Lucy fans. It is beautifully packaged with wonderful cover and pages that are extremely well designed with text, pictures, bio and film notes. The dazzling color schemes and quality of the pages and pictures are first rate --there's nothing like this out there so kudos to the author! This is a first rate book all the way and look forward to more from the author -- how about a Rita Hayworth book -- no one else can do it like you!

This book is very well written and has wonderful pictures. The write up about Lucy gives even the biggest fans new insight into her life. It is a great way to find all the movies she was in.

To start off this is a great book and not being much of a reader myself I really love this one. It has great large pictures, hard to find pictures and the words are fairly large in this one also. Not being overly large like a kids reader but being the perfect size! But not only this, it has a lot of informative info aobut all of Lucy's movies that she has appeared in and also a despription of each movie. This is great because if you have never seen any of Lucille Ball's films you will get a thrill out of reading about all of the movies as well as jotting them down and looking online to buy them on DVD. This book has so much more also as well as the biography of Lucille Ball and a whole lot more! This is not a boring book but a nice fun book to read and to also make you want to read as well as some great info about the bright and talented star. The book itself is very large and very well made, as well as being thick. It looks like it costs about $50 it is so big and thick but I bought this through a book store in my local town for $29.99 which on the back of the book is the retail value so Amazon has a GREAT price!

"Lucy at the Movies" by Cindy De La Hoz is a coffee table sized visual treat displaying the varied movie career of America's beloved red headed comedienne. It spans Lucy's 5 decade career in movies. The text is easy to read and gives the full cast and credits of all her movies. It includes the synopis,notes and comments, and even the reviews of each movie. There are many pictures from her movies dispersed throughout the book. Also, to the delight of her many fans, there are numerous behind the scenes and other personal pictures of Lucy and her castmates.
This book is worth every penny and if you're a Lucy fan it belongs in your collection. Buy it. You'll treasure it always.

This book is the best Xena book I have read, maybe even better than the official one. It contains their biographies and a complete script of one of Lucy and Renee's conventions. It also lists the most websites and groups. The episode guide was very informative. It contained some mistakes that the author found with the show. This book is worth every cent!

I was one of the people Nikki Stafford interviewed for this book. Sadly, the fan survey she conducted had to be cut from the final version, but a great deal of information was still included. Nikki's research into the show, its stars, and the fans who built an international community around Xena: Warrior Princess in the early years is unsurpassed.

Some other books have since come out which seemed to me to be nothing more than blatant attempts to capitalize on the success of one of the most popular syndicated television shows in history. This book always struck me as something different. But maybe that's just because the author took the time to see what the fans thought and cared about.

One thing in this book that stands out from the others is that Nikki bothered to comment on the different episodes. This is better than the official book!! I like the way that there is a personal voice in the comments, and the way that the author dared to criticse it, and add some suggestions as well. Brilliant work!!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was very informative and by most accountants accurate. I would suggest this book to any Xenite! :) BATTLE ON!!

this book is great.it has every thing you need to know about xena.it has a chapter on the broodway production of grease that lucy was in.what lucy and renee were like as kids.it also has two or three pages of comics.if you love xena you'll live this book.

As a vocal train. teacher in Mexico, I must say this an enlighting book!

A very interesting book!

The Chuck Jones' method is efficient, very effective, and clear. An expressive voice can be developed doing the exercises just 10 minutes a day.

He has coached many actors including Edie Falco, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Jason Leigh, William Hurt, Stanley Tucci, Jeff Daniels, Wesley Snipes, and Parker Posey.

This small book, only 141 pages in length, offers a most refreshing, lively and accessible guide to practical voice training written for actors and voice students who strive for honest performances using a voice that responds naturally to their inner selves. Chuck Jones, a remarkable teacher, has pioneered his voice training practices through many years of acting and teaching experience, guiding innumerable voice students and performing arts professionals to integrate fully expressive voices into their work.
Jones' approach to vocal training is unique since he clearly and very convincingly focuses on the relationship between vocal training and acting, thereby supporting American actor training in which actors are encouraged to draw on their own emotional lives and resources. Jones explains that "....voice training does more than solve vocal problems: Voice training allows actors to extend their range, develop power, and create that mysterious quality known as presence....helps put actors in touch with their deepest emotional states and allows them to connect to their roles in a profound way....helps actors to develop the capacity to reveal the full range of their inner lives." (page 23)
In the first half of the book Jones examines fundamental acting issues that relate specifically to the vocal instrument such as, being heard, character choices, and vocal power. In the second half of the book, Jones introduces a very specific, logical sequence of exercises as part of a daily vocal workout that release, stretch, strengthen, increase the expressive range, resonance and flexibility of the vocal anatomy and physical instrument leading to a heightened physical and emotional awareness.
Jones brings the book to a close by defining how to connect the voice to the emotional life, breathing as part of acting, and finally, how to get used to the new sound that results from his vocal training practices; thus Jones addresses practically the full integration of the expressive voice into acting work based on an honest connection that includes the physiological, the physical and the emotional aspects of the actor's instrument eliminating the "mystery" from voice training.
I first met Chuck Jones about 15 years ago when I attended his voice class as a student and his work and who he is as a teacher changed my life and my work as an actress! He took the "mystery" out of voice production for me as an actress and he is my inspiration for becoming the voice teacher I am today.

I can't praise this book highly enough!

I'm a student at a conservatory actor training course in Australia and had struggled with my vocal training for the first year and a half, but after reading the reviews on Amazon I decided to buy this book and it has absolutely changed my acting.

Jones sets out the daily vocal workout (warm-up) in a logical, easy-to-follow way and, more importantly, explains exactly WHY each exercise is important and how it will directly affect the voice. He also has excellent exercises that help with release and the connection of thought to breath and emotion, in a way that is natural and which bypasses the 'head'.

While there are many other books on the market which cover similar ideas (Freeing the Natural Voice, The Right to Speak, Voice & the Actor), Jones' book worked for me because it is so simple and to the point.
I found that this, along with Alexander movement training, completely changed my voice and allowed me to access parts of my vocal range that I had never been able to before, as well as making me a much more open and emotionally connected actor.

If you're serious about your development as an actor and want an accessible and effective approach to voice training, then I'd highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of this book.

The information on the back cover of the book, especially the quotes, was great. I thought that it would help other readers to be able see it.


During my time as a student of Chuck Jones, I learned more about acting than during any other period of my training. I can't say enough positive things about him as both a teacher and a person.
Edie Falco

Chuck's work is an extraordinary gift. It connects the voice to the imagination and emotion every actor prays for - I am so grateful.
Jessica Hecht

Chuck Jones is a major American voice teacher whose work actively implements careers.
Michael Howard

A life saver. Chuck's exercises have not only greatly improved my breathing and vocal range, but have allowed me more freedom in my work. They have become an indispensable part of my daily ritual.
Carla Gugino

Chuck Jones is the most influential teacher I've ever had. He deepened and strengthened not only my voice but also my acting.
Francie Swift



Chuck Jones is a graduate of Cornell University and has taught voice at S.U.N.Y. Purchase, New York; California Institute of the Arts; Playwrights Horizons, New York University; University of California, Berkeley; Circle In The Square, New York University; Circle Repertory Company; The Working Theater (Kristin Linklater, Joseph Chaikin), Caymichael Patten Studio; and the Michael Howard Studios. He has fifteen years of professional acting credits on and off Broadway, in England at the Royal Court Theatre, South America, and in British and American television. In addition, he has been a vocal coach on many films and Broadway productions. Among the successful actors he has coached or taught are: Edie Falco, Keanu Reeves, William Hurt, Holly Hunter, Carla Gugino, Wesley Snipes, Jessica Hecht, Marisa Tomei, Parker Posie, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Stanley Tucci, Francie Swift, Kathleen Chalfont, Ellen Barkin, and Jeff Daniels.

Marcel Tabuteau is a name any wind player of my age (60+) has been familiar with for many years. As a teenager, I purchased the "First Chair" album with Tabuteau and other pricipal players of the Philadelphia Symphony soloing. This is a very well written and thorough book on his life that any musician, and certainly any wind player, should read.

The book offers a much needed portrait of one of the most influential woodwind players in 20th century America. All students or teachers of music should have this in their library. The historical references and personal insights are fascinating and inspiring. Ms. Storch was lucky to have had such a great teacher, and M. Tabuteau was even more lucky to have had such a dedicated, respectful student who writes well.

This is a magisterial biography of one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. It is meticulously researched, beautifully written and brings to life a remarkable man for those who never had the opportunity to work with him. For those of us who were fortunate enough to have done so, it is a wonderful and lively memory bank, bringing together the reminiscences of a large number of people who studied with him or were colleagues. I recommend it most highly to anyone interested in Tabuteau, and anyone interested in how one person can affect the style of playing of an entire nation.

The world of the oboist is very small. Yet, almost anything happening in the world can affect an oboist. The historical perspectives offered in this book connect politics, war, drought, and serendipitous opportunity to the small world of oboe playing. Laila Storch gives a perspective of how one musician's determination to excel transforms not just a generation of oboists, but a generation of musicians on the American musical stage. Her insights to Tabuteau's personality, approach to life, and desire to strive for an ideal in everything from making reeds to cooking a meal make for an enjoyable read.

My copy of Laila Storch's book just arrived in the US Post, and what a surprise! First off all, the Amazon.com box was a heck of a lot heavier than I thought it would be. I was expecting this book to be a fairly slim volume of reminiscences and maybe some explication of Tabuteau's teaching and theories.

But it is SO much more! It is an absolutely vital, comprehensive memoir by Ms. Storch, who herself has clearly had a really interesting life so far, as well as just about every possible thing one could hope to know about Marcel Tabuteau.

As a book publisher myself since 1985 -- and a proud alumnus of Indiana University, whose Press published this book -- I've got to beam about production values: This is a 600+ page book, gorgeously bound in "British racing green" linen covers, a smart-looking jacket with a great photo of the master himself, golden binder's bands top and bottom at the glued AND sewn (!) binding, printed on a super premium matte / semi-gloss finish, heavy pure white paper. It's just a beautiful production job, really what books should look like, and I am so proud to be a publisher right now, holding and beholding this thing.

There are some absolutely terrific archival photos, too. My favorite, having leafed through the book in 10 minutes or so, is on page 166, "The Philadelphia Orchestra Ensemble, 1923," which includes Tabuteau, famous bassoonist Ferdinand Del Negro and super-famous flautist William Kincaid, all in their handsome youth.

But wait, there's more: A bonus audio CD is blister-packed at the back of the book, containing what could be Tabuteau's last recordings, made in his home in Nice, with excerpts PLAYED FROM MEMORY (no sheet music in the apartment). Not bad for a near-77-year old, even if he did do this all of his life.

It's an honor to own this book, Ms. Storch. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!

Ozzie Katani has been the most instrumental and established slack key guitar teacher in Hawaii. This book and cd is by far the best available material for the beginner player. He uses tabliture, gives pointers, and the cd allows you to hear how it is supposed to sound. I would highly recommend getting this book to anyone interested in learning traditional Hawaiian Slack Key guitar. It could not be made anymore simple and straight forward and you can not beat the price.

This book, written by Ozzie Kotani, is the perfect starting place for those interested in Hawai'ian Slack Key Guitar (or "Ki ho'alu"). The materials are laid out in logical, step-wise, intuitive fashion with clear concise explanations. The accompanying CD is the perfect complement to the book. More than merely a tab book, this important learning tool also places the material in historical context, complete with some rare and beautiful historical photos. While I am a student of the author, I didn't fully appreciate the value of these materials until I began teaching others from them.

Though I'm not a beginning guitar player, I hadn't used tablature much. I bought another slack key book before this and realized it was written at a level more difficult than what I had expected. With this book, I was able to play the first song all the way through. The key thing about this book is the guidelines on which finger to place on which string. To me, this is an important part of the foundation of learning this style of playing. Now that I have worked through most of the songs, I am able to go back to that difficult book I bought before and apply what I have learned.

The CD is extremely helpful. The one drawback to this book is the lack of musical notation. Unless you listen to the CD, you won't know the timing or rhythm of the songs.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in a solid introduction to slack key playing, even if you don't understand musical notation or never picked up a guitar. It's that easy!

Ozzie Kotani is an unbelievable guitar player, and he makes the beautiful sound of Hawaiian slack key guitar attainable to the rest of us. Not only does he provide tablature, but each piece is followed by detailed test explantations of just how to play the piece.

Of course, the CD with Ozzie playing the "exercises" is superb.

The material is well presented and complemented with an excellent CD. The price is reasonable for a learner reluctant to expend a large amount for material that may not be appropriate for beginners. Definetly recommend this item for a rank beginner!