Music Books

What a story, Entertaining and thoughtful. Gives a snapshot of Nashville as seen by a West coast person. Great splashes of humor, Wonderful photography.

Wonderful! Reading this book was an adventurous experience by itself, very real. Nashville seems like a very romantic, historic place. I feel like visiting it right away. Very nice photographs!! Loved it!!

This reads very easy -- like a rather funny travelogue / description of Nashville sent to you by one of your literary friends. Complete with pictures and personal experiences from the point of view of an Asian Indian immigrant.

This is an excellent book to learn about Nashville from the eyes of a new comer. good photography, excellent choice of words. absolutely loved it!!

I loved the symbolism in snow flakes! Very moving! The book is full of humor, and yet is very literary. As others have said, the author uses photography to accentuate his writing, very impressive!

really good book. no matter who you are, it will keep you turning pages

wonderful. inspiring. positive thinking.
one of my favorites.
a treasure.

I totally enjoyed this book. Kathy is an inspiration and I wish her nothing but continued success in the future. The book is hard to believe in some points - that so many bad things can happen to one person. It is amazing to see the metamorphasis Kathy goes through in her life and how the total of all of her life's experiences both good and bad have shaped who she is today. She's triumphant!

Kathy's severe hearing loss lead to an early diagnosis of mental retardation: she was also molested, run over, and stricken with cancer all before the age of thirty but she never lost her sense of humor. If You Could See What I Hear provides her life story and how she kept this sense of humor through the darkest of days. A powerful memoir and personal account of hope.

This poignant and beautifully written tale is both inspiring and hysterically funny! An easy read, but brilliantly written, it ties the reader to the book. Without pity, Kathy portrays herself and shows her life through wit and humor that can bring a tear to your eye without making you feel sorry for her. Instead it helps you see your life in better perspective and inspires the reader to attain higher goals. Excellent read.

I've read everything that I could on Jackie Wilson.the Man was something else in His Prime but sadly hasn't gotten His Full Due as a Artist to me overall.The Man knew how to Rock a Stage&was in Groove.but there was the Business which was Controled then as it is now by Payola&Scandal&at the End of the Day the Artist that has brought so Much Joy to so many People is the last Person Paid&Respected.this Book Explores many Aspects of His Career&Life.Ups&downs.it's a Great Inside Reflection of the Business.Much Props to Tony Douglas.RIP Jackie Wilson.

Mr. Excitement was really exciting!! Very good book

Singer Jackie Wilson was one of the finest singing talents of the century, but he suffered from chronic addictions and his career was controlled by the Mob. This biography of his life, work and achievements chronicles the accomplishments of a man who was buried in a paupers grave, yet at his peak achieved 24 top 40 hits in the U.S. An involving coverage of a talented yet tormented performer.

This book is unique. I've read books about Jackie LeRoy Wilson but this book by far is the best i've read. It cuts right to the chase and gives you information that's clear and not a run around. Also, gives you some pictures of Jackie that are in color. I recommend this book.

Tony Douglas' book, "Jackie Wilson:The Man, The Music, The Mob," far surpasses Mr. Douglas' talents. Mr. Douglas' book, "Jackie Wilson: Lonely Teardrops," was fantastic and now Mr. Douglas comes back with an even greater book. For the people who never knew Jackie they can now educate themselves on this exceptional man and find out why Jackie was, "Mr. Excitement." Mr. Douglas did years of research and has covered a lot of ground work. He has talked to the people that knew Jackie and loved him. This is an exceptional book taken from the heart of one man.

Mr. Douglas went a step further he spoke with one of the bravest woman of Jackie's life, Freda Wilson, Jackie's wife of 13 years. She sacrificed it all for Jackie to be a star. Jackie was the greatest R & B artist that ever lived and if he had survived he would have blown everyone away with his astonishing talent and charisma. He was the one and only, "Mr. Excitement."

For this price, to get so many great song - great deal! All the songs from the Lauren Kennedy Album (that aren't from other shows) plus songs from the "Wearing Someone Else's Clothes" album. Also a great selection from Last 5 Years, Songs For a New World, Parade, and Urban Cowboy. Even if you have some selections books, you still have great additions.

I particularly enjoyed the selections from "Parade", it's an amazing show. Jason Robert Brown is an amazing composer, and everyone should have this book for some of the brilliant songs in it.

Jason Robert Brown's music is eclectic and impressive. I bought this book after learning "Christmas Lullaby" and have already found several other songs I want to use in this collection. In case you have never heard of Jason Robert Brown, he wrote the music and lyrics for "Songs for a New World" among other musicals. Brown's music is intriguing and not your usual Broadway stuff. The collection contains twenty-four selections from his musicals (Songs From a New World, Parade, The Last Five Years, and Urban Cowboy), as well as other songs from CDs of his music (Songs of Jason Robert Brown, Wearing Someone Else's Clothes.) The piano accompaniments are full and not watered down - an important benefit for serious performers and pianists. One caution: the songs and piano accompaniments are challenging and require careful preparation to be performed successfully. The necessary effort will yield rich rewards in terms of increased musical knowledge and enjoyment.

If you are looking for unusual but eminently worthwhile audition or performance material, this book is a great place to go.

Jason Robert Brown is one of the leading names in the "new" musical theater. Outstanding collection for students, teachers and GREAT audition material.

I'll admit that I was suspicious of a collections of JRB songs. I already had the vocal selections for his shows, "Parade", "Songs for a New World" and "The Last Five Years". I just thought it was another way for the publisher to make a few more dollars. That was until I looked at the contents. This collection had things in it that are not available anywhere else...Particularly songs from JRB's album "Wearing Someone Else's Clothes", among others.

The music is very challenging and is arranged to be very close to what Jason actually plays. This authenticity is something I enjoy about all of the vocal selections from his composition.

Buy this collection and enjoy an emerging Broadway super star composer.

Great entertainment from the the first to the last page, even if you aren't a jazz buff. Mr. Crow was a bassist and he must have heard most of those anecdotes on the grapevine.

I love every moment since I read this book. This book would take u on forever even if u're a craver for jazz music. It tells all the details from Wynton, Duke, Miles, Hirt, Coltrane, Bird, all of 'em right here on 1 book. Go get it or u'll miss out a world of good music.

For anyone into jazz, if you don't have a copy of this book, you're in for a rare treat. Wonderfully captures the essence of jazz and jazz musicians. Great stories, unique personalities, and guaranteed a laugh a minute. Caution: Don't read it while you're eating and/or drinking...you'll probably choke to death. Thanks for a very special book Bill!

I bought this book for my son, whoÕs a musician, but I heard him laughing so much as he was reading it that I asked to borrow it. Even if youÕre not a musician, or even very knowledgeable about jazz, this is a really entertaining book. Almost every chapter has at least a couple of laugh-out-loud lines. It also gives you a good feel for what the lives of jazz musicians were like Ð the camaraderie and competition, the inventiveness, the struggles over money, the often terrible working (and especially recording) conditions. There are also poignantly funny stories about problems with drugs and alcohol, and even about the racial prejudice that musicians had to put up with. My favorite story in the book was about Bessie Smith storming out to confront a group of Klansmen gathering outside the tent where she was working. Peppering them with curses, she ordered them to "pick up them sheets and run." They did. Great woman. There are lots of great women (and men Ð mostly men) in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know a little bit about them.

A - "About half a beat behind the drummer." Or. Q - "How can a jazz musician end up with a million dollars?" A - "Start with two million." Or. Q - "What do you call a person that likes to hang around with musicians?" A - "A drummer."

Jazz Anecdotes by Bill Crow is much more than a collection of jokes skewed towards a jazz musician's cattywhumpus view of the world. It's even more than a collection of colorful war stories about life on the road, playing lousy clubs, and trying to keep a band together. It's really an insider's look at the world of jazz, and a wonderful one. If nothing else emerges from this book certainly one learns that only love could keep a jazz musician playing, given the obstacles of this lifestyle.

Fact and myth seem to bob and weave through these tales, which is perhaps appropriate. I am a little uncertain about Lester Young's claim that he started playing the sax only after giving up on the drums because he noticed that when a gig was done and girls were milling around the bandstand, the sax players quickly packed up their horns and left with girls on their arms while the drummer desperately tried to pack up and when he was done - left empty handed.

Jazz Anecdotes is rich in content, interesting for novice and aficionado alike. The careers of great individuals and the storied histories of seminal bands are examined in detail. What's fun is that some of the "legend" is worn off, replaced by the person. Jazz truly is America's greatest contribution to world culture, we should all be proud of it. It's worth remembering that the music is not a monolithic entity but an organic, dynamic thing - the product of a diverse and eccentric group of splendid individuals. Bill Crow's book takes you inside that world.

Frye gives great direction for ministry. As a student who is still studying to be a pastor I recommend this book to anyone who interacts with people and wants to do in a Christlike way. John writes this book in such a way tham we aren't just leaning his neat tricks, we are learning from Jesus and his example. Great book, very helpful for anyone who sees Jesus as someone worth following.

JESUS THE PASTOR was a book assigned to me for a Christian Ministry class at John Brown University. From the moment I read the cover, I knew that I was going to love reading it. Few books have excited me this much about the role of being a pastor and about the person of Jesus Christ. In my personal journey to becoming a pastor myself, John Frye has put the road in front of me into perspective.

God has used JESUS THE PASTOR in conjunction with other events in my life to teach me that even while I am training to assume the OFFICE of pastor that I can and am called to assume the ROLE of pastor in my everyday life. Being available to others and leading a life ordered around Christ as the focus of ministry is an exciting, blessing, and yet humbling road. Through this book, God has taught me so many things and revolutionized my view point of what it means to be a pastor.

Far be it from me to try to teach my elders, but I would recommend this book to ANY person who occupies the office of pastor in the local church. The Church needs committed servant-leaders and under-shepherds to guide the body of Christ. This book is one of the tools God is using to make that happen.

This is a book which necessarily contemplates the question for those pastors or those contemplating the office, where does one turn when in need?

Frye answers: to multiple sources to find Jesus the Pastor: The Word, spiritual gifts and brother pastors and saints.

His compassion and heart for the sheep and those who will be brought into the fold is touching and commendable.

This reviewer's concern is directing one away from the only source of power and salvation: The Word Incarnate. Is Jesus not located where He wishes and mandates that He is? For sure? For 100% sure?

Jesus locates Himself in the gospel purely preached and in the Sacraments administered according to His mandates! This is where every pastor and individual will find Him! We find Jesus there to forgive our sins as pastors, strengthen our faith and keep us in this faith, and deliver us finally to the church triumphant.

What Frye suggests that I cannot agree with is seek spiritual gifts for empowerment. Consider Luke 16:19ff. Does Jesus suggest that we find salvation in any other place than in the Word? Further, Matthew 7:21-23, "(Did we not) do many might works in your name?" and 1 John 4:1-2 demand that any spirit which would detract from Jesus Incarnate in Word and Sacrament is not from the Holy Spirit.

In last days that we are in, when every church growth program and latest is not delivering the numerical growth they have been proclaiming is Biblical, where do they turn?

These moments of desparation show us where faith is. Only in what God has spoken and mandated that He be found: in the Gospel purely preached and Sacraments administered according to His mandates.

For all the compassion and desire to be God-pleasing that Frye so humbly speaks of in this book, to lead pastors to anything other than God's Word is not what God has said. Let us consider what His Servants of the Word should be!

Thus, I cannot recommend this to pastors or those contemplating the office due to these serious misleadings. Wish he would have more directly and in detail, expounded the Biblical admonitions for pastors, such as 1 Cor. 11, 2 Cor. 4:12; 2 Cor. 11:2; 1 Tim. 3-4, etc. For a good treatment of these, see Jonathon F. Grothe, "Reclaiming Patterns of Pastoral Ministry: Jesus and Paul." It likely is out of print, but nonetheless, you will be blessed by obtaining and reading.

This book comes from a man with formal theological training, who then went through personal growth in Christ. First learning About God, to personally learning From God. Wonderful insight to the real meaning of Christianity, a Spirit empowered, personal and intimate relationship with Christ. Frye, personally has found the invisible realm of God, with the daily practice of disciplines to make room for God's Spirit to touch his life and bring him the compassion of Christ towards other men, with the only way possible, through God's Spirit and the faith and intimacy with God, that it requires. This is a book that remains within in evangelical thought in the and the framework of literal Biblical thought, yet goes the step further in seeing the spiritual principles behind the letter. Being one step closer towards seeing God outside of written words.

This book was a cup of cool water for me during a dry period of my life.

It is so easy as a pastor to simply pick up the next kit or program that will somehow escalate your church to the "next level". John Frye has brought us back to the fact that Jesus must be our mentor and guide throughout our ministry. He is to be our primary guide in all of pastoral ministry. It is about aligning ourselves as an apprentice of His.

Through this book I learned how I could better lead others in the character and power of Christ.

Thanks to John Frye for this encouraging work!

excellent book/cd combo that is perfect for the beginner at bass guitar who is interested in learning jump bass.


The book shipped promptly and it was like new.

Thanks,

This book just arrived and I just popped in the CD to give it a quick listen. What a pleasant surprise! The blues playing is top-notch all around, from the bassist (which you might hope for, from a bass book :-) to the guitar, drums, piano, harmonica, and even organ. If they lengthened the tracks this CD would almost stand on its own as a blues audio CD, it's that good. I've heard other "how to" books where the playing is only so-so (maybe intentionally, in a misguided attempt to not intimidate the beginner?), but on this CD everyone's really cookin', which I find really inspiring. It'll motivate me to work at getting as good.

Another good idea is that most of the band plays on the right track, and the bass playing is featured on the left channel, so it's easy to hear what he's doing and learn from it. I could see eventually muting the bass, recording my own left bass track and comparing to see how well I'm learning.

A quick scan through the book also makes me think I've made a good purchase - some good playing tips and lots of work to keep me busy this winter :-)

The CD and the examples in this blues bass instuction book are particularly perfect for those seeking the most common blues bass lines. The examples run from slow Willie Dixon blues, medium speed Chicago and New Orleans styles, into a few "swing" blues styles. Each example on the CD plays through the song in its entirety, and with cool variations. There are twenty-two examples in all, and each is representative of a very popular blues groove. What makes this bass book/cd standout from others is that it defines particular styles and artists and associates that sound for players to groove on. A HIGH SIERRA BASS PLAYER MUST HAVE!

I am a rank beginner on the bass, and have found that playing blues is one of the easier ways to feel like you are learning/playing a song without a lot of intense effort. I don't say this to say blues is easy, but more that the repetition in it is far easier to follow than many rock bass lines that move off into solos. This book sets out several (there are not LOTS of them) different styles and songs to practice, and it is done in a clear fashion with comments about the type of player(s) that made these styles famous.

If you're a well experienced player, you may be disappointed. But if you are not that experienced, this can give you that feeling that you really are making progress.

What a great bass blues book, with an unfortunate title. Keith covers some of the blues "greats" - "Duck Dunn", Tommy Shannon, etc. by using blues tunes to showcase the individual styles. Presented in notes and tabs with an accompanying CD. The CD allows you to "dump" the bass and play along with the band. Also, good commentaries on what makes a good blues bass player. The "Jump n" part of the title made me think the book only covered "old" blues styles, but it is a great overview of many styles.

along with bob dylan's "chronicles volume one," this is one of the two best music books i have ever read. mr lankford writes about his experiences on the road as a white drummer in an otherwise black blues band with great skill and wonderful narrative sense. this is a completely enjoyable book that i would recommend you best read soon.

I can only echo the sentiments of other reviewers when I beg Mike Lankford to write some more.

Even if you have no interest in the subject matter, Lankford's fluid style will thrill you to the end. We start with his love affair with rock music & drumming, the numerous bands he was in as a youth and conclude with a series of anecdotes regarding his time in a small touring every-band with a couple of ageing yet highly-talented black guys who needed a drummer. Brilliant!

I've loaned this book to several of my fellow musicians (most of whom have seen a little time on the road) and most of them have since bought copies for themselves. I've also recommended the book to my son, who has visions of a life in a rock band (and whom I feel hypocritical in trying to dissuade since it was my young adult dream, too). Mike's book speaks directly and honestly about the life of the journeyman musician and the danger and boredom that it entails. But at the same time, he conveys the wonder of a young teenager discovering the magic of the music. This book makes great reading for those who've been there and for those who could have been contenders.

Mike Lankford creates such a vivid picture of life on the road that I actually feel myself being tossed about in the back of that van he writes about. My only confusion: Why haven't we gotten another book from this guy?!

This is a musician's biography that soars above its genre. The writing is so good that truth loses importance. Life meets art. If another book is not forthcoming from Mike Lankford soon, he should be incarcerated for squandering a national treasure.

Buy this book. When it is delivered to you, savour each small chapter with curiosity, patience, diligence and a beginner's mind. When you're ready, take it to the piano with you. Sit with Dr. Overtone by your side, or right before you on the sheet music stand, and let him open door after door and guide you to the mysteries of sound and silence. Suddenly, you'll realise the piano is not merely what you have been expecting it to be. Within a few moments, you'll realise music is not what you thought it was. And eventually, you'll learn more about yourself, your community and the meaning of life than you thought your ears could teach you. Music, and music practice, then, will become a spiritual experience.

The way the book was written is lighthearted and really gentle, but the author very accurately tackles core concepts in a very hands-on approach. Expect to spend much more time making sounds than reading, to change a handful of concepts no matter how advanced you think you are in music, and to even perhaps change the way you teach your pupils. One of these gifts to Humankind a genious offers once in a very good while, this book is the philosopher's stone for everybody invested in making sound gold, from the pitch-challenged, wannabe singer to the super-concertist disheartened with their career. Even for those covered-ears souls who think they have not the gift for music. In essence, pretty much the next small step for a global cultural revolution. Do not just buy it, advertise 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."

Schechter has done for Judy and Liza what Koeschel has done for Wolfgang. It's all here: the mood, the method, the magnificence, in two encyclopedic texts that detail the lives and good works of two of the most fascinating and talented women of our time and all the ages--the Fantastic Garland and her equally incredible Daughter Liza Minnelli. Schechter has not only written two great books, he has done the world a terrific service in collecting some of their TV appearances on DVDs that have given a permanent showcase to material that otherwise might have been gone and forgotten forever, to the great loss of all of us. Colorful, informative, and fascinating, these two books on Judy and Liza, as well as the DVDs that constitute exhibits A-Z, should provide fans and would be admirers alike with endless pleasure and information, as they make an incalculably important and significant archival contribution to our heritage. Not to be missed. Martin Kantor, MD. Author of My Guy: A Gay Man's Guide to a Lasting Relationship and Together Forever: The Gay Man's Guide to Lifelong Love

If you are a fan of one of the greatest performers we have had, this book is for you. It includes many rare photos and a chronicle of her professional life over the last 40 (!) years. Schector, a long-time fan, has finally done the professional tribute to this star that needed to be done. You won't find what's in this book anywhere else!

and I would call that thing "a burning, selfless love." No, not the love you'd find between a man and a woman or a confused grad student... but the love and respect you might find between two bitter rivals who look at each other with a knowing nod and hint of a smile.

Liza's never been hotter than she is now and this scrapbook is just the thing you'll want to read to get you caught up on her deepest desires and secrets.

I know Liza is trying to put that awful David G. (I refuse to write the name "Gest") episode behind her and possible find love with someone who's less into getting bad plastic surgery and looking creepy.

I once met David Gest at a Rest Stop on the Jersey Turnpike. He was hitting the vending machine because his Fiery Habanero Doritos corn chips were stuck between the glass and that little spinny thing.

I was nice enough to help him out. I bought another bag of the corn chips and his dropped down. Unfortunately, my bag became lodged the same way his had. He didn't even say thank you. He just grabbed his chips and walked out. And I was the one the security guard yelled at! Can you believe it?

The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook is the most loving and complete biography available today. Mr. Schechter succeeds in revealing the TRUE Liza, an incredibly talented, charismatic legend in her own right.

Thanks to the Liza fans for all the kindness and support of the book.

Here are some of the professional reviews the book has gotten to date :



From Booksoup.com :

Liza Minnelli has mesmerized her audiences with her remarkable talent and pure joy of entertaining for decades. Her appeal is universal and timeless. For those us who have had the pleasure of closely following her career, no other performing artist can compare. "The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook" is a comprehensive pictorial history. Schechter has done an amazing job of chronicling Liza's career accompanying his research with pictures both familiar and new to the avid Liza fan. For longtime Liza fans like myself, the book is treasure of Liza remembrances and certainly the ultimate Liza "reference" book.

****

From NYTheatre.com

http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/bookshop.htm


The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook
by Scott Schechter

Perfect for any fan, The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook is just that - a scrapbook of an almost five-decade career. With a fond foreword by Billy Stricth, this book chronicles Liza's life by decade. There are brief overviews of each ten-year span, and then details and at least a brief synopsis on every movie, television show, Broadway show, and recording Liza has ever done. Furthermore, as if that was not enough, there are billions of pictures - pictures with other celebrity friends, cameos from various television and movie stints, covers of playbills and recordings, etc. The book is so indubitably complete in its coverage of Liza's career that there is even a picture of Liza with Kermit the Frog from her episode on "The Muppet Show!" This is an incredible, cohesive, and all-inclusive record of Ms. Minnelli and is a must have for any fan because of its comprehensive coverage and plethora of pictures.
- Seth Bisen-Hersh

http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/bookshop.htm

****
From GENRE magazine, January-February 2005 issue, "The Feed" Column : "audio / film / PAGES," Editor (and reviews by) Michael Liebermann :

"The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook" Scott Schechter, Kensington, Biography, 242 pages, $22

"If you're looking for objective criticism of Liza Minnelli's storied career in music, film and theater, or an expose of her latest missteps in love, then keep on browsing. But if you fancy a stroll down gay memory lane -- from growing up Garland through 'Cabaret'to the oft-forgotten 1980 TV spectacular 'Goldie and Liza : Together' -- you can't do much better than this true fan's scrapbook."

****

From OUT magazine, January 2004 issue; "OutFront" Reviews : "What's New and Hot" : "ETC" (Page 27) :

"A must-have for Liza fans, Scott Schechter brings us 'The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook' (Citadel, $21.95), a vibrant volume about her career, with over 200 rare and never-before-seen photographs."

****


Featured on November CNN "American Morning" Show

****

GREAT write-up on the InSightOUT Book Club's webpage :

CLUB REVIEW

From Cabaret to her recent stint on "Arrested Development," Liza Minnelli has never let the scandal that seems to run in her family's blood taint her dazzling career. And her life in showbiz, which spans five decades, is celebrated with this scrapbook of photos, facts, and diva pride!

"The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook" takes you back to the beginning of the dynamic performer's life as the daughter of Judy Garland-and her first public appearance at age 2 1/2! From there, she launched a career that garnered her Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards, and it's all covered here! Along with page after page of fantastic photos, the scrapbook looks at Liza's illustrious career: New York, New York, Flora the Red Menace, Liza at the Wintergarden, and The Act. There are essays about every major performance she's ever given, including her sold out appearance in Victor/Victoria. Plus, you get all the trivia and facts you could desire-and need! Everything Liza, including discography, videography, lists of awards and much more. Photos throughout. 242 pages, 8 1/2" x 11", softcover.


THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER -- Tuesday, November 16th, 2004

Reuters via Yahoo! News, Mon, 15 Nov 2004 4:13 PM PST

'SCRAPBOOK' DELIVERS THE GOODS (Headline)

By Robert Osborne NEW YORK

Liza Minnelli has certainly had her share of publicized woes of late, but something's on the horizon that should cheer her considerably.

Scott Schechter has compiled a magnificent book on the one aspect of L. M. that always seems to get short shrift or is altogether ignored these days, i. e.,her years of delivering the goods in front of cameras and on stages throughout the world. That work has won her, to date, an Oscar (1972), three Tonys (1965, '74, '78), an Emmy (1973), a Grammy (1989), two Golden Globes (1973, '86) and an ever-loyal fan base, something Schechter covers in monumental detail in "The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook," in bookstores this month via Citadel Press, with a foreword by Billy Stritch.

No stone is left unturned in looking at the career of Minnelli and, for a refreshing change, no stone is hurled at her, either; here, it's strictly Liza's professional life and accomplishments that the author is emphasizing. And nothing goes unrecorded, be it a TV "Match Game" appearance on NBC in 1967, a 1987 concert in Stockholm, Sweden, or, this year, singing "Oscar" and "God Bless the Child" at a private party at the Ars Nova Theatre in New York. Besides being a dandy reference guide for anyone hunting for a Minnelli fact,"Scrapbook" also includes plenty of interesting info on
Minnelli projects that came close to happening but didn't. She was announced, for instance, in 1975, and again in '77 and '79, to star in the film version of "Chicago," playing Velma to Goldie Hawn s Roxie Hart (with, at one point, Allan Carr producing, Frank Sinatra playing the lawyer, Nancy
Walker as the prison matron and Carol Channing and Ann Miller as competing newspaper reporters); later, in 1992, it was rescheduled but with a
difference: Lewis Gilbert was to direct, with Liza switched to the role of Roxie and Goldie as Velma.

We all know how that turned out. In 1982, Liza tested for what was to be an "Evita" directed by Ken Russell; she sang "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," causing Russell to publicly comment, "We had found our Evita"; the entire venture, however, was KO'd until it was finally made 14 years later with a different leading lady. Schechter also lists dozens of other projects that
almost happened ("Sunset Boulevard," "The Carmen Miranda Story") and, carrying out the "scrapbook" motif, there are miscellaneous color photographs, candids and reproductions of Playbill and album covers and Liza-related ads. One thing comes through loud and clear: The lady may like
to play, but she has also worked.

****

The NY POST -- "PAGE SIX" -- Sunday, November 14th, 2004 :

HITS THE SPOT :

IT'S not all bad news about Liza Minnelli, who was just hit with a lawsuit by her former chauffeur. At the book party for Scott Schechter's "Liza Minnelli Scrapbook" tribute tome, the author announced Minnelli's first theatrical movie since "Stepping Out" in 1991. Liza will play an offbeat self-help seminar leader who helps Parker Posey on her quest to find her G-spot, in "The Oh in Ohio." It co-stars Danny DeVito and Mischa Barton.

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The SECOND Review of "The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook" this one by Phill Hall of Boston's EDGE and also to appear in the NY RESIDENT paper in a few weeks :

"The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook" by Scott Schechter
Grade: A+
by Phil Hall
EDGE Literature Critic
Monday Nov 1, 2004

Just from the title alone, "The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook" seems predestined to find a place on the coffee table of many gay homes. But forget the stereotypical gay worship of this show biz icon and zoom in on the rich contents. Scott Schechter's extraordinary tribute to Liza with a "Z" is brilliantly researched, lavishly illustrated and endlessly entertaining. It is impossible to come away from this book without possessing a deeper love and respect for Minnelli.

Schechter breaks down Minnelli's career in a neat manner: a decade-by-decade career-based mini-biography (all scandals are removed from print), followed by a chronological appreciation of Minnelli's theater, film, television, recording and concert careers. Schechter uncovers a wealth of long-forgotten facts and photographs which will delight Minnelli's fans: Minnelli dancing on stage with then-unknown Elliott Gould in a touring company of "The Fantasticks," her simultaneous Time and Newsweek covers for "Cabaret" (and you thought Bruce Springsteen was the only entertainer to accomplish that?)

The book is also rich with Minnelli trivia, including unlikely appearances such as a concert for the inmates of a Chicago jail (two months after she won the "Cabaret" Oscar). There is also an unexpectedly large amount of little-known data on projects which Minnelli either turned down (including the role of Daisy in "The Great Gatsby" opposite Robert Redford) or which fell apart before production began (including the film version of "Evita" under Ken Russell's direction).

Schechter is uncommonly generous to Minnelli, to the point of presenting the most glamorous and flattering photographs available; later-life tabloid photographs which show Minnelli's problems with weight control are conspicuously absent. Yes, "The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook" is a love letter to the great star. And honestly, what's wrong with a love letter to someone who truly earned the love of her fans?

Citadel Press, $21.95, 228 pages

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The FIRST REVIEW for "The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook"

LIZ SMITH : NY Post -- Friday, November 5th, 2004

"DEDICATED TO Liza Minnelli's artistry." That's what it says on page one of Scott Schechter's "The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook" (Citadel Press). This is a glossy valentine to the great star, concentrating on her long, award-laden stage, screen and recording career. The sensation of her "private" life is not emphasized. Tons of previously unseen photos and plenty of Minnelli minutiae. (Her first reviews, even as an awkward teen, are a thrill to read; she had style from the start!) Flip through this and be reminded that Liza is an artist, one whose commitment to her audience never wavers.

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