Music Books

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.

Follow these notes and get the message from the source. This is genius and fine Art. This man was dedicated to spreading the beauty of music through guitar.

As an instructor and full time musician I have seen and purchased many Jazz Guitar solo books. Many arrangements are usually not usable or have poor substitution choices. Book one and book two are both excellent books
for use as Solo heads or in trio guitar format. The standards are treated respectfully and the chord substitution choices are musical and intelligent.Many songs are in original keys which make it easy to compare to original changes for study purposes.The music is very well notated,easy to read, and most are easy to learn and play for intermediate and advanced players.Remember these were written many years ago and may not be quite as "hip" as some of the newer treatments but they are certainly worth checking out.

A good part of this book is biographical so you get to know the arranger. The 13 tunes are recorded to studio quality so the disc also works as relaxing music. Barry did not play on this disc although the guitar playing is supposed to be faithful to his style. To me the music is a little too predictable and elevatorly as a whole but there are two arrangements that stand above the rest. 'As Time Goes By' and 'Round Midnight' would be the ones I would learn. The rest of them are workman like which reflects Barry's philosphy towards music. He showed up and did his job with occasional flashes of brilliance. In the studio if an arrangement was too 'difficult' for another guitarist Barry was often called in to get the job done. He knew how to cut through the crap and simplify difficult musical passages.

These elegant arrangements were originally penned by Galbraith for his private students, and served to help them get their reading chops together as well as to learn the chord-melody style of guitar. It's a shame that the arrangements weren't reproduced twice--first without tablature, and then with. Tab is necessary to ensure the broadest market and most sales, but Barry would certainly have discouraged his own students from relying on it to learn these arrangements. And when it's there, it takes an iron will to avoid the temptation of using it.

Circulating privately are at least 20 more Galbraith arrangements (not found in this volume or it's companion, "vol. 2"), including "Autumn in New York," "The Bad and the Beautiful," "Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting...)," "Dancing on the Ceiling," "Dolphin Dance," "The Duke," "I Should Care," "I'll Be Around," "Lament," "Love Me Tomorrow," "My Old Flame," "My Romance," "Ruby, My Dear," "She's Funny That Way," "Wait 'till You See Her," "We'll Be Together Again," "When Sunny Gets Blue," "Where Is Love," "Why Did I Choose You," and a blues. Hopefully they will see the light of day in a third volume in this series.

The accompanying cd for this volume and the second volume feature very tasty renditions of Galbraith's arrangements. Though I wasn't familiar with the playing of John Purse before buying this collection, it's hard to imagine Galbraith or any one else doing the tunes much better.

This is intermediate level book of 13 jazz standards:
"For All We Know", "Darn That Dream", "My Funny Valentine",
"Alone Together", "I Can't Get Started", "As Time Goes By",
"Have You Met Miss Jones", "Born To Be Blue", "Embraceable You",
"You Go To My Head", "In A Sentimental Mood", "'Round Midnite",
"Good Morning Heartache". They are fully annotated - with tab for
complete fingering and complete chord names. Fingerings are very
playable and natural and it is easy to give the music relaxed
feel - one thing that is immediately obvious when you start
playing these arrangements is how good they sound on a guitar.
They are obviously done by musician with deep knowledge of the
instrument. They are perfect as relaxed, solo repertoire pieces
and they will add many useful phrases to your chord-melody
vocabulary. Highly recommended for jazz guitarists and perhaps
even classical players.

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!

In this book, the hypochondriac genius of movies, radio, television, and the concert stage delivers all the neurotic humor expected. But the author, a talented writer as well as one of the great pianists of the 20th century, also succeeds at conveying the ambience of the artistic world of the 1920s through 1950s. His insights about his contemporaries, including celebrated conductors, musicians, composers, and actors, are fascinating.

Luckily found this among my mother's books, the title caught my eye. When asked about it, my mother laughed softly. I thought, if it can make her laugh it must be funny; well it's the best humor, and I turned to a page and busted out laughing. It's more than that. I read the one I bought from time to time, and there is always a point of feeling I'm in the belly of a beast. Such integrity I'd never known, and never felt I could fit in this world 'til reading "Memoirs of an Amnesiac".

My son had to explain (to my wife) the joke behind the title. An amnesiac can't remember and a memoir is a written record of memories. Hence, a contradiction, but still a great title and an emblematic preview of what's to come when you read this book. And you do want to read this book because Oscar Levant is unique, funny, honest, interesting, and weird. He is the kind of person that you want to read about because he seemed to know everyone who was anyone in American music or in American film and of course he has the inside scoop on those people including Harpo Marx, Louis Mayer, Irving Berlin, Fanny Brice, Aaron Copland, Arnold Schoenberg, Dorothy Parker, Paul Whiteman, Judy Garland, Arturo Toscanini, and Harry Truman. Oscar Levant, as SN Behrman said, is the kind of person that if he had not existed, could not be imagined. Yes, he's that bad. Because he is brutally honest about his life, his loves, his obsessions and compulsions, his drug addictions and his music and friends, we have here a real-life true quill biography that takes no prisoners and lacks the usual apology or gloss or pastiche so common these days. Brutal honesty - that's the ticket. Oscar has to tap eight times to get water from the faucet. He has to tap eight times to shut the water off. He needs to name each street his limo passes and if he misses the name, his driver has to circle back to get the name. He will throw away a pack of cigarettes if someone talks while he is opening the pack. His wife, June, (her title should be Saint June) who picked up the pieces after each nervous breakdown, still must have a separate waste paper pail in each room so that she doesn't contaminate the waste paper in his pail. When Oscar had his heart attack, he had to go through all his night time rituals before he could get into bed for the doctor to check him. In short - a real nut case. And yet, and yet, a world-class pianist, composer, television and film personality who led a life well lived. You wouldn't want him in your home for dinner unless, of course, he kept his mouth shut and just played his marvelous interpretations of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which, incidentally, I am listening to right now. Ah, genius, - it has its problems and it has its pleasures.

This has always been one of my favorite books. I recall reading it for the first time as a pre-teen, and chuckling at his OUTRAGEOUS stories. I'm probably among the last generation that remembers this brilliant man, which is a shame. In the days of the great "talk shows", like Jack Paar, etc.., Oscar Levant was always one of the most coveted, and controversial, guests. I remember seeing him on t.v., as a kid, & being fascinated by this odd looking man who, though I quite honestly didn't get 90% of what he was saying, was obviously someone truly unique. This book has all his irreverent humor, the humor even evident in his telling of his long battle with mental illness, and his extreme, then un-named "obsessive-compulsive" disorder. His brutal honesty about his ordeal was unheard of at that time, and was long before the trend of todays celebrities, who do everything but hawk their x-rays on informercials. There's many names in this book that you will recognize, and his telling of his encounters with various celebrities is not always in their favor, and will have you rolling on the floor. He was literally thrown off the air in the 1950's, for a remark he made on a live talk show, pertaining to Marilyn Monroe and her conversion to Judaism, which is recounted in this book, but can't be repeated here. But at the time, the staid 1950's, it must have had the audience awestruck in utter shock at his outrageous (and incredibly humorous) statement. This is just a fabulous book about one of the greatest wits of this century, the man who started out as an incredibly accomplished and respected pianist, he was most known for his rendition of good friend Gershwins "Rhapsody In Blue", and became something more than just a clown. Totally touching, hysterical, and honest, this book will have you falling in love with dear, lost, brilliant Oscar. In todays, for the most part, [dissapointing] "celebrity" climate, we sure could use the likes of him again.

This book was a disappointment although it covers the scope of Oscar Levant's life from Tin Pan Alley to Carnegie Hall to Hollywood to mental hospitals.

A major problem with the writing is that it consists of endless name dropping without context. If you aren't familiar with the names (which I wasn't for the most part) then a good deal of the story is lost.

Another feature of the writing is a constant stream of one-liners from Oscar and others. These were undoubtably funny when they were first said, but in the book they seem forced. For example, "I once said cynically of a politician, "He'll double-cross that bridge when he comes to it."" If you enjoy one-liners then this book showcases them throughout.

As a fan of Oscar Levant from movies like Rhythm on the River and An American In Paris, I was pleased that he was up front about many aspects of his life. However, the famous line, "Beneath this flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character" had a lot more truth to it than I had assumed. Oscar really does exhibit rude behavior, selfishness, cheating and drug addiction. And of course neurosis. He is honest to his faults.

A better (but far briefer) description of Oscar Levant is in Harpo Marx's book "Harpo Speaks". That book also has a lot of name dropping, but the literary style is rich so that it's fascinating even if you are not familiar with the Algonquin Round Table.

With Oscar's book, I was satisfied about the scope of the writing, but disappointed in the terse style although it's an easy read.

The Definitive Guide - I agree absolutely!!! Useful and practical book - over 400 pages and about 300 bands covered. The essential bands are there due to their talent and influence, and not sales. There are definitions and introductions of genres and sub-genres (from HMR and NWOBHM to goth, power, doom etc) discographies, geography - from UK and Finland to Central America. This book is an honest, knowledgeable and decent job of true professional and real connoisseur. Not only I finally found what I've been looking for (and couldn't find in "Great Metal Discography" - avoid it), I used it as a guide to buy many decent albums, and to read "Nuclear Blast". Few suggestions only - to find some place in the next edition for "Grand Funk", "Blue Cheer" and "Iron Butterfly". As for doom - honestly, "Swans" and - especially - "Laibach" should be there. And a real must is "Mezarkabul" ("Pentagram") from Turkey. But just buy this book, it's a give away price.

Got this gift for my husband who is a metal fanatic. He loved it. He said it was the best gift he ever got. I would recommend this for any metal enthusiast!

I recently bought this book back in August and am stillreading it, its thatgood. First of all, this book only deals with "True Metal" bands only. There are no NuMetal, Grunge, hair,etc.What you get is different genres of Metal. American Thrash, British Thrash, Death, Black, Doom/Gothic, Power, American Heavy Metal, Swedish Heavy Metal, Japanese Metal, NWOBHM, NWOAHM, Brazilian Metal, etc. Band histories and discography are very well done. No longer will you have to buy individual Metal books. Its allhere. In fact, flipping through theAmerican Thrash section, I discovered several Canadian Thrash bands that totally shred. Ended up buying several of their cd's. Garry Sharpe Young has put together the best book on Metal out there for the True Metal fan. If you're a Metal Maniac, buy this now, trust me.

My favorite still is the Encyclopedia of Metal as a generic guide, but when I saw this one come out this year, I picked up a copy, and it was well worth it. Not only is it also a complete guide, it divides the bands into Genres of metal, that way you can pick up the book, look at the contents and get organized alphabetical answers in each Genre. And all the big bands are included. Again, a great book to have for the Metal head. Check this one out.

This book is basically a big thick encyclopedia of different metal bands. The author did a really good job of writing about bands that are purely metal, as opposed to other metal books that just get all ridiculous and have entries on Pearl Jam and Insane Clown Posse, but leave out a lot of important bands. Pretty much every band that should be in here is in here. The only band that I was really surprised was missing was Melvins (it was also kind of surprising that the Japanese band Boris wasn't in here either). Anyway, the focus on metal means that many hard rock bands that are either considered to be metal or proto-metal are not in here. So that means no Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Deep Purple, or AC/DC. There's also no hair metal and no nu-metal.

The book is broken up into sections for different genres/categories of metal. Because there are so many genres of metal and so many different metal bands, this sounds like a bad idea, but the categories are split up pretty well. Every band entry is pretty informative and includes a discography. Most entries for bands span multiple pages. Entries for more popular bands like Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Anthrax span several pages and had all kinds of information I had never read before. So while reading this I've never really gotten the feeling that I'm just reading a bunch of stuff that I've read before, which is a huge plus with this kind of book. Also, the band entries are often accompanied by a band photo, which is nice.

Anyway, I guess I would sum up my thoughts on this book as thus: If there were a college course on heavy metal, this would probably be the textbook you'd have to buy.

Yes, it's nearly 15 years old. Why a revised edition never surfaced is beyond me. Still, if you can forgive a total absence of recordings from the mid-90's onward, plus some notable exclusions of opera that have since gained in popularity, this is a must-own volume. I cannot think of another guide that discusses individual recordings so thoroughly.

The reviews are highly opinionated, but there is no question that each reviewer is an authority on the subject. I do disagree on some counts, particularly when it comes to some favorite singers. For instance, it matters not to me that Grace Bumbry is attacked for her lower register; she will always be the greatest Amneris in my book, if not in this one, so to speak.

I agree with my fellow Texan reviewer who described hours of pleasurable reading from this essential companion. No one guide can be all things to all people, but the strenghs of this one place it at among the two or three very best available.

This book is an older sister of the "Metropolitan Opera Guide to Opera on Video". Both are edited by P.Gruber, which at least partly explains their similar design, but feature different teams of reviewers (only few names overlap) and maybe this is the reason why this guide reads so much better than its video sequel. Nevertheless, it is not difficult to imagine that the main reason for this discrepancy is the medium itself: recordings play much greater a role in our musical lives than video (or DVD) and that's probably why it is easier to write about them with fondness. The reviews collected here are very human and it is clear that their authors not only lived with the reviewed recordings for quite a while, but were quite eager to share their comments with the broader public - I didn't have that impression while reading the MET team's generally sour video guide. This is a very likeable book! Most of the reviews are written with sympathy and warmth, not very common in this kind of critical writings. There is also a tendency to emphasize the good even in seriously flawed recordings. These are highly subjective reviews and there is no attempt at concealing it: the language is always very personal and leaves no doubt that in many cases some high emotions were involved - again a feature that I found missing in the video guide. To make the book even more "human", the editors thought about including some dozen charts presenting favorite opera recordings of some celebrities (for whatever it is worth to know Joan Rivers's tastes in operatic matters; other choices are less problematic since most of the people are to some degree professionally involved with opera or theater). This guide is of course outdated but this shouldn't make it less attractive to true opera lovers. What is very important with this kind of publications - apart from its obvious practical value - is the fact that they preserve in a compact form a selection of well written essays not only on opera recordings, but also on our musical life and they give the lie to a generally felt impression that music criticism is a dying art. However, on the strictly practical side, the MET's guide will never be quite outdated, since the reviews collected here apply NOT only to CDs, but also to vinyl discs, at the time of printing still a popular medium. Many of then LPs (some transferred from 78s) are being reissued now in all sorts of series of "legendary recordings" launched by the record companies. As to the new releases, we can only wish that the guide will be updated from time to time. A large section on baroque opera recordings would be an important feature of this imaginary "new edition" (I have to admit that in its current form, the guide doesn't have much to offer for the fans of early opera) But even without these changes, the MET's guide is a very important addition to the music library of any record collector - if not strictly as a guide, then simply as a collection of wonderful musical essays. One can agree with them or not, but they never leave the readers with an impression of having been written by people bored with the topic. Enjoy!

Anybody who collects opera on CD (or other formats) should own this tome; mine has long since separated into maverick fascicles from constant reference and casual browsing. Each contributor reviews, in some detail, virtually all recorded versions of a single work (then, incidentally and almost superfluously, offering recommendations). Standards of knowledge and of writing are gratifyingly high, and the thinking is refreshingly independent; I've been led to some wonderful disks that, going by received opinion, I wouldn't have poked with a ten-foot pole. But the book stops short in the early 90s; for anyone interested in state-of-the-art sound (not to mention some extraordinary performances), the Guide has quickly become seriously deficient. Also, it's time to rethink the operas included. Ginastera's Bomarzo, Argento's Postcard from Morocco and Musgrave's Mary Queen of Scots -- all unobtainable in any format -- can go, making room for, say, Schreker, Respighi, Chausson and Chabrier, Zemlinsky and Glass, among many others. Some composers need broader representation: Cherubini, Weber, Bellini (no Pirata!), Gluck (neither Iphigenia, no Alceste). Other commentators have suggested either a thorough-going update, or a second volume. I'd buy either without a second's pause.

Opera is a costly art. Producing recordings of operas is a costly business. Opera enthusiasts who wish to own recorded versions of their favorite operas, must thus expect to have credit cards that can call up large funds. Hence, the usefulness and value of another art form, one that developed in the C20th. This new art form is the guide to recorded opera, a collection of critical assessments and recommendations intended to help readers avoid wasting their money.

Of all such publications - and they can provide endless hours of absorbing reading even if the aim is not necessarily to get a well-informed recommendation - an outstanding example is The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera. Developed from an idea by Roland Gellat, and edited by Paul Gruber, it surveys and assesses virtually all opera sets on record up to 1993, the year of its publication. The roster of reviewers is impressive, comprising a team of twenty highly qualified contributors working in the USA and England.

Something I always look for in books of this type is a detailed index. The one here meets all my requirements. It enables me to find all references in the book to, for example, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, a singer you might think is represented in recorded opera sets more than anybody else. It is Placido Domingo, however, whose index entries occupy more space here than those of any other singer.

An alphabetical order of composers dictates where the recorded opera reviews are found. Once you have found "M" near the center of the book, for example, you can locate Mozart, and find his operas discussed in chronological order. There is also an index of opera titles, if you prefer that means of finding what you want. There are no illustrations, and pages are laid out in two-column format, so the book is reasonably compact and not too weighty.

Each reviewer is set the task of assessing all available recorded sets of a particular opera (a luxury few of us can enjoy) and providing a recommendation. Perhaps it is in the nature of opera, an art form with so many inter-relating components, that few single versions of a particular opera are found to excel on all counts. One of the few is the de Sabata "Tosca". Nevertheless the reviewers always attempt to "narrow the field" and indicate strengths and weaknesses along the way.

A "guide" to recorded opera is tricky. First of all, every opera critic is likely to have his or her own biases when it comes to singers, conductors, sound quality, etc. That being said, this book is an extremely fair, balanced, guide to the recordings of many operatic staples, as well as lesser-known works. Each opera's discography is reviewed by a single critic, so there's consistency. However, a problem arises when the different critics offer conflicting views of the same singer in different operas. Joan Sutherland is criticized by some critics for her poor diction and placid portrayals, but other critics choose to focus on the beauty of her voice and her impeccable technique. Who do you believe? It's your choice. Also, this book was written in 1993, so many recent studio recordings, historical releases from Naxos, and more "legitimized" pirates are not covered here. Overall, however, it's an entertaining, comprehensive guide to many famous recordings.

I purchased this book for my sister for her birthday because is is a Die-Hard MJ fan and she just loves everything about this book!!, The pictures, The Interviews she says that it even has MJ opinion about how he felt about the his earlier hits. So I say this is a very excellent book to purchase for yourself if you too are a die-hard fan of MJ'S or even if you know someonre who is they won't be disappointed.

P.S. It even has his lyrics to certain songs. So how can you go wrong? this book was worth every cent I sent to it knowing how happy it made my sister.

this book is basicaly a bunch of facts on the star with itntrevew tranacriptions and some nice pictures thown in although the way the book is set up is a little odd and the typing errors in the first few chapters lead me to belive that it was rushed to prir This book iss not a bio it was a book put togther by a big fan that becaily said michael jackson is cool and heres why after quickly going over his personal life (and not in much detail) it basicaly breaks down what hes done with somerarelly seen at least in some areas of the word intervieews printed

This is a beautiful book from the front cover to the back. It's a down-to-earth, no-non sense read on the entertainer. It's a keepsake for the bookself.

This 300 page book is not just another book on Michael Jackson! This book is unique and a mile from the rest! It's packed with detailed information on the life and career of the entertainer. It's a well-written book that can be housed in any public library or on any high school bookshelf. Yet, I have noticed that this clean book on Michael Jackson doesn't appear to be selling as well as all the other books that are on the market about him. What a pity! This book is more of a literary work on the Superstar life and career than any of the others that I have read. But it's missing one main ingredient - Trash! It doesn't really get into throwing stones and pulling what-ifs opinions out of the wind.
But that's the world we're living in. Give the people what they want, and what they want is dirty laundry over good writing! Decent works like this one get left behind!

this Book is very Detailed&the world Owes Michael Jackson as does the Media a Big saying they are Sorry.He is One o fthe Greatest Musicians Ever. He has Broken down many barriers.Michael Jackson is a Civil Rights leader&Strogn Pressence that will never be denied.almost 40 year career.He is the King of Pop&this Book goes into many areas acknowledging His Genius&timeless Musical Qualitys.

I have only one consideration regarding this book and another of his actaully and that is that the hand drawn chord diagrams are difficult to read. I would prefer the diagrams a little larger and clearer. I give it a 4 star overall. Minus one star for the illegibality

With the purchase of "Modern Chord Progressions" a few weeks ago, I completed collecting all of Ted Greene's amazing publications. His approach to writing may be considered a bit unorthodox, or dated, to some as they were originally written in the 1970's using less sophisticated publishing techniques (For example, all of the chord diagrams are filled in by hand and there are notes and arrows scribbled in by hand on the pages). The result is that they have a homespun feel to them and I actually really like it; it's refreshing, in contrast to most of the slicked out books offered these days, and perfectly complements his warm, genuine, and humorous personality which shines through in his writing.

I've learned, and continue to learn, so much from them as they contain a wealth of information that will, literally, take years to get through. The depth and detail with which he delves into applied music theory and harmony is incredible, so be forewarned. His books are not for the beginner, the timid, or the impatient, as each books require a great deal of perseverance to get through its myriad of examples, ranging from simple to extremely difficult, even for seasoned players. However, the effort is well worth it and you will grow so much as a musician, particularly in the all-important skill of voice leading, of which he was a master.

I was sad to learn that he passed in 2005 at only 58. However, his legacy and contributions to the field of music education live on in his wonderful books that I highly recommend for anyone seeking the ultimate teacher; someone who can help guide you along the incredibly rewarding journey to musical knowledge and mastery.

I have owned Chord Chemistry for almost half life and just in recent months began to really appreciate Ted Greene's work. I highly suggest owning all of his books, maybe not Single note Soloing unless you are really serious but Modern Chord Progressions and Chord Chemistry are necessary. If you wnat to get better at guitar I suggest using the wealth of knowledge that Ted has in his books and on his web page. He is a legend and a kind man to put so much work into helping others learn music/guitar. I have said it before and will say it again, my most heartfelt thanks go out to Ted Greene, his family, all of his students, and anyone who helped with his writiings.

Observing people who have demonstrated a fluency in their instrument, and, using this information to develop one's own ideas are the benefits of study.
Ted Greene is able to convey his passion for playing the guitar. He communicates his musicianship with his writings. Tab and other music notation accompany his chord studies. He is a highly recommended resource.

I'm taking Jazz guitar lessons, and this book has helped me to peek ahead and see the dizzying number of permutations for all of the commonly used chords and voicings. There's no easy way to learn jazz, but if you work through this book, you will know a lot more by the time you finish it.

It's not a reference or a book of practice exercises. But if you want to slowly and steadily increase your knowledge of how Jazz works, get a decent teacher and learn one version of one of the progressions in this book every night.

O Autor dá um banho em matéria de pragmatismo. É um excelente material de ensino e um bom livro para pequenas consultas também. Traduz a didática americana da melhor maneira.
The author makes a goal on pragmatism. It is an excellent material for teaching and a good book for small queries as well. Translates the american-teaching way very best.

Well, I used old russian sources before, and had a lot of problems with understanding of voicings. I just can say - this book is amazing! Very clear, logical, exercises... if you need to know about how to change basic chords to more complex, this book is your helper.

The material presented is great, and will prove helpful in my study of arranging.

I did have one problem with the book however. In the introduction it states, "Because this book is intended for an expanded audience beyond students enrolled at Berklee, it includes substantial amounts of new text, many new musical examples, solutions to exercises and an accompanying CD."

Yes, it's all there except the solutions to the exercises and I am finding that frustrating. I contacted the publisher and got this reply:

Our Senior Editor clarified that the author meant the exercises begin with a measure of answers filled in for the student. They will clarify the "solutions to exercises" mention in the next printing of the book. My apologies for any confusion this may have caused you.

Anyways, I found this aspect frustrating and a hinderance to my getting the full benefit of this book.

Modern Jazz Voicings teaches how to write in fourths, clusters and uppers structure triads in an easy way. The best feature in this book is the recording examples. Any book that claims to be a great arranging book needs to have decent recording examples. The readers can easily digest the techniques since they are available to their ears. Also, the recordings not only include horn section, but they use different orchestration to illustrate the voicings explained. Berklee teaches this course called as Chord Scale Theory. I strongly recommend this book.

This book is absolutely excellent. Like other Berklee Press books, it is easy-to-understand, and it offers exercises after each exercise to ensure that the lessons are etched in your brain through hands-on application. This book demystifies alot concerning voicings and chord scale theory, and I dare say that this and "Reharmonization Techniques" by Randy Felts should be the first books one reads before they read other fine arranging books by Sebesky, Riddle, Mancini and Grove. Many of those books focus more on style, with little if any explaination of jazz/chord theory. Once you get the essentials from this book, you'll gain way more from the other books.

This book starts with a lesson on chord theory, then simple 4 and 5 part voicings, as well as non-chord tone reharmonization. It then proceeds to tell you exactly how to write voicings in fourths, clusters, and upper-structure triads. In addition, it comes with a CD with recorded examples from each chapter of the book, so you can hear the subtle differences between the various voicings and effects.

This book is amazing!

One word of advice (speaking from my own initial misunderstanding): when reading the early chapter detailing "avoid notes", be sure to absorb and understand it as much as possible - it is the foundation upon which the later chapters on specialized voicings are built upon. This is the only part of the book where a decent grasp of jazz chord construction and tensions MAY be needed. In a nutshell, a note is avoided because: a.) It creates an nasty, dissonant interval with an essential chord tone, or b.) It creates an inteval with an essential chord tone that is uncharacteristic of that chord type (ie. a tritone in a Major 7th chord, etc.)

Reviewed by Conner (age 4) and Mom for Reader Views (4/08)

The words for this story were adopted from a one-man band songwriter, Jesse "The Lone Cat" Fuller, in the earlier 1900s. It is a rhythmic telling of near-rhymes of what happens when a monkey gets control of the train.

"What did you think of the book?"
"I love it. I like the story. That's all. I love it when the monkey drives off."
"Why?"
"Cause it's funny. That's all."
"Do you think it was right for the monkey to drive off with the train?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"'Cause you need a captain."
"What does a captain do?"
"He drives the ship."
"Do you think the monkey was lucky?"
"No, because he shouldn't drive off."
"Do you think the engineer was mad when he caught up to the monkey?"
"I don't know, no?"

Parent's comments:

I thought the illustrations in "The Monkey and the Engineer" really brought out what was happening in the lyrics. Not being familiar with any of the song versions of the story, I found it better to read the book as a book and not try to sing the story. The near-rhymes require someone who has a stronger musical talent than is in my ability. But I did appreciate the history behind the story and having a place to go where I could hear the song sung. We tried following the story with the music and that made the words have more zing when looking at the pictures.

Monkey and the Engineer is a children's picturebook adaptation of a song written by African-American railroad worker and musician Jesse "Lone Cat" Fuller (1896-1976), about a railroad engineer and his remarkably astute pet monkey - a simian quite capable of running the train all by itself! Artist David Opie brings the tall tale of the engineer's monkey to life with vibrant, cartoony illustrations, creating a wonderful storybook distillation of American musical and cultural history. "Once upon a time there was an engineer. // He drove a locomotive both far and near. // He was accompanied by a monkey who would sit on a stool / watching everything the engineer would do. // One day the engineer wanted a bite to eat. / He left the monkey sitting on the driver's seat." Highly recommended.

"Again, read it to me again." Those were the words that my three-year-old grandson spoke as soon as I finished reading Monkey and the Engineer to him for the first time. But even that wasn't enough! "One more time," he said over and over until his eyes finally closed, giving way to a much-needed nap. This delightful children's book is based upon lyrics originally written by the late Jesse Fuller, a blues musician and folk artist. Music lovers of all ages will enjoy seeing the original sheet music and reading Fuller's biography at the end of the book.

The colorful, beautiful, and rich art work is striking; the illustrations will, without a doubt, attract and hold the attention of children. Their imaginations will take delight in the antics of the monkey who pulls the throttle on the southbound locomotive when the engineer is off of the train, eating a bite under a tree. The monkey, who usually sat on a stool watching the engineer, had apparently paid very close attention to the operation. However, smart as he was, the monkey did not know there was a northbound train on the same main line. Thanks to the quick actions of the switch operator, a collision is avoided.

The words from the lyrics are easy to read for older children, but all ages will enjoy the incredible detail of the pictures. As a former publisher, I can truly say this is some of the best art work I have ever seen in a children's picture book. Although Monkey and the Engineer is recommended for children between two and six years of age, I suggest that parents and caregivers not allow themselves be hemmed in too tightly by this suggested age group. A budding nine-year-old artist might value the book for its dramatic illustrations, and young musicians might enjoy looking at the sheet music or hearing the original Monkey and the Engineer song by clicking on the link that is provided by the publisher. Consider this a "must have" book to add to your children's library.

The story of the Monkey and the Engineer is from a song by the famous blues artist and composer Jessie Fuller and has long been covered by the Grateful Dead (in their many incarnations). While this makes the book particularly attractive to "Dead Heads" - this story stands solidly on its own.

This delightful telling of the tale takes us on a fun ride...with colorful illustrations by David Opie that captivate your heart and release your imagination. Children of all ages will enjoy this entertaining story!

It has been said that "the blues" is the folk music of America - I really appreciate the history. The story of Jessie Fuller that is beautifully told in the back of the book helps to make this book relevant to children, teens and adults alike.

I hope that this is just the first in a long series of books based on the songs of the great "blues" Masters! Bravo!

I have six nieces and nephews, so I'm always looking for terrific books to read to them. I was pleasantly surprised to discover an additional fan of Monkey and the Engineer: my husband. When he saw the book's title, he got very excited and sang the song as I turned the pages. What a hoot!

The lyrics, about an engineer's pet monkey running off with the train, are so silly and lend themselves to some classic pictures - the one of the engineer's "worried mind" is hilarious! And the monkey really looks competent in parts, which had me chuckling. The book includes an online link to Fuller singing his song with a harmonica, a nice touch.

I'd recommend this book not only to fans of folk music or The Grateful Dead, but to anyone looking for a fun book to make your loved ones (and yourself) smile. Let this inspiration move you brightly!