Product Description
In this thorough research guide to the career and music of Bill Dixon the author has documented how Dixon refined a sonically unique pan-tonal language of trumpet playing. As a trumpeter, composer, educator, and theoretician, Bill Dixon has politically and musically influenced many phases of the development of Black music in the second half of the 20th century. This authoritative guide details information about the life and music of Bill Dixon. Bill Dixon comments throughout the text on the familiar and unfamiliar aspects of his career as it unfolds between performances and recordings. The recollections of those who have collaborated with Bill Dixon over the years supplement the thorough research here presented on the life and career of Bill Dixon and, additionally, the New York avant garde artistic sphere in which he worked. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A serious documetary for serious study
A book for hard-core fans of Bill Dixon and for the serious scientist dealing with contemporary black music. It lists all known musical expressions of Bill Dixon, regardless whether they were recorded or are just "remembered". And Dixons musical production is vast,although his commercially available output is very moderate; Dixonmaintains a comprehensive archive of his recordings since 30 years. Young's text does not interpret or analyze Dixon's music which he leavesfor future authors. It is a pity that the book neglects Dixon's work as avisual artist (were he had his initial academic education) which is veryconsistent with his musical work. ... Read more

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One of the few American composers to earn an international reputation in both "classical" and popular music, Alec Wilder (1907-1980) was a true innovator in every phase of composition he pursued. His many hundreds of musical compositions, ranging from chamber and orchestral music, to opera and ballet, theatre and film, and art songs and popular songs, are documented here in an exhaustive catalog of works. Included are detailed performance information and cross references to recordings in a discography section and reviews and commentary in a fully annotated bibliography of writings by and about the composer. The book also includes a lively biographical sketch, a summary of archival materials at the Eastman School of Music, an appendix of awards, a directory of music publishers, a chronological list of compositions, and an index. ... Read more

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Chris Sheridan presents a major discographical study of an American jazz giant, "Cannonball" Adderley, whose career had a significant impact on jazz's subsequent development. Sheridan presents chronological entries on all known recordings, whether for disc, radio, television, film, or video, including all known commercial issues. A band itinerary lists all known engagements, whether in club, concert hall, or festival, and Sheridan highlights previously unknown sessions and performances for all forms of recording media. ... Read more

Product Description
This ambitious new addition to Rough Guide Music Reference surpasses all other jazz guides with more than 900 pages of critical biographies and nearly 3,000 recommendations of recordings. From the legends of the genre to today's hottest young players, this is both a who's who of jazz and a buyer's companion to the best albums on CD and vinyl. Photos.Amazon.com Review
Written by musicians, Jazz: The Rough Guide containsmore than 1,600 biographies, from Ahmed Abdul-Malik (Brooklyn bass andoud player, 1927 to 1993, who played with Thelonious Monk, HerbieMann, and Coltrane) to Axel Zwingenberger (German boogie- woogiepianist, born 1955, played with Joe Newman, Joe Turner, and SippieWallace, and has helped revitalize jazz piano). In addition toprofiling a broad spectrum of jazz musicians (both famous andlesser-known composers and performers), it clarifies crucial jazzissues, gives historical perspective, and also serves as a buyer'sguide, with discographies and pithy reviews of representativerecordings.

The Guide's alphabetical, encyclopedic organization makes ituseful as a dependable jazz reference, and it's wonderfully browsable,too, illustrated with fine classic black-and-white photographs (ofperformers such as Jelly Roll Morton and his Red Hot Peppers) andbeautifully written. A good starter text for jazz neophytes, the CDsuggestions are a great help toward custom- building your jazzlibrary. There's also a fine glossary that explains a cappella andacid jazz, Afro-Latin, airshot, and atonality. It's a safe source ofeducation if you're ignorant about ballads, bebop, or B-flat. It'suseful for learning about major jazz styles (Chicago, Dixieland, anddirty, Kansas City, ragtime, and scat), plus musical concepts such asharmony, improvisation, and tempo.Concise, accessible, andaddictively readable, Jazz: The Rough Guide is a greatintroduction to the world of jazz.--Stephanie Gold ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Not the perfect book, but a great reference
Like all guides that intend or claim to be definitive references to their subject matter, this falls short to an extent, and will not pleaseeveryone.However, along with other companion books, this is a greatreference guide to jazz artists and styles.

"Rough Guide Rock" is better
OK, this book is a good manual if you want to know something about special artists and some of their records, but it were just three musicians who wrote the whole book, and they just did not tell about what they didn'tlike (for example Miles Davis: they stop with "Jack Johnson",then say he had his midlife crisis in the 70's and returned with "awonderful album" in about 1981 - nothing about "Dark Magus"and other masterworks from this era!).

Maybe American readers are notinterested in European musicians, but I think it is just fair to give thema place in this book, too (like Dieter Seelow, who lives almost next doorto me).

Get this book if you need an encyclopedia about jazz, although itis a bit unbalanced. A better one is "Das Jazzbuch" by JoachimErnst Behrendt (?), but I didn't find it here because I could not spell hisname and I don't know if there's an English translation.

Excellent Global Jazz Guide
I enjoyed this book because of its widespread coverage of both American and international jazz musicians. It's an excellent musical resource which has a place in my music library alongside with such user-friendly guides as"World Music: The Rough Guide" and "The BrazilianSound."

Good as a selective reference
The essays are excellent and informative, but there is a noticeable emphasis on musicians from outside the U.S., occasionally to the short-shrifting, in my humble opinion, of some of the better known U.S.musicians.Also, if you're looking for a _comprehensive_ guide to recordedmusic, this is definitely not it.The authors select a few albums theyfeel are noteworthy and don't mention the rest. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume gathers together and organizes in an easily accessible format all known information relevant to the life and work of the French jazz musician Django Reinhardt. Together with fellow musician, Stephane Grappelli, Reinhardt became one of the 20th century's most celebrated jazz artists with performances he gave as part of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. Essentially discographical in format, this book updates the original work compiled by Charles Delauney in 1960, and draws on later work by Gould, Nevers, Royal and Rust, to detail all known recordings by Reinhardt, together with known film, radio and television appearances. For each entry Paul Vernon provides, where known, the location of the recording, the date, the artist credit as it appears on the label of the original issue, the performers and the instruments played by them, matrix number, exact timing of recording, details of 78, LP, EP and CD issues. Interspersed at the appropriate chronological points are biographical details about Reinhardt and the political, social and cultural climate of his time.This is augmented with excerpts from reviews, letters and other documents to provide a vivid context for his recording work. ... Read more

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American composer George Gershwin, an icon of the American Jazz Age, indelibly marked 20th-century music, with many of his works becoming standards in the popular and jazz music repertory. This major bibliography includes a brief biography, which examines Gershwin's influence and situates him within the cultural context of his time, a complete cross-reference list of all his compositions, a discography of more than 1,150 items, and a descriptive filmography. The extensive bibliography includes writings by both George and Ira and more than 2,100 entries about George's compositions. ... Read more

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Considered an archetype among his contemporaries, the virtuosity of Hackett's performances places him among the greatest of jazz musicians. Bobby Hackett made his recording debut in March, 1937,with the Dick Robertson Orchestra. He performed with and led various musical groups and played accompaniment to many well-known vocalists such as Tony Bennett. As a performer Hackett played the cornet, trumpet, and,occasionally the guitar. This bio-discography offers a thorough perspective on Hackett's recordings and performances and traces his career and varied accomplishments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Personal glimps into Bobby Hacket
When I was a teenager during the late 1950's I worked at a local restaurant in the town where the Hacket family lived. I remember them so vividly.The parents, grandmother and a son. So well mannered and repectful. The son was very very handsome.And at that time the father was still very nice looking.

Lacks depth of personality.
The work contains and abundance of valuable historical data on Hackett and is a MUST for his fans but I hoped for more personal glimpses into his private life: short, thin, hi fi enthusiast, drank off and on a little toomuch, never had a bad word for anyone, how his talent was raped andpillaged by Gleason, his quick wit and dry humor. There's just so muchmore. ... Read more

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The first full-length volume on the life work of one of the most well-known and prolific masters of our time, William Thomas McKinley: A Bio-Bibliography provides both musicologists and performers with a guide toward further exploration of the composer and his music. Included within are a complete biography on McKinley, the man and performer; a discography of both McKinley's compositions and his performances; and an in-depth catalog of his works. Each entry of the catalog contains a complete manuscript description, a detailed listing of any sketches or drafts which exist, a piece-specific bibliography, a complete performance history, and editorial notes. Also included are the composer's own writings about his works in the form of his program notes. Program notes by other authors are included as well, as they are the product of interviews with the composer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent reference resource
Anyone interested in William Thomas McKinley will want to consult this book. It's chock full of information, and will definitely serve as the authorative resource on this composer for years to come! ... Read more

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Shining a light on under-appreciated or unknown American popular songwriters active from 1848 until 1955, William E. Studwell profiles three hundred and forty-four of them in evaluative historical essays. The essays provide biographical data, focus on the songs for which the songwriter is best known, then list the lesser-known songs in chronological order. Although most of the people included in the book will be new to readers, one section does focus on "Famous Persons Not Primarily Known for their Songwriting," including Benny Goodman and Dale Evans. Readers interested in a variety of song styles will find ample material to hold their interest--from barbershop quartet songs, patriotic songs, and college songs to jazz compositions, big band numbers, and country-westerns. Information detailed here for the first time will make this reference source significant not only for those interested in the profiled songwriters, but also as a repository of cultural information about our musical past. ... Read more

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Musical performance on brass instruments has blossomed in the 20th century because of technical improvements in horn making, a vastly increased literature, and an astonishing number of outstanding players. Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, and Doc Severinsen have become household names, and classical musicians such as Maurice Andre, Christian Lindberg, and Barry Tuckwell have pursued distinguished careers as soloists. Twentieth-Century Brass Soloists analyzes and celebrates nearly one hundred brass soloists who have performed and been recorded widely, and whose genius, technique, and style have combined to produce unforgettable moments in music. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

20th Century Brass Soloists
Dr. Meckna has provided us with a vast amount of biographical information on many well known and not so well known brass soloists through out the last century. Most have been past up by many leading musicologists. Along with detailed biographies, Dr. Meckna gives us a listing of their recordings so we can go out and find them. This book is of great value to all brass teachers and brass lovers. I can assure you this book would be a great addition to any musicians library. ... Read more

Product Description
Although American women have written many of our most memorable songs, their contributions have received little recognition. The first biographical dictionary devoted to American women songwriters, this work profiles 181 well-known and little-known women who have written popular and motion picture songs, musicals, country, blues, jazz, folk, gospel, hymns, and nineteenth-century songs. Many African-American and contemporary songwriter/performers such as Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Mariah Carey are included. This volume provides hard-to-find biographical and career information across the broad spectrum of indigenous American music. Each profile contains an up-to-date biographical essay with career highlights, a list of most famous songs, and sources of further information. Entries are cross-referenced. Lyrics from a number of the best-known songs by women songwriters are included. ... Read more