Hardcover. Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1st, 1929, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 634 pages. Hardcover. Illustrated with a few black & white photographs. Bookplate on inside front cover. Features music and lyrics. 1 Fold-out map of Virginia. Clean, tight copy.
Softcover. Lark Books, 1st, 2008, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 416 pages, illustrated in color. Feast your eyes on more than 300 of today's most creative, imaginative, and gorgeous hand-made guitars--all illustrated in full color and featuring information about the innovative artisans who created them. Meet guitar-making legends, such as C.F. Martin, Les Paul, and Leo Fender, who revolutionized the instrument's design. Discover why the past 25 years have seen an explosion of craftspeople who build guitars by hand, employing an attention to detail factories can't afford and using higher quality materials and more technical skill than in any previous era. Explore the various guitar styles used in a range of musical traditions, from blues to classical. Detailed information about each guitar's specifications, plus personal statements and anecdotes from the artisans about their work and techniques complete each entry.
Hardcover. New York, W.W Norton Co, 1st, 2019, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 270 Pages. Hardcover with dust jacket. Clean, tight copy with only marginal wear to edges.
Softcover. NY, Billboard Books, reprint, 2004, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 352 pages, b&w illustrations. Presents an in-depth exploration of the musician's controversial electric period and the impact it had on the jazz community, as drawn from firsthand recollections about his artistic and personal life. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Gotham Books, 1st, 2012, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. 455 pages, b&w photos. The definitive biography of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, with fascinating findings on his life as a Civil Rights activist, an entrepreneur, and the most innovative musician of our time. Playing 350 shows a year at his peak, with more than forty Billboard hits, James Brown was a dazzling showman who transformed American music. His life offstage was just as vibrant, and until now no biographer has delivered a complete profile. The One draws on interviews with more than 100 people who knew Brown personally or played with him professionally. Using these sources, award-winning writer RJ Smith draws a portrait of a man whose twisted and amazing life helps us to understand the music he made. The One delves deeply into the story of a man who was raised in abject-almost medieval-poverty in the segregated South but grew up to earn (and lose) several fortunes. Covering everything from Brown's unconventional childhood (his aunt ran a bordello), to his role in the Black Power movement, which used "Say It Loud (I'm Black and Proud)" as its anthem, to his high-profile friendships, to his complicated family life, Smith's meticulous research and sparkling prose blend biography with a cultural history of a pivotal era. Clean, bright copy.
NY, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 1st pbk, 2009, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 361 pages, b&w illustrations. INSCRIBED BY JANIS IAN on the title page. The legendary singer and songwriter of the 70s gives us her memoir in the music business. Clean copy.
Softcover. Los Angeles, Augustan Reprint Society, reprint, 1981, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover. Facsimile reprint of two 18th century editions; stapled wraps; 37 clean, 65 unmarked pages. The librettos and music by Motteux and Eccles. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Broadway Books, 1st, 1997, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 564 pages, b&w illustrations. A definitive biography of this giant among jazz musicians - based on previously unexplored archives of Armstrong's writings. Photographs, discography, bibliography, endnotes, index. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Canongate , 1st, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dustjacket, 694 pages. Destined to become a classic on the subject alongside Legs McNeil's Please Kill Me , Babylon's Burning is a groundbreaking, definitive account of punk rock, one of the most influential and lasting music movements in history--a movement that ironically was built on self-annihilation. Acclaimed critic Clinton Heylin seamlessly weaves together the lives of disparate artists who had in common not the music (there was no distribution) but the pictures, words, and fashions depicted in magazines like Creem and NME . It was a sound that eschewed conventional lyrics, promoted a gutteral musicality but yet contained a keen pop sensibility. Whether exploring the work of early progenitors like Suicide, The New York Dolls, and Patti Smith or charting the progress of the bands who legitimately took up the mantle in the eighties and nineties, Clinton Heylin brings to life the strands of a global artform. From the Sex Pistols's clarion call of a record, "Never Mind the Bollocks," to Kurt Cobain's songs of an alienated youth, Babylon's Burning is the brilliant, exhaustively researched story that once and for all defines what Punk is and is not.
Softcover. San Diego, Harcourt Brace,, reprint, 2000, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 839 pages, contains two glossy black and white plates sections. This major work, the result of years of careful study and analysis, places Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's life and music in the context of the intellectual, political and artistic currents of eighteenth-century Europe. The result is a fresh interpretation of Mozart's genius, as Robert Gutman shows the great composer in a new light. With an informed and sensitive handling, Mozart emerges as an affectionate and generous man with family and friends, self-deprecating, witty, and winsome but also an austere moralist, incisive and purposeful. The major genres in which Mozart worked-chamber music, liturgical, theater and keyboard compositions, concertos, operas, symphonies, and oratorios-are unfolded to reveal a man of luminous intellect. Mozart is an extraordinary portrait of a man and his times and a brilliant distillation of musical thought.
Hardcover. New York , Charles Scribner's Sons, 1st, 1972, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, 176 pages, illustrated throughout in b&w. Dust jacket price clipped with slight rubbing, wear, sunning to edges and spine. Internally very good.
Hardcover. Neptune NJ, Paganiniana Publications, 1st, 1977, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 176 pages, maroon cloth covers with gilt lettering, design. Scarce book by a master teacher. INSCRIBED BY BRONSTEIN on rear end paper upside-down. No dust jacket issued.
Hardcover. New York, Ktav Pub Inc, 1st, 1982, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 226 pages, INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR on title page, with photographs throughout. Minor dust jacket edge wear, otherwise, very clean and tight.
Hardcover. Boston, The Boston Music Co., 1st, 1913, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, brown woven cloth with publisher's printed paper labels on spine and front cover. 247 pages, b&w photographs. Biography of an American composer with a strong family life. MOSTLY TOLD BY Nevin and his wife throughout. Nevin, 1862-1901, born in Edgewerth Pennsylvania; debut as pianist, Pittsburgh (Dec. 10, 1886); excelled in lyrical music, composing 70 songs, published in Sketch Book (1888), Water Scenes (1891), In Arcady (1892), May in Tuscany (1896), A Day in Venice (1898). INSCRIBED BY HIS WIFE on the title page with her calling card laid in. Clean, bight copy.
Softcover. NY, Bloomsbury, reprint, 2013, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 454 pages. Via writings by philosophers, cultural theorists, and composers, Audio Culture explores the interconnections among such forms as minimalism, indeterminacy, musique concrete, free improvisation, experimental music, avant-rock, dub reggae, Ambient music, HipHop, and Techno. Instead of focusing on the putative "crossover" between "high art" and "popular culture," Audio Culture takes all of these musics as experimental practices on par with, and linked to, one another. While cultural studies has tended to look at music (primarily popular music) from a sociological perspective, the concern here is philosophical, musical, and historical. Audio Culture includes writing by some of the most important musical thinkers of the past half-century, among them John Cage, Brian Eno, Glenn Gould, Umberto Eco, Ornette Coleman, Jacques Attali, Simon Reynolds, Pauline Oliveros, Paul D. Miller, David Toop, John Zorn, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and many others. The book is divided into nine thematically-organized sections, each with its own introduction. Section headings include topics such as "Modes of Listening," "Minimalisms," and "DJ Culture." In addition, each essay has its own short introduction, helping the reader to place the essay within musical, historical, and conceptual contexts. The book concludes with a glossary, a timeline, and an extensive discography. Clean, bright copy.
Softcover. Advance Music, 1st, 1994, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 534 pages. The understanding of the musical techniques of composition cannot be reduced to a handbook of simplified rules. Music is complex and ever changing. It is the purpose of this book to trace the path of musical growth from the late Romantic period to the serial techniques of the contemporary composer. Through the detailed analysis of the musical characteristics that dominate a specific style of writing, a graduated plan is organized and presented here in the form of explanations and exercises. A new analytical method substitutes for the diatonic figured bass and makes exercises and the analysis of non-diatonic literature more manageable. The explanations describing each technique are thorough. They are designed to help the teacher and the student see the many extenuating circumstances that affect a particular analytical decision. More important than a dogmatic decision on a particular key center or a root tone, for example, is the understanding of why such an underdeterminate condition may exist. Minor wear to covers, clean copy.
Hardcover. Guilford CT, Backbeat, 1st, 2020, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 304 pages, b&w illustrations. Phil Ochs is known primarily as a songwriter; however, his oeuvre extends far beyond that--to short stories, poetry, criticism, journalism, and satire, all of which are included in I'm Gonna Say It Now: The Writings of Phil Ochs, which represents the majority of what Ochs wrote outside of his large circle of songs. This comprehensive tome presents another side of the famous topical songwriter, showcasing his prose and poetry from across the full span of his life. From prizewinning stories and clear-eyed reporting while a journalism major in college to music criticism, satires, and political pieces written while part of the burgeoning folk scene of New York City in the early 1960s and during the tumultuous Vietnam War era; from sharp and lyrical poems (many previously unpublished) to reviews, features, and satires written while living in Los Angeles and the final, elegiac coda writings from near the end of his life--I'm Gonna Say It Now presents the complete picture. The book includes many rare or nearly impossible to find Ochs pieces, as well as previously unpublished works sourced from the unique holdings in the Ochs Archives at the Woody Guthrie Center. Additionally, never-before-seen reproductions from Ochs's journals, notebooks, and manuscripts provide a closer look at the hand of the artist, giving a deeper context and understanding to his writings. Never before published photographs of Ochs bestow the visual cherry on top.
Hardcover. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1st, 2018, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. It started with the searing sound of a slide careening up the neck of an electric guitar. In 1970, twenty-three-year-old Bruce Iglauer walked into Florence's Lounge, in the heart of Chicago's South Side, and was overwhelmed by the joyous, raw Chicago blues of Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers. A year later, Iglauer produced Hound Dog's debut album in eight hours and pressed a thousand copies, the most he could afford. From that one album grew Alligator Records, the largest independent blues record label in the world. Bitten by the Blues is Iglauer's memoir of a life immersed in the blues--and the business of the blues. No one person was present at the creation of more great contemporary blues music than Iglauer: he produced albums by Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Professor Longhair, Johnny Winter, Lonnie Mack, Son Seals, Roy Buchanan, Shemekia Copeland, and many other major figures. In this book, Iglauer takes us behind the scenes, offering unforgettable stories of those charismatic musicians and classic sessions, delivering an intimate and unvarnished look at what it's like to work with the greats of the blues. It's a vivid portrait of some of the extraordinary musicians and larger-than-life personalities who brought America's music to life in the clubs of Chicago's South and West Sides. Bitten by the Blues is also an expansive history of half a century of blues in Chicago and around the world, tracing the blues recording business through massive transitions, as a genre of music originally created by and for black southerners adapted to an influx of white fans and musicians and found a worldwide audience.
Softcover. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1st, 1997, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 306 pages, b&w illustrations. In Creating Country Music, Richard Peterson traces the development of country music and its institutionalization from Fiddlin' John Carson's pioneering recordings in Atlanta in 1923 to the posthumous success of Hank Williams. Clean copy.
Hardcover. Hampton, VA, Hampton Institute Press, 1st, 1927, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Poor, Hardcover, dark blue cloth with gilt lettering on front cover and spine, 236 pages plus appendix. A scarce collection of traditional hymns, gospel, folk songs and "Songs of Tribulation" of the American Negro. An historical document of African-American culture and the history of slavery. Songs in musical score with lyrics. A tight, generally unmarked and clean volume with nice cloth and clear gilt, In a poor dust jacket with chipping and tape repairs. Name on front fly leaf otherwise clean.
Hardcover. NY, The Viking Press, reprint, 1956, Book: Very Good, Hardcover, tan cloth covers with brown lettering, 187/189 pages. Lyrics with music and a preface of the songs. Two volumes in one. No dust jacket. Inscription on front fly leaf, otherwise clean.
Hardcover. San Diego, Thunder Bay, 1st, 2018, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, pictorial boards, color throughout. Nevermind, Achtung Baby, Use Your Illusion 1&2 - the 90s saw some classic albums produced by artists such as Nirvana, U2, Gun n Roses and Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as a resurgence in country music popularized by Shania Twain and Garth Brooks. Combining information from both the US and UK charts provided by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and British Phonographic Industry (BPI), 100 Best Selling Albums of the 90s features chart-topping work from Michael Jackson, Puff Daddy and Green Day. Each album entry is accompanied by the original sleeve artwork front and back - and is packed full of facts and recording information, including a complete track listing, musician and production credits, and an authoritative commentary on the record and its place in cultural history. Soundtracks featured include the 60s and 70s hits on Forrest Gump, the Elton John/Tim Rice songs in The Lion King, and the orchestral score for Titanic (and Celine Dion's Oscar-winning My Heart Will Go On). Other stand-out albums include the Eagles' reforming to make Hell Freezes Over and Eric Clapton's Unplugged, a career revival for him in the popular 90s back-to-basics semi-acoustic series.
Hardcover. NY, Henry Holt, 1st, 1993, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a lightly worn, price-clipped dust jacket. 192 pages including index. Traces the life and career of the influential jazz musician from the 1920s to his death in 1991. Profusely illustrated with b&w, some color photos.
Hardcover. Hal Leonard Corporation, 1st, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 226 pages. Haunting the recording studios, jam sessions, concert halls, and nightclubs of New York City, William "PoPsie" Randolph chronicled the postwar transformation of American music from swing and jazz, to rhythm & blues and rock n' roll. The 100,000 negatives left behind after his death in 1978 span the giddy, glitzy heyday of swing in the 1940s, the hot and cool jazz spawned in the clubs of 52nd Street, the rumbling emergence of black R&B and doo-wop, the sudden explosion of rock n' roll in the late '50s, the rise of Brill Building pop and the British Invasion of the '60s, and the growth of rock into a multibillion-dollar industry by the '70s. PoPsie's son Michael has chosen the very best of his father's collection for inclusion in this remarkable book. Here readers will find luscious black-and-white photos of everyone from Benny Goodman and Billie Holiday to Elvis, The Beatles, Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones. Insightful text explains the time, people, and place of each captured moment.
Softcover. Jackson MS, University Press of Mississippi , 1st, 2018, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 235 pages. Throughout his life, Louis Armstrong tried to explain how singing with a barbershop quartet on the streets of New Orleans was foundational to his musicianship. Until now, there has been no in-depth inquiry into what he meant when he said, "I figure singing and playing is the same," or, "Singing was more into my blood than the trumpet." Creating the Jazz Solo: Louis Armstrong and Barbershop Harmony shows that Armstrong understood exactly the relationship between what he sang and what he played, and that he meant these comments to be taken literally: he was singing through his horn. Clean copy, like new.
Softcover. NY, Limelight Editions, 1st, 2000, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 255 pages. A "fakebook" is a collection of melodies with the chord changes that allows jazz musicians to read the tunes instead of playing solely by ear and memory. It is, then, a place to start, a structure upon which jazz improvisation, "faking," builds. As a young man, the author, a jazz saxophone player, tried to make a living at what he loved most. He failed, gave up jazz and became a college English professor. Today he is playing his saxophone again, at weekend gigs, rediscovering the unending challenge and the fulfillment that jazz brings him. This journey of self-discovery demonstrates the power of both jazz and superbly crafted writing. Clean, bright copy.
Hardcover. NY, W. W. Norton, 1st, 1993, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. A biography of the jazz clarinetist. Illustrated with photos, 522 pages including index. Clean copy.
Hardcover. Philadelphia, Chilton Book Co, 1st, 1971, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. 176 pages, profusely illustrated in b&w. Clean copy.
 "Traditional Ballads of Virginia - Collected under the Auspices of The Virginia Folk-Lore Societyby: Davis, Jr. (Editor), Arthur Kyle")
 "Hand Made, Hand Played: The Art & Craft of Contemporary Guitars by: Shaw, Robert")
 "Everybody's Doin' It: Sex, Music and Dance in New York, 1840-1917by: Cockrell, Dale")
 "Encyclopedia Of The Violin, Anby: Bachmann, Alberto")
 "The Story of Woodstock Live: 50 Years: Relive the Magic Artist by Artistby: Bitoun, Julien")
 "Jews on Tin Pan Alley: The Jewish Contribution to American Popular Music, 1830-1940 (SIGNED COPY)by: Kanter, Kenneth Aaron")
 "Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Musicby: Cox, Christoph/ Warner, Daniel")
 "Bitten by the Blues: The Alligator Records Storyby: Bruce Iglauer / Patrick A. Roberts")
 "To Make a Double Bassby: WakeH.S.")
 "100 Best Selling Albums of the 90sby: Auty, Dan; Cawthorne, Justin; Barrett, Chris; Dodd, Peter")
 "PoPsie: American Popular Music Through The Camera Lens of William \"PoPsie\" Randolphby: Randolph, Michael")
 "Creating the Jazz Solo: Louis Armstrong and Barbershop Harmony by: Vic Hobson")
