Music-Essays

If you are a singer or voice teacher looking for training options, you will soon discover that there are multitudes of people, products, and ideas out there claiming to be able to help you. How do you sort it out? How can you advocate...

In one corner, a godless young warrior, Voltaire's heralded 'philosopher-king', the It Boy of the Enlightenment. In the other, a devout if bad-tempered old composer of 'outdated' music, a scorned genius in his last years. The sparks from their brief conflict illuminate a turbulent...

Edited by iconic musician Kim Gordon and esteemed writer Sin饌d Gleeson, this powerful collection of award-winning female creators shares their writing about the female artists that matter most to them. This book is for and about the women who kicked in doors, as pioneers...

By the bestselling author of Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll and Last Train the Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley, this dazzling new book of profiles is a culmination of Peter Guralnick's remarkable work, which from the start has encompassed...

A collection of essays on music and life by the famed classical pianist and composer Stephen Hough is one of the world's leading pianists, winning global acclaim and numerous awards, both for his concerts and his recordings. He is also a writer, composer, and...

In 1977, Art Ensemble of Chicago Publishing Co. published Jarman's Black Case, a collection of writing conceived across America and Europe between 1960 and 1975. Comprised largely of Jarman's flowing, fiery free verse--influenced by Amus Mor, Henry Dumas, Thulani Davis, and Amiri Baraka--the book...

The greatest interviews with the greatest rock stars, movie stars, and cultural icons -- uncensored and unfiltered -- are published together in one remarkable volume in celebration of Rolling Stones 40th anniversary.Author: Joe LevyISBN-10: 0316005266ISBN-13: 9780316005265Publisher: Back Bay BooksLanguage: EnglishPublished: 11/01/2007Pages: 496Format: PaperbackWeight: 1.16lbsSize:...

Written in 1968 and revised in 1972, Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom was the first book to celebrate the language and the primal essence of rock 'n' roll. But it was much more than that. It was a cogent history of an unruly era, from the rise...

The team behind the longest running food podcast, Snacky Tunes, presents a one-of-a-kind book exploring chefs' profound relationship with music through never-before-seen stories and recipesFounded in 2009 by Darin and Greg Bresnitz, the podcast Snacky Tunes served as the first platform to discuss food...

Through the precession of simulacra, we have arrived at a landscape of e-girls and sad boys, the aesthetic values of our time transposed onto the ecstatic communications of the hyperreal. Through Baudrillardian analysis, Alex Mazey attempts to trace a genealogy of Sad Boy Aesthetics,...

'Fascinating and illuminating' STYLIST 'Perceptive and candid' IRISH TIMES 'Wide-ranging, deep-dive, soul-baring interviews, full of candid, intimate, spiky meditations on inspiration, artistry, sexuality, race, love, self-doubt, abuse, defiance and everything in between' OBSERVER 'Variously optimistic, troubling, joyful, illuminating, fierce and thoughtful' GUARDIAN INTERVIEWS WITH...

Gold Award, Independent Publisher Book AwardsNominated, Award of Excellence in Historical Sound Research by the Association for Recorded Sound CollectionsThe Ballad of Tommy LiPuma is the story of one of America's most successful record producers, whose work with seminal artists like Miles Davis, Diana...

An all-star lineup of rock-n-rollers-from Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell to Suzi Quatro and Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire-relay the uproariously wild, sentimental, and unexpected pre-stardom stories behind their favorite records. Rock Stars on the Record is a collection of first-hand tales by...

When all else fails, when our compass is broken, there is one thing some of us have come to rely on: music really can give us a sense of something like home. With It Gets Me Home, This Curving Track, legendary music critic Ian...

In The Sound of Memory, concert violinist Rebecca Fischer wrestles with the life of a performing artist in the twenty-first century, the physical and material components of memory, the nature of musical inheritance, and the gifts and pressures of a calling that runs generations...

"There are many sounds in Lauren Turner's Shape Note Singing and the notes played are precise and unnamable, the questions holy and vast. Turner gives us vision; a body of work that recognizes the possibilities of listening when we relinquish control. These poems reverberate...

"WhateverTom Piazza writes is touched with magic." --Douglas BrinkleyAcclaimed author Tom Piazza follows hisprize-winning novel City of Refuge and the post-Katrinaclassic Why New Orleans Matters with a dynamic collection ofessays and journalism about American music and American character, in DevilSent the Rain."TomPiazza's writing is...

"Whether hanging out with musicians between sets or pressing up against the stage while they play, Tricarico seeks intimacy as well as energy." --Washington Post"Unique and highly recommended." --Midwest Book ReviewIn the late 1990s bands like Fugazi, Branch Manager, the Make-Up, Deep Lust, Quix*o*tic,...

Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan's life in music is revisited by his foremost interpreter -- weaving individual moods and moments into a brilliant history of their changing times. The book begins in Berkeley in 1968, and ends with a piece on Dylan's show at...

In this collection of essays, legendary theatre director Peter Brook reflects on the role of music in theatre and performance and revisits some of the best-known productions from his long and distinguished career, including Titus Andronicus, Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute, and The Prisoner....

This two-volume set, Poesy Matters and Other Matters, presents selected texts by the Swedish polymath Catherine Christer Hennix. Volume one, Poesy Matters, is divided into two sections: poetry and drama, with each section also containing pieces of commentary by Hennix or her longtime collaborator...

The remarkable rags-to-riches story of Ruffhouse Records founder Chris Schwartz, who battled poverty, abuse, and addiction to start one of the most pivotal labels in hip-hop history and launch the careers of Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Fugees, Wyclef Jean, NAS, Cypress Hill, DMX, Jermaine...

Captures seven hit-making decades during the American recording industry's glittering, freewheeling years.Tommy LiPuma was one of America's most successful record producers whose work with seminal artists like Miles Davis, Diana Krall, Barbra Streisand, Rickie Lee Jones, George Benson, and Willie Nelson went on to...

'Young Hearts Run Free' is an antidote to 'I Love the 1970s'; it is the real story of the 1970s from the critically acclaimed author of 'Manchester, England'.The 1970s is a decade frequently miscast; a parade of fashion disasters backed by a soundtrack of...

Communal music has the power to shape a soul and a society.In many places today, a culture of singing and making music remains robust, despite pressure from the commercial music industry. Or it was until the Covid pandemic hit and we glimpsed what a...

Here is one of the most enjoyable and illuminating books ever published for the music lover, a feast of delightful anecdotes that reveal the all-too-human side of the great composers and performers. There are stories of appetites (Handel eating dinner for three), embarrassments (Brahms...

In the fall of 2015, a collection of faculty at liberal arts colleges began a conversation about the challenges we faced as instructors: Why were there so few course materials accessible to undergraduates and lay readers that reflected current scholarly debate? How can we...

Gathering together shards of autobiography, poetry, and critical commentary on music and writing, Sheets of Sound evokes DeWald's experiences as a musician and poet, father and teacher, movie-lover and teenage skater. This debut collection of essays-by turns lyric and philosophic-reflects on jazz improvisation, poetic...

Richard Taruskin's sweeping collection of essays distills a half century of professional experience, demonstrating an unparalleled insider awareness of relevant debates in all areas of music studies, including historiography and criticism, representation and aesthetics, musical and professional politics, and the sociology of taste. Cursed...

The Jazz Ear will be a permanent part of learning how to listen inside the musicians playing.--Nat Hentoff, Jazz Times Jazz is conducted almost wordlessly: John Coltrane rarely told his quartet what to do, and Miles Davis famously gave his group only the barest...

Aaron Kent's My Glorious Sundays is both an examination of the career of one of the UK's most dynamic bands, and the soundtrack to Kent's life as told through The Glorious Sunday's discography. A searing, emotional, and distinctly honest read sees Kent discuss his...

Bob Wiseman believes most things in life are universal or, as Lauryn Hill says, everything is everything. Bearing in mind that advice, Wiseman writes about finding the link between music and daily life, like what is common between Mary Margaret O'Hara, hiding around the...

Chasing the Rising Sun is the story of an American musical journey told by a prize-winning writer who traced one song in its many incarnations as it was carried across the world by some of the most famous singers of the twentieth century. Most...

Dave Krehbiel's fast-moving memoir, Through the Door: A Horn-Player's Journey, relates the adventures of a young musician who uses his musical talents to cover up his scholastic shortcomings. In so doing, he finds himself, miraculously, in the career of his dreams-playing principal horn for...

When Rebecca Gold first heard "Fire And Rain" in her high school music class, she didn't know who was behind the powerful lyrics and velvety smooth voice-she just knew that she finally felt understood. James Taylor's music became a constant presence in her life...

THE STORIES BEHIND EVERY STUDIO TRACK FROM THE ONLY BAND THAT MATTERS. Established in 1976 at the fore London's punk rock insurgence, The Clash would outlast their peers while creating some of the most influential albums in rock 'n' roll history. Author Martin Popoff...

A raucous history of punk, emo, and hardcore's growing pains during the commercial boom of the early 90s and mid-aughts, following eleven bands as they sell out and find mainstream fame, or break beneath the weight of it all Punk rock found itself at...

The Philosophy of Modern Song is Bob Dylan's first book of new writing since 2004's Chronicles: Volume One--and since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016. Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers his extraordinary insight into the nature of...

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young have been hailed as "The American Beatles" and "Folk-Rock's Mount Rushmore." They launched a trail-blazing acoustic-electric sound in 1969 and have been captivating listeners with their music ever since. Coming together as refugees from three seminal '60s bands-the Byrds,...

A new collection of essays and articles about music and its culture covers diverse modern styles--rock, pop, rap, jazz, blues, country, and more--and features works by Rick Moody, Camden Joy, Courtney Love, Richard Meltzer, Whitney Balliett, and other notables.Author: Nick HornbyISBN-10: 0306810662ISBN-13: 9780306810664Publisher: Da...

Based on interviews with family members, colleagues, lovers, and the previously silent William Burroughs, this unsparing yet evenhanded biography guides the reader through the many personas, crises, and musical metamorphoses of David Bowie--also known as Davy Jones, the Laughing Gnome, Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust,...

After death, Townes Van Zandt found the success that he sabotaged during life. Diagnosed as bipolar, an alcoholic, and perennially unreliable, Van Zandt died of heart failure at the age of fifty-two on New Year's Day in 1997. He released sixteen albums during life....

Irreverent, cultishly adored, and dearly missed, the music writers at cokemachineglow produced some of the greatest, weirdest, funniest, sharpest criticism of the 21st century, and have gone on to write for major publications. In that sweet spot online before streaming and social media, people...

In Earworm and Event Eldritch Priest questions the nature of the imagination in contemporary culture through the phenomenon of the earworm: those reveries that hijack our attention, the shivers that run down our spines, and the songs that stick in our heads. Through a...

CDs, Records, & Tapes is a nostalgic Hip Hop essay collection. Told from the perspective of a creative writer who came of age with the culture, it revisits posse tracks, release dates, and classic albums. Each entry captures love for the culture, appreciation of...

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed...

Blood, Sweat and Fists is a collection of concert stories from crazy, memorable concerts. Authors have provided their best punk/metal moment in music, from first concerts to crazy stage gigs, Blood, Sweat and Fists carries each memorable moment. Author: Weasel Press, Poetken JonesISBN-10: 1948712733ISBN-13:...

Richard Taruskin's sweeping collection of essays distills a half century of professional experience, demonstrating an unparalleled insider awareness of relevant debates in all areas of music studies, including historiography and criticism, representation and aesthetics, musical and professional politics, and the sociology of taste. Cursed...

A provocative, entertaining but ultimately serious examination of rock's most essential questions: Beatles or Stones? Which is the best air guitar to play? Does Rush suck? And what is the meaning of Billy Joel? Metaphysical Graffiti is a book for music fans, humor fans,...

Author and artist Dmitry Samarov has written for the Chicago Tribune, the Reader, and more; here he turns his eye and pen towards the musical stage, sketching and describing a host of independent musicians he's seen, crossed paths with, offered sofa space to, and...