Strange Jazz

From plucking antique furniture from abandoned rural Kansas homes, to exploring the wild underbelly of New York, narrator Jack Pierce describes the decline of his hometown and the kaleidoscopic New York he's privy to as a music critic. Jack is troubled by the rising tension between his two younger brothers: Benji -- a quintessential Wall Street Yuppie bent on becoming the next Donald Trump -- and Archie -- an idealistic intern at the New York Times. Archie and Benji clash after the Tompkins Square Riots, when Archie turns Benji's largest building into a shelter for homeless people. When Benji finds out, he takes matters into his own hands. Jack tries to mediate, only to be kidnapped by a female Coca-Cola-addicted drug lord who develops a crush on Jack. Jazz, poetry, the wheat fields of Kansas, the colorful cast of characters from their dying home town, the edgiest and most beautiful New Yorkers, all are notes and chords in this wonderful symphony of a novel.

Jazz's influence on music in the twentieth century is unparalleled, with derivatives including bebop, funk, hip-hop, psychedelic rock, reggae, Latin soul, and ska. This comprehensive survey of jazz music dives deep into the origins of the genre and explores the history of jazz from its early roots in West African drumming to its modern interpretations. Readers will learn about the defining eras of jazz, pioneering jazz musicians, and the political and historical legacy of this music style.

In this substantial selection of her occasional journalism, poet Wanda Coleman has judiciously reshaped articles, essays, interviews and columns written over three decades (for, among other places, the Los Angeles Times. L.A. Weekly and The Free Press) into a nearly-seamless personal narrative: "a tour through the restless emotional topography of Los Angeles as glimpsed through the scattered fragments of my living memory".

Become a Jazz Connoisseur In Just One Read...A connoisseur is a person who, through study and interest, has a fine appreciation for something, like the connoisseur who can identify the clarinet player on a jazz recording the sound of his inhalations alone.

Tells the story of how Billie Holiday and songwriter Abel Meeropol combined their talents to create "Strange Fruit," the iconic protest song that brought attention to lynching and racism in America.

From scouring flea markets and eBay to maxing out their credit cards, record collectors will do just about anything to score a long-sought-after album. In Vinyl Freak, music writer, curator, and collector John Corbett burrows deep inside the record fiend’s mind, documenting and reflecting on his decades-long love affair with vinyl. Discussing more than 200 rare and out-of-print LPs, Vinyl Freak is composed in part of Corbett's long-running DownBeat magazine column of the same name, which was devoted to records that had not appeared on CD. In other essays where he combines memoir and criticism, Corbett considers the current vinyl boom, explains why vinyl is his preferred medium, profiles collector subcultures, and recounts his adventures assembling the Alton Abraham Sun Ra Archive, an event so all-consuming that he claims it cured his record-collecting addiction. Perfect for vinyl newbies and veteran crate diggers alike, Vinyl Freak plumbs the motivations that drive Corbett and collectors everywhere.

Eleanora "Lady Day" Fagan, better known as Billie Holiday, played a primary role in the development of American jazz culture and in African American history. Devoted to the enduring jazz icon, covering many aspects of her career, image and legacy, these fresh essays range from musical and vocal analyses, to critical assessments of film depictions of the singer, to analysis of the social movements and protests addressed by her signature songs, including her impact on contemporary movements such as #BlackLivesMatter. More than a century after her birth, Billie Holiday's abiding relevance and impact is a testament to the power of musical protest. This collection pays tribute to her creativity, bravery and lasting legacy.

We all know the stereotype of the Jewish mother: Hectoring, guilt-inducing, clingy as a limpet. In Mamaleh Knows Best, Tablet Magazine columnist Marjorie Ingall smashes this tired trope with a hammer. Blending personal anecdotes, humor, historical texts, and scientific research, Ingall shares Jewish secrets for raising self-sufficient, ethical, and accomplished children. She offers abundant examples showing how Jewish mothers have nurtured their children’s independence, fostered discipline, urged a healthy distrust of authority, consciously cultivated geekiness and kindness, stressed education, and maintained a sense of humor. These time-tested strategies have proven successful in a wide variety of settings and fields over the vast span of history. But you don't have to be Jewish to cultivate the same qualities in your own children. Ingall will make you think, she will make you laugh, and she will make you a better parent. You might not produce a Nobel Prize winner (or hey, you might), but you'll definitely get a great human being.