Good books about music

Ha! Just saw David Todd speak on his book at the Pop Culture Association of Canada conference last weekend. Sounds pretty cool.

Everything but the Bishop.

yeah seems like only chasny and thompson are repping on the acoustic side of things -- though obviously they both have their electric sides. still, if he's a good interviewer, i'd read the hell out of this.

it's pretty much me catnip.

here's the site for the book
http://www.feeding-back.com/
some good mixes, excerpts etc.

Currently reading Forces in Motion, Graham Lock's Anthony Braxton book. Lock comes across as a total Braxton fanboy so the gushing enthusiasm can get a bit tiring. OTOH there's enough interview transcripts, gig reviews and tour diary minutiae to make a total Braxton fanboy like, er, me very happy. Wish he'd do a second edition.

James Brown/The One by RJ Smith is magisterial.

today the new york times book review ran a review of "the one" by al sharpton. this is strange because sharpton is a source and 'player' in the book (by his own estimation sharpton was JB's surrogate son). would the times have bill moyers review the latest LBJ installment by robert caro? don't think so.

That is weird.

Looked at Feeding Back in the store but deferred purchase for now.

A few books by Albin J. Zak III look interesting: The Poetics of Rock and I Don't Sound Like Nobody.

Thanks. I see he's got a nice blurb from Rob Bowman, author of that Stax book in re to
I Don't Sound Like Nobody
Remaking Music in 1950s America

http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=295986

Saw that which was a selling point for me too.

xpost Not uncommon in UK book reviewing to have someone involved in events covered in non-fiction review the book: that's if you're treating reviews more as entertainment than buyers' guide. I take it that's not the case in the US, then.

Thinking about picking this up.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-hCpX1YVL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Oh, yeah, forgot about that. I somehow thought I was going to be able to buy a copy of Dr. John or Ivan Neville at BAM a few months agao.

Has Alice Echols' recent-ish "Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture" been mentioned here yet? That's a good 'un.

x-post-- Eyed the Sandmel book on Ernie K. Doe when I was down in New Orleans at Jazzfest, but decided not to get it right then at the fest. Maybe I should have. It looks very nice and comprehensive and well-written

Two-thirds of the way through the Charlie Louvin autobiography that I've been flacking for here RIP Charlie Louvin, which may turn out to be one of the best music books ever.

I've started reading Dave Tompkins' history of the vocoder How to Wreck a Nice Beach, lots of crazy fun so far.

I have that book and like to look at the pictures but it is so off-the-wall that I haven't been able to really read it so far.

Two-thirds of the way through the Charlie Louvin autobiography ― ratso piazzolla (James Redd and the Blecchs

You are the king of reading books about music. I am impressed. Seriously, I take forever to get through books.

The trick is to post before you've actually finished or even read much of the book at all.

The singer of DC band Edie Sedgwick does an ocassional column for the Washington City Paper blog called "5 Books I would read if I had the time."

Well gosh, these seem enticing (he btws sev right at the end)
http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Rock-Roll/Music-for-Lovers/ba-p/8231

So glad I finally read The Rest Is Noise. (how is Listen To This?)

http://operachic.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451c83e69e20128773a6dd4970c-400wi

You ready to sign on for some Sibelius, Dick Strauss and Feldman now, dow?

I haven't read Listen To This yet, but it's basically an expanded collection of his NYer pieces, right? In which case, go for it definitely.

btws sev = ?

He mentions several other books right toward the end, almost off-handedly or something. Jon, Ross has me more interested in getting back into Messiaen, and checking out the great villain/fabulous ahole of the book, Boulez--wotta punk!

http://www.npr.org/2012/06/26/155293473/aretha-einstein-and-knowing-too-much

A new Anthony Heilbut book looks good

The Fan Who Knew Too Much--Aretha Franklin, the Rise of the Soap Opera, Children of the Gospel Church, and Other Meditations

Sounds intriguing

But hating on Robert Johnson, not a good look.

I agree but it seems to be the thing to do now. I can't find it right now, but I just read something making arguments against him

Wasn't that other book by the author of The Beatles Weren't So Hot After All or whatever it was called, was it?

Just started reading the Charlie Louvin book. Holy shit — the part about how he and Ira had a bulldog mate with one of their dad's prized coonhounds. The resulting litter prompted quite the extreme reaction.

that was hilarious and O_o

Really liked David Browne's book on 1970. (Waited an extra six months, not realizing I'd ordered the trade paperback of a book that was already out.) It was a little like Mark Harris's Pictures at a Revolution: it's a great story, just get out of the way and tell it.

Reminds me, doesn't Ken Scott have a new book out?

Yes he does. It's called Abbey Road To Ziggy Stardust: Off The Record with the Beatles, Bowie, Elton & So Much More.

Still thinking baout reading that Ben Sandmel Ernie K Doe book.

Wonder how this is--more on storyamp.com (incl zen "saved Cage from himself")

John Cage and the Music of Zen -- the biography

John Cage's immense contribution to the arts - and to music by Brian Eno and Philip Glass, Morton Feldman and Pierre Boulez, Nam June Paik and La Monte Young - has a crucial yet invisible Zen component.

A new biography, "Where the Heart Beats: John Cage, Zen Buddhism, and the Life of Artists" (Penguin Press, 2012), by critic Kay Larson (New York Magazine, the New York Times), makes visible the music of Cage's Zen path.

In the 1950s, Cage heard lectures on Zen by the great Japanese scholar D. T. Suzuki. These ancient teachings spoke to Cage as though meant just for him. He wrote music based on Zen principles of indeterminacy and chance, and a “silent piece” (4’33”) that honors Suzuki’s teachings. Cage’s transformation became ground zero in a new international postmodern art, music, and performance avant-garde that still honors him as pioneer.

Early press:

"Without a doubt, the richest, most stimulating, most absorbing book I've read in the past year, if not decade. . . ." -- Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

"Tough-minded even when working at high levels of abstraction, Where the Heart Beats is one of the most profound, not to mention unexpected, gifts imaginable during John Cage's centennary year." -- Seth Colter Wells, Slate.

"A thoroughly researched and wittily written guide to Cage and the Zen mind. There are delightful surprises and revelatory anecdotes on nearly every page." -- Larry Lipkis, LIbrary Journal.

got the new ted gioia book Jazz Standards from the library -- really entertaining stories behind a couple hundred classics. occasionally drifts into stuff that's more directed at musicians, but for the most part very readable.

Be interested to see that. I have dipped into some of Philip Furia's books on the subject.

John Cage and the Music of Zen -- the biography
Have not read this, but did read What's Welsh For Zen? by his namesake John Cale.

translated into english for the first time, just went online for pre-order this week

http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520265745

In Search of a Concrete Music
Pierre Schaeffer (Author), John Dack (Translator), Christine North (Translator)

Went to look for that Ted Gioia book but did not find it so I got Feeding Back instead which I dipped into on the way home. Seems like he does a good job of letting each guy state his case

definitely need to read that

Read the Tom Verlaine interview and skimmed the Zoot Horn Rollo one. Both guys were pretty careful and insightful in their statements

books on my shelf that i promise myself i will read this year:

the house that trane built - the story of impulse records - ashley kahn

worlds of sound - the story of smithsonian folkways - richard carlin

the liberation of sound - an introduction to electronic music - herbert russcol (from 1972. doubt its in print.)

celebrating bird - the triumph of charlie parker - gary giddins (i am really friggin' picky about who i read when it comes to jazz. even more so in my old age for some reason. i almost always prefer reading oral histories from musicians themselves when i can find them. or good autiobios by musicians. read that art taylor interview book and it kinda knocked me out. so when i pick up bird and bud books that look...i don't know...biased in some strange way (the mythos thing? the anecdotes spread around for decades?) they can really turn me off. had this bud book written by a french guy who took care of bud in france and it just really rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. i mean the guy knew him and he can write whatever he wants but i dunno...just seemed off or weird. like graverobbing? maybe not that bad.)

i mean musicians can be biased too obviously but it seems easier to read between the lines when the people who made the music speak for themselves. that gil evans book i read last year - which was mostly comprised of extensive interviews with musicians and family - was one of the best books i've ever read. it wasn't perfect, but it was very satisfying. plus, i just loved 200+ pages of people saying nice things about one of my heroes.

sooo, you don't like that Giddins book about parker? i haven't read it, but i've liked some other giddins things. i wonder when stanley crouch will finish his supposedly definitive Bird bio, i think he's been talking about it for like 30 years. i imagine it will be extremely problematic, but hopefully in an entertaining way.
that impulse records book is not a work of genius but it is a fun read, and will get you listening to a bunch of great jazz.

i haven't read the giddins one yet. i'm gonna read it. i don't mind him. he's got knowledge. he does his homework. he has love in his heart.