Instruments Books

If you love guitars you probably love GIBSON Les Pauls. This book will relax you through the dreamworld of priceless guitars in perfectly clear photograpghy and information. You won't put it down, I guarantee it. This is a 'must have' book to settle questions and just cheer you up to flip through it again and again. Buy. Love it. Enjoy it for life. DO NOT LEND IT TO ANYONE.

Very detailed about the evolution/history of Les Paul guitars. A nice and pleasant book to read. Wonderful photos. It doesn't go too much into pure technical aspects, and I don't know if it is good or bad..:-) It depends on your mood along the reading, but sometimes I wished it had a little more "dates and numbers" or maybe a section dedicated to it...
Even so, I give it a ten out of ten.

This is a great book to have if you love the Les Paul. It's really that simple, although for the serious collector or afficionado, more information about dates & numbers would be good. As that doesn't apply to me, and the book delivers elsewhere, five stars, no question.

Tony Bacon books are always top notch: stunning photos, accurate descriptions and very well researched. This book is no exception. It is, however in my opinion, an excellent overview of the famous Les Paul guitar---not a resource book. At 160 pages it does a very fine job of detailing how this legendary guitar has blossomed into SO many different models over the last 50 plus years (up to 2001). Sticklers for details, however, will probably find it lacking in some areas (year by year pix and descriptions,for example), but then one would need a book twice as thick to serve as this kind of encyclopedia on the subject. I highly recommend it as an introduction to Les Pauls, and it will probably be all that most guitarists want to know about the subject. It would make a great gift!

Very informative and extremely well illustrated. I now feel like an authority on the LP.

it was recieved in a very timely manner - no complaints at all and in fact I would gladly do business with this vendor again!

I'd lost interest in playing for about 5 years before I read this book, but Mickey Hart's book brought me back to the reasons I started hitting the bottom of tin cans woth a wooden spoon! This book follows, to a degree, the history of drums, and studies the emotional, spiritual and physical effects of drums, old ancient, and new on people. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to play for any or no reason, and to andone who can't explain why the music makes them dance.

At a glance, Drumming at the Edge of Magic may seem like an autobiogrphical journey by the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart. While the book is autobiographical, it goes far beyond that to discover the real meaning of drumming and music in general.

The meaning of drumming (or life?) comes in many forms, and many disguises. As Hart begins to unluck the secrets to why humans desire to express themselves in music, one can't help but say, "YES!". Hart, and to a certain extent, Jay Stevens, put into words what drummers and other musicians have felt all along but have never known how to express. The journey ends up being a look inward; not just for Hart but for the reader as well.

After reading this, I had my wife and father read it. I explained, "This is how I feel about drumming."

The companion CD and sequel book, "Planet Drum," are nice additions but the book stands by its self as an outstanding source for understanding music at its most basic form.

This book will move you.

I am not a Deadhead, nor am I a drummer, but I have really admired this book, and Mickey Hart big time. He really went off the deep end of his knowledge of percussion, both conventional, and exotic. I had not had this book with me since 1995, so my mind is a bit foggy, but if I remember right, the book is also a trip down Memory Lane, speaking of the hippie days of the Haight-Ashbury, The Grateful Dead and the whole scene in general. One of my favorites was of a drum he got in Tibet made from human skulls. He was wondering why he felt like he was being cursed, and he was told that he was using the drums wrong and it was used to wake the dead. He decided to return the drums and get a similar one not made of skulls. Drumming at the Edge of Magic was also a tie-in to what was then Mickey Hart's latest CD called At the Edge. This book really makes me wished I was there with the hippies and the Deadheads, even if I, myself don't listen to the Dead. It's too bad the Dead isn't around anymore thanks to Jerry Garcia's untimely death. Whether you're a Deadhead or not, whether you're a percussionist or not, this is truly an enthusiastic and well-written book on the subject of percussion.

Drumming At The Edge of Magic is a truly inspirational book for all people interested in drumming and rhythms. It details Harts cathartic exploration and eases the modern drummer into other-worldly potentials.

If you never listened to IZ then you should. He was the best Hawawii had. This book contains alot of good songs. The problem is alot of them are written in Hawaian so dont expect to play and sing them if you dont listen to the music. It is a shame that the best Blues,Rock,PoP and yes Hawaian music always come after the passing of the singer. Give this a shot. Music is music for all and in Hawaii IZ was the best.

Transcriptions of Iz's most popular tunes from several of his albums. I'll never sound like him, but it's good to see what he was doing and try to imitate it. Beautifully illustrated.

I just happen to love the music of Izzy. When you buy this sheet music book to go with your Izzy cd's, that's the perfect combination to start practicing your ukulele or guitar. Don't forget to buy your cd's. They don't come with the book. This is the book only.

I like the different pieces that call for acoustic guitar 1 or 2 and also for 1 or 2 ukuleles.

Any IZ fan (especially those Ukulele players) should own this book. With the 10th anniversary of his passing his popularity is growing and having this songbook with continue to keep him near you (I just I had my ukulele strung with a low 'g').

INSPIRED BY BROTHER IZ'S MUSIC, A FELLOW MUSICIAN IS QUITE HAMPERED WHEN THE SONGS ARE IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE DOMINATED BY THE LETTER "K"!

THE MUSIC BOOK IS A TREASURE FOR THOSE OF US WHO ATTEMPT TO HONOR BRO. IZ BY IMITATION. THE ONLY COMPLAINT IS THAT ONLY 12 SONGS ARE INCLUDED.

WITH THE RESURGENCE OF POPULARITY, PUBLISHING MORE (OR ALL) OF HIS SONGS MAY BE A VIABLE OPTION.

This book is, apparently, compiled from course materials for what must be a very fun class. It mostly covers two broad topics. First, producing unexpected sounds from radios and the circuit boards in toys, and modifying those devices in simple ways, such as adding photoresistors or new circuit board connections. Second, building simple synthesizers from scratch. The skills taught are basic, and form the building blocks for infinite exploration. The tools and parts needed are all inexpensive (often costing mere pennies). The included CD is great fun, but best saved for later listening, since it contains "spoilers" of what some of the projects might sound like.

Because of the book's origination in a class situation, the explanations and pictures are not always ideally clear. There are a lot of typos. However, the writing is so engaging and the book is so much fun that it still deserves 5 stars. Where the book is incomplete ("how to I de-solder something?"), the Web is there.

The book is clearly aimed at musicians without any electronics experience. Nonmusicians might still enjoy it, but a joy in playing with sound is absolutely required. I suspect the book would be way too basic for people with any significant experience in electronics.

As sidebars, the book includes a considerable amount of history of electronic music -- who's who and what they've been up to.

This is a really fun book, with lots of projects for budding electronic musicians. But it goes beyond that: It's a solid intro to electronics and CMOS components. I went into this book thinking it might be too basic, yet I walked away with a lot of ideas, and some interesting new techniquess.

I wish that more electronics writers would cover the material with this author's style and accuracy. Also, kudos for providing parts sources and for using easy to find and inexpensive components. (I've seen many people, myself included, become frustrated by hard-to-find parts lists or the use of discontinued items. These projects suffer from neither of those problems.)

In the end, you'll be left wanting to know more about the components and techniques you've picked up. (You'll probably want to add Don Lancaster's classic CMOS Cookbook to your shopping cart. It will give you the details about many of these components.) Highly recommended. I'm looking forward to other books by this author.

Ah ! this book is one of the best i bought.
I just love it !!

A great guide to taking apart old electronic noisemakers and turning them into something new. Also includes simple DIY electronic circuits with all the steps. The projects are compelling and workable. Give this to a young person and change their whole outlook on DIY.

This is a great book if you are a electroacoustic composer, you can make cheap sensors and rare instruments... ready - if you want - to plug to Max/MSP or Ethersense...or Teabox... Thanks to Gregory Taylor from Cyclin'74.

This book is a very interesting historical documentary of Hazel Scott's life. I love her music and it just adds more depth to my perspective of her.

It would be great if a video with her music would come out on a DVD to go with this story. I was always fascinated by her incredible talent for both singing and piano. Her non-compromising attitude is very encouraging for anybody who goes against the grain.

As a lover of artist biographies, I can say this book did not disappoint. While I was not previously familiar with Hazel Scott, this story was told with such richness and depth that I ended the book as a fan. Hazel Scott was truly a treasure. A big "thank you" to Karen Chilton for this beautiful account of Ms. Scott's life.

This novel was truly Hazel Scott's journey, but as I delved further into it, I realized that it was more importantly, a remarkable journey for me. I was thrust into a world that is so different from mine, and introduced to a woman who was lightyears ahead of her time. I found it interesting that she touched the lives of so many individuals we read about in our history books. They were her friends, fans, supporters, teachers and lovers. They recognized her natural talent, admired her beauty and adored her creativity as she fused classical piano with jazz, be-bop and her own personal, glamorous style.

The author does a great job of portraying her in such a fashion that the reader feels a part of Hazel's life, and experiences the trials and tribulations of this woman who answered the door and paid her mother's bills as a small child, to the woman who was nearly bankrupt living abroad and away from her husband's troubles that plagued both of their lives for years.

Hazel Scott was a class act, and I highly recommend that everyone learn more about her by reading this fascinating story of her life.

The author has written an interesting portrayal of a prodigy whose talent was tapped and allowed to flourish. Yet the book goes beyond the musical talents of Hazel Scott to interest the reader in a compelling story of life, love, friendship, marriage, motherhood, politics and much more. It is a remarkable journey into the life & times of an era which was rich with talent and political savvy. This book is timely and topical as one may compare the life of Hazel Scott & Adam Clayton Powell to what is happening in history today.

Wow,Wow, I just finished reading this book and it is really an excellent book. First of all let me tell you a little about me, I am a senior who loves Jazz, The Harlem Renaissance, and history. This book brought all of the above subjects to light while telling the story of Hazel Scott. Like so many Americans, I knew of Ms. Scott, however; I was unaware of all of her contributions. Ms. Chilton does an excellent job of letting us know the real Hazel Scott.

This is the kind of book that can be used in an undergraduate or graduate class at any University. Ms. Chilton research is effective and it appears as if at times it is Ms. Scoot actually speaking.

This book has come on the scene at a real interesting time in our history. The fact that we have our first Black President is in real contrast with the kinds of experiences that Congressman Powell and Ms. Scott both experienced in their various careers. In fact, many students and average American citizens would really be shocked at what was going on in race relations 40 or 50 years ago. This book gives an illustrative account of race relations from the 40's up until Ms. Scott made her tranisiton in 1982.

This book will be gifts for my love ones who love to read.

Thank you,

Mrs. Beverly L. Jones

Having experienced the power and wisdom of traditional African healers, I was glad to see that Yaya took great efforts to convey the potency derived from following ancient traditions. His life story, like many other traditionalists living in the west, is one that is inspiring given all the efforts he and his tribal elders make to keep their old ways alive in the face of pressures to modernize.

As a student of cross-cultural and shamanic traditions I found this book provides clarity into the use of music and sound for enhancing and stimulating healing, as well as the need to gain sufficient mastery before using this healing modality.

"The Healing Drum: African Wisdom teachings" by YaYa Diallo and Mitchell Hall offers an introspective view into the Minianka culture of Mali. As an African-American student, this book helped me to understand a lot about myself. For example, YaYa explains that in his culture, musicians have a responsibility for the affect that the music has on it's listeners. "In my culture, art is allied with morality." (94)We in the West have debated the issue of the artist's responsibility for some time now. As an aspiring actress and writer, my belief has always been that we have are responsible for the messages we send through our art. YaYa explains that music can not only heal, but also can hurt. This is evident in the complacent attitude of many of today's rap artists and it's consumers. YaYa also expounds on some of the differences between the value of time and structure in Minanka culture vs. the same concept in the West. Understanding this element of an African culture allowed me to realize that I am not as crazy as many of my peers and professsors would have me to believe. YaYa's description of the late-night festivals helped me to understand why I can stay up all night and sleep all day sometimes.
I was offended by one review which stated that YaYa's book describes Minankas as drug addicts. His description of the Minianka's use of herbs and medicines to heal is no different or worse than the Western philosophy of popping pills to make troubles disappear, i.e, prozac, ridalin, sleeping pills, etc. YaYa also emphasizes the importance of music in the healing process, and his descriptions of instances in which music was used to heal in his culture are both moving and sincere.
In light of American's recent "liberation" of Iraq, it was also interesting to read YaYa's description of the French colonization of Mali. "The French glorified their colonization of large parts of Africa as a 'mission civilsatirce', a civilizing mission...The textbooks spoke of Africa rarely enough and then only referred pejoratively to the 'natives', not the human beings who belonged to our continent." (120)
It has been long understood in the elevated members of my own culture, that Africa and America are inextricably connected. I believe a closer look at the statement above could easily be related to the reluctance of many Black youth in America to take an interest in formal education. The teachings in this book are, in many cases, universal and, in most cases, interesting and inspirational. YaYa Diallo tells his story with simplicistic eloquence,humor, and wisdom. The book offers much in the way of history and parables, without beating you over the head. Mitchell Hall has done an excellent job of translation.
I was required to read this book for an African Dance class I was taking at the University of Louisville. For any person who is interested in learning more about music, Minianka culture, or the world, I would highly recommend YaYa Diallo and Mitchell Hall's "The Healing Drumm", and for anyone in Louisville, I encourage you to take Harlina Churn Diallo's African Dance class. Bring out the Drums!

Over the years of owning this book I have returned to "The Healing Drum: African Wisdom Teachings" again and again. As a person of African descent I find it incredibly enriching to read the stories of Yaya Diallo as retold by Mitch Hall regarding his upbringing in the musical culture of the Miniaka (Bamana) people. We are all lucky that Diallo's words are preserved by Hall in "The Healing Drum" because a great deal of healing wisdom of Africa is oral, passed through families, thus it remains secretative. I welcome this open-hearted effort and openminded collaborative work seeking to contribute to international healing through authentic sound, as such I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking knowledge of alternate ways of healing inspired by West African spirituality.

I wanted to read this book because I have recently started learning African drumming and I wished to find out more about West African culture and how traditional music is used to heal. This was the perfect book for both aspects.

The author helps us to appreciate the culture of his village through his own experiences. We read about his struggles to follow the customs and teachings of his village as he is educated in French culture and taught to embrace the Western way of life.

We also gain an insight into the secret societies and social aspects of life in his village. Suspend disbelief at some of the awesome sights that he relates, I only wish that I could see them for myself! The sociological, psychological and religious knowledge that he reveals about his community is fascinating.

Yaya shows us that a musician in this culture does not just "play" music, music is a vital aspect of life which sustains the society and heals lost souls. The musician is a healer and a protector of the people. Each piece of music has implications, positive or negative, and the musician has a responsibility to the community to play well and appropriately.

This book has helped me to gain an insight into African culture and music; from now on my djembe playing will have more significance for me and I feel inspired by the healing potential that I now hold in my hands.

This book is about music, healing, indigenous view of life and above all, it is about harmony, which is achieved when life is lived with respect and with generosity.

Diallo is a member of the mainly agricultural Minianka/Senufo tribe living in what today is Mali. The Minianka have been able to resist the depredations which occur when Islam or X-ianity enters African societies; they are animist, that is, they still observe and follow ancient laws that emphsize the interdependence between humans, nature and the transcendent realms. Music to the Minianka music is much more than entertainment. It is used for work, celebration, ritual, inititations, funerals and healing; each activity (as well as each profession and each person) has its own special rhythms and harmonies. The MInianka understand music as a bridge between the visible and invisible. As such, it is used to establish harmonious relationships between an individual, his community, his ancestors and the Creator. Every night there is dancing at the village square - and EVERYBODY dances. Minianka musicians learn to transpose the essence of their fellow men's characters into music, so that when a villager gets to dance, he is greated by rhythms which match his/her character and emotional configuration. By observing closely, the musicians can adapt the music to the needs of the listener and thereby lead them to health. In Minianka villages, says Diallo, "musicians are healers, the healers musicians.... Music...amplifies to our sense the unheard tones and unseen waves that weave together the matter of existence. The beat, the rhythm, the timing, the orchestration, the flow, the balance between action and rest must all be within well-defined limits...and the music becomes a healing art that helps restore emotionally and psychologically disturbed people to harmonious human functioning. "

THe book is well written and brings us a close -up of Fienso, the village of Diallo's childhood. I found the descriptions of initiation ceremonies, daily work, secret societies very interesting. It made me see the Minianka society as an extremely sophisticated - where there is place for everyone and where everybody is interconnected in a web of mutual obligations between people, spirits and God. Unfortunately, the interdependence on mutual obligations makes the African society also fragile; when reciprocity inherent in such webs is interrupted, as during incursions of oil and diamond money, radical X-ianity or Islam, the African society collapses and we get what we see today in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Liberia or Sudan - lack of harmony and lack of peace.

Still, we would be fools to pass the opportunity to learn what Africans have to teach us. Music is one of the keys that can open the door of the gilded cage in which the giant of industrial nihilism has imprisoned us and Yaya Diallo shows us in this wonderful book, that it is possible to open one's body, spirit and destiny to the amazing world of harmony and beauty where true healing occurs.

The only thing about this book I would have liked to see were lists of the recordings these transcriptions came from. My guess is that the average jazz student(especially guitar players!) can't sight-read many of the polyrythmic figures. Plus, things like nuance and dynamic tend to get lost in transcriptions.

I love this book. It gives a lot of insight into the genius of Joe Pass. I use it mostly to verify what I have transcribed by ear.

This book is a great resource for those who want to study the solo guitar style of Joe Pass. Since Joe used alot of different textures and approaches in his solo work, a musician can find many different approaches to how to build lines, create interesting harmonies and keep the interest of the listener in every song transcribed.

I had heard Joe Pass.
This book give me the opportunity to approach modestly his art.
And better feel the beauty.
Thank you Joe, thank you Roland.

I've been playing guitar for almost 20 years now and jazz has always been a mystery to me. I always wanted to play jazz standards but never had the patience to learn them. After trying many boring and unnecessarily difficult books, I bought Dan Towey's Chord Melodies on Hal Leonard and that got me started. I was hooked. I was then looking for a more challening book, one that I could impress my audience with. When I found these note-for-note transcriptions of Joe Pass' Virtuoso recordings, I thought I'd give it a try but wasn't too serious about it. I figured this would be way out of my league.

Well, I've had this book for a week now and can't let my guitar down. I have learned the beautiful "Have You Met Miss Jones" standard by practicing over four hours a day. Unlike some books on chord melodies, Joe Pass does not use super complicated chords but rather a beautiful melody line along with swinging rhythms. For a non-jazz guitarist like me, it turned out to be a really good fit. This book is definitely for advanced guitarists but it certainly isn't out of reach for those of us who are prepared to practice hard.

The transcriptions are very accurate and the fingerings are top notch. Roland Leone did a fantastic job both in terms of accuracy and practicality. Highly recommended.

Just started the first number and am really enjoying it. The instrumental accompaniment is excellent. The book also contains a lot of interesting information about the musicians. One of the best instructional bass books that I have used.

excellent book/cd combo that is perfect for the beginner at bass guitar who is interested in learning jump bass.


The book shipped promptly and it was like new.

Thanks,

This book just arrived and I just popped in the CD to give it a quick listen. What a pleasant surprise! The blues playing is top-notch all around, from the bassist (which you might hope for, from a bass book :-) to the guitar, drums, piano, harmonica, and even organ. If they lengthened the tracks this CD would almost stand on its own as a blues audio CD, it's that good. I've heard other "how to" books where the playing is only so-so (maybe intentionally, in a misguided attempt to not intimidate the beginner?), but on this CD everyone's really cookin', which I find really inspiring. It'll motivate me to work at getting as good.

Another good idea is that most of the band plays on the right track, and the bass playing is featured on the left channel, so it's easy to hear what he's doing and learn from it. I could see eventually muting the bass, recording my own left bass track and comparing to see how well I'm learning.

A quick scan through the book also makes me think I've made a good purchase - some good playing tips and lots of work to keep me busy this winter :-)

The CD and the examples in this blues bass instuction book are particularly perfect for those seeking the most common blues bass lines. The examples run from slow Willie Dixon blues, medium speed Chicago and New Orleans styles, into a few "swing" blues styles. Each example on the CD plays through the song in its entirety, and with cool variations. There are twenty-two examples in all, and each is representative of a very popular blues groove. What makes this bass book/cd standout from others is that it defines particular styles and artists and associates that sound for players to groove on. A HIGH SIERRA BASS PLAYER MUST HAVE!

I am a rank beginner on the bass, and have found that playing blues is one of the easier ways to feel like you are learning/playing a song without a lot of intense effort. I don't say this to say blues is easy, but more that the repetition in it is far easier to follow than many rock bass lines that move off into solos. This book sets out several (there are not LOTS of them) different styles and songs to practice, and it is done in a clear fashion with comments about the type of player(s) that made these styles famous.

If you're a well experienced player, you may be disappointed. But if you are not that experienced, this can give you that feeling that you really are making progress.

Improvisational music followers will find much of value in these insightful, opinionated, inspired, grouchy and ultimately humble transcribed conversations with Lee Konitz. Konitz has played his way across the full spectrum of jazz and readers would derive great pleasure from the book even if they had never heard him play...but far more if they have. Any one who enjoyed "Time will Tell: Conversations with Paul Bley" would equally enjoy this book as it is similar in format and the very high quality of the information imparted.

This was a fascinating read on so many levels. The unique format (short interviews with various musicians - from Sonny Rollins, to Ornette, to Bill Frisell and Wayne - along with conversation format interveiws with Konitz himself, regular bio info, transcriptions, lead sheets of orginals, etc..) was really effective, it really works! I haven't read a book on jazz, or a jazz musician, anything like this.

Reading Lee's philosophy and thoughts on the art form, how he sees himself as an artist, his musical ideals and goals, his personal experiences, and also some of the fairly controversial views he holds...amazing food for thought. Fascinating insight into an often underrated genius and incredible innovator.

Highly recommended!

At the end of this book, author Andy Hamilton reassures Konitz that it will become a classic of jazz literature. I guess Hamilton was speaking at least half tongue-in-cheek, but, for what it's worth, I also think he's probably right.

As it's been said elsewhere, the author's editorial prowess is phenomenal, and the proof is that the book is extremely easy to read, while, at the same time, it is packed with information and insight. Hamilton has also been able to engage Konitz in some interesting discussions, like his views on several musicians - Anthony Braxton, most memorably - or his assessment of his own playing, and on the actual physical and psychological aspects of the process of improvising music.

This is pretty close to my ideal book on a jazz musician, where the subject has the chance to tell his story while speaking freely to a knowledgeable counterpart.

Highly recommended.

I found this book to be one of the most clear, informative and honest books in jazz literature that I have ever read.
Lee comes across as a candid, humble man, a servant to his art.
Through the conversational and well researched style that the writer Andy Hamilton adopts, Lee Konitz offers many realistic, straightforward insights into his life and study: and the lives of those around him.
As a jazz musician myself, this book opens many doors of perception.
It cuts through the myth and hyperbole that often surround the lives of the truly great ones in this wonderful artform.
Highly recommended!

In this book of lively conversations on the improviser's art, Lee Konitz talks about all aspects of his music, from his beginnings (as a student of the clarinet, during the late 1930s) to the early years of the new century, and he does so with great candour. There's lots about the Cool School of playing and Konitz's musical mentor, the blind pianist Lennie Tristano. Tristano's music ran on a parallel track to bebop, but because it wasn't such a hot, sweaty affair it's been dismissed as a pallid version of the real thing, cerebral and abstract, disconnected from feelings, a music to be analysed by beard-strokers rather than enjoyed by foot-tappers. Konitz dismisses these false distinctions and emphasises both the vitality and originality of Tristano's music - points supported by several musician-contributors to the book.

The criticisms and comments that Konitz offers are frank, thoughtful and well-argued. Several of the chapters cover specific decades in his career. Others include: Formative Influences; Working with Tristano; Early Collaborators; The Art of Improvisation; The Instrument; The Material. Embedded within each of the chapters is a series of brief interviews with musicians, most of whom have worked on the bandstand with Konitz or recorded with him, including John Zorn, Phil Woods, Mike Zwerin, George Russell, Clare Fischer, Sal Mosca, Alan Broadbent, Sonny Rollins, Rufus Reid, Ornette Coleman, Harold Danko, Wayne Shorter, Paul Bley, John Tchicai, Greg Osby, Martial Solal and Evan Parker. Although this is fundamentally a book of interviews, Andy Hamilton provides scene-setting introductions to each of the chapters, explanatory links between subsections, and brief comments that help the reader better to contextualise the interview material. His contributions are considerable, but they're done with such a light touch the attention remains firmly on Konitz throughout.

Although Konitz broke with the Tristano school, Tristano's foremost `disciple', tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, remained in a strong creative partnership with him until the late 1970s. Marsh is undoubtedly the saxophonist whom Konitz admires most, and Konitz's aesthetic, sound and approach to improvisation owe perhaps more to Marsh than any other player. He contrasts Marsh's approach with that of several other major players, including Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, whose solos relied to some degree on pre-prepared material. Throughout the book, there's much useful discussion about the philosophy of music-making.

Konitz is a great talker, with lots of interesting things to say about his own music and the music of Marsh, Tristano, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Parker, Coltrane, Charles Mingus and a host of others, and the book is peppered with valuable comments about `the jazz life'.

I have very high standards when it comes to idols (at least by my warped definition). Mrs. Lynn managed to be both an idol and hero to me. She is a strong out spoken female that refuses to compromise her beliefs to fit into a cookie cutter/hollywood type image. The best day of my life was getting to visit her ranch and pose for a photo on her steps. I love both of her books although Still Woman Enough is my favorite as she is completely relaxed in being herself. Loretta Lynn is an inspritation for all women young and old that have had to overcome hard challenges in life.

I have been completely in love with Loretta Lynn ever since I saw "Coal Miner's Daughter." I didn't even know who she was til I watched the movie at age 14, then I read the book and became hooked on her music. She is an amazing woman. Her life has been hard, and she doesn't take any of her success for granted. She is who she is. What you see is what you get with her. I don't know if anyone who reads her book could relate to half of what she has experienced, but it makes for interesting reading. I was lucky enough to see her live in concert a month ago, and when she walked out on that stage, I was brought literally to tears. I just couldn't believe this woman I admire so highly was actually standing in front of me. I'll never forget that night. And I will never stop loving Loretta Lynn. Read BOTH of her autobiographies. Both are excellent.

This is one of the greatest books that has ever been written. My father was a coal miner until he got hurt. I sing my self and loretta is just so good. Being from the same state she is i guess the reason she has such a influenece on my life. If you read this book you will love it.

A grandmother at 28? Wow! I learned a lot of interesting things about 1) the country music star, and 2) about coming up hard and making it work out.

This book is Loretta Lynn's tale of her childhood in Butcher Holler with her poor but pround parents. Her parents allow her to be married off to a man she barely knows when she is 13. Amazingly, she remains married to this man for the rest of his life.

Anyway, the husband encourages Loretta to sing publicly because he thinks she has a great voice. And I don't need to tell you how the career goes, because that's pretty popular knowledge.

All in all, this was a great book. Very well developed and informative, whether you're a country music fan or not.

Very interesting. This woman has led a very difficult life, but she never seems to lose her spirit.