MSCI

Willadeene Parton is a very wonderful and great writer. She is not only sucessful at writing about her family but she is a great poet and cook as well. Her cook books are Awesome if you are into some great southern cooking. I have ate some of her meals in her cook book prepared by none other than herself, I used to be her Personal Assistant, and let me tell you, she cooks better than anyone I know. The Books are a great Pleasure to read and the cook books are just as much fun. Not just coming from a Friend but form a True Fan. ....

Originally, this book was released as "In the Shadow of a Song" in 1986. I read it then, and I read it again and enjoyed it as much as a second helping of grits and gravy and country ham. Brandon B., Tampa, FL

I have read this book front to back three times!! I was born in Appalachia and have lived in the hills and hollows of East Tennessee all my life. I related to the deep family roots, and loving atmosphere their family had growing up. Willadeene captured not only their family spirit but, the pain, laughter, and triumphs of the Appalahcian people.

If you play classical guitar, then this is a must have book for your collection. Bach played on classical guitar is a match made in Heaven. Frank Koonce did an excellent job in this book.

My teacher had a copy of this book years ago-- Bach is one of the best composers for classical guitar, and also one of the most difficult. Pick up a good Segovia CD, and if the song is by Bach there's a 99% chance it's in this book.

The whole thing is really well done. It's bound so that you can remove and re-add pages if you want. Some pages flip out. The back contains a set of pictures of many of the pieces as they were originally written or transcribed.

This is a hidden gem of a book.

This is a terrific book. Frank Koonce's selections, and especially his masterly fingering, make this book a must buy for anyone who plays the classic guitar.

After reading this book you will have a technical understanding of why Billy Strayhorn's music sounds so good and why Strayhorn needs to be recognized as one of the giants of American popular music. After having spent over 10 years performing in depth research and examining over 3,000 manuscripts Walter Van De Leur seperates Billy Strayhorn from Duke Ellington and analyzes how their musical styles differ. The book provides the reader with a technical dissection of a number of Strayhorn's and Ellington's music and gives, from a musicologist's point of view, the uniqueness of Strayhorn's music. Anecdotes about Strayhorn and Ellington are infrequent and instead Van De Leur provides a scholarly examination of one of the most important of American composers. However, Van De Leur can be eloquent in his examination of Strayhorn's work and this belies the love he has for his subject. Analyzing Strayhorn's Day Dream Van De Leur writes " The introspective Day Dream is less radical in its harmonic and melodic design, although chromatic chord relations again play an important role...On beat three this flat supertonic for the target proper, which now functions as the delay for the dominant E7, for A. Turning this pattern into a sequence, Strayhorn again liberates the music from its tonal gravity..." That last sentence says it all, Billy Strayhorn liberated music from its tonal gravity!

This book is a landmark is jazz scholarship. The way van de Leur mixes few biographical details, business forces, archival reserach and music analysis helps to better understand the art of Billy Strayhorn as a personal and individual composer and arranger. With a smooth literary style, van de Leur opens to us the gates of an unknown and underrated musical genius, and help us to distinguish the true from the false, the right authorship of compositions and arrangements and the way the Strayhorn musical style changed throught the years; more, it helps to distinguish him from Duke Ellington and to better understand Ellington, too. From;these pages, Strayhorn emerges as a major composer with a distinguished musical personality.
The four appendixes are one the most useful tools in jazz reseraches appeared in last years.
This book is a reference one for any jazz researcher or learned amateur. A masterpiece in scholarship, an enlightning effort in understanding a great musician and an enjoyable reading. A must.

Ask the average person to name a song by Duke Ellington and if you get a response it's apt to be 'uh, A-Train'. Wrong, since it has long been known that Strayhorn wrote it. But who wrote which parts of 'Black, Brown and Beige'? Unknown generally until now; Strayhorn wrote Beige; Ellington wrote Black and Brown.

All true fans of Duke Ellington know of Billie Strayhorn, but few know anything of his real contributions across half of the Dukes career. This book has gone back to the original manuscripts and studied the handwriting to see who wrote what parts. The results of these studies and massive other research provide a true look at the work of Strayhorn. This is not a biography; 'Lush Life : A Biography of Billy Strayhorn' by David Hajdu is a wonderful companion to this book. This book is musically oriented and has some discussions way over my head; none the less its a welcome addition to my library and one that I read non-stop. There is lots of fine data in apendicies as well.

Superb! Thank you, thank you, Walter Van De Leur.

I am purchasing my second copy of this book. I had the First edition which had a cassette. I am buying this one for my son with the cd. I learned every song in this book and still it leaves people slack Jawed when I play some of the selections I learned here. I am able to apply the techniques to other styles as well. If you want to learn to play not just fast but tasteful as well then you want this book. If you are willing to do the time to learn this stuff then you will be able to committ the crime....

It's a great practice book, if you want to improve your playing from the blues based style to neo-classical this is the book to study, very direct and simple. the Slow demo on the CD is great not too slow that you'll miss the "feel" but enough speed to play it properly.

This is a great book to learn classical pieces arranged for electric guitar to broaden your soloing repertoire. It helps you practice techniques such as tapping, sweep picking, rolling, and speed. It contains the following pieces:
Jesu, joy of man's desire
Toccata No 4
Etude
Caprice No 24
The Four Seasons
The Flight Of The Bumble Bee
Canon
Toccata
Fugue
The book is short (46 pages), but you will spend a good amount of time practicing this stuff.

If ever there was a case of 'don't judge a book by it's cover' it's this one!! At first glance you might think you hold in your hands another dry, ordinary, boring, how-I-got-into-show-biz-and-how-great-I-am bio but this is NOT the case with this book! What a great read! Mr. Phillips' long, stellar and varied career in the music business is written with a lot of humor and I found myself laughing out loud through much of it. He also makes you feel not only for himself but for those 'characters', both ordinary and 'stars', that come and go in his life throughout the telling of his story. He makes then human. SOMEONE in Hollywood needs to pick up the rights to this book and make it into a movie!!! This book IS indeed hard to put down and I only found myself doing so after not being able to keep my eyes open any longer in the wee hours of the morning. Coming from someone who has been 'behind the scenes' for so long, it's nice to see him step out front and tell his story. I guarantee that if you've looked at a movie, watched television or listened to the radio or records and cds in the last 50 years, you've heard SOMETHING that had Mr. Phillips' name attached to it! Stop reading the review and click on the "Buy" button up top! You will not regret it! I promise!

Where I'm coming from: a part-time musician for around twenty years; did work for a record company for about 1 1/2 years and met my wife of 23 years there. Always fascinated with music careers. Well, I read Stu Who? because I actually did recognize the name from some old records. Rather than hash through his career points here, I'd just like to report that Stu Phillips has a gift for recounting his music career. He really humanizes what it is like to brush with fame, what it is like to get tremendously lucky, what it's like when the opposite of luck happens. He seems to be thinking and writing this book at the same time, which gives it an energy I could not resist. For some reason I carried it around with me everywhere until I was done, and I left the copy somewhere, wherever it was when I finished it. I guess that's the best recommendation you can give to a book, that it lives in your brain so strongly, you mislay the darn book itself. Good going Stu, and thanks for sharing your story.

"Stu Who?": Forty years Of Navigating The Minefields Of The Music Business by record producer, television and film composer Stu Phillips is the fascinating, informative, personal history of a life-long career in the music industry. Phillips shares heretofore unknown anecdotes about entertainment and music world personalities ranging from Sammy Davis, Jr.; Donna Reed; Librace; and Russ Meyer; to Shelley Fabares; James Darren; The Monkees; and Don Kirshner. From Phillips first professional job as a copyist for The Milton Berle Texaco Hour, to his work with Russ Meyer soft-porn movies, to his participation with cult classics such as Battlestar Galactica (where he was privileged to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic), to his years in the recording business at Command, Colpix, Capitol, and Epic, to his work composing music from The Donna Reed Show, Gidget, as well as films like Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls, to his unsuccessful "dabbling" in film-making and screenwriting, "Stu Who" is an impressive autobiographical compendium that is enthusiastically recommended reading for anyone with an interest in the history and personalities of the music, television, and film industries.

I cannot believe that this fabulous book is not on the kids' best-seller list.

The words and story formulate a veritable concert, matched by sumptuous illustrations.

At the edge of Fox Woods, not far from Skunk Lake, Raccoon Trail crossed Possum Path, and a hop away was a skinny bit of land sticking into Lake Minneolo that everyone called Snake Alley. This was where, in the summer, the snake bands hung around, hissing, "Shhhh, shhhh, shhh," and bopping their tails, "BOOM, BOOM, BOOM; Shhh, BOOM Shhhh-boom, Shhhh-boom."

The littlest snake was tired of his Boom, which sounded to him more like a "plup." When spring awoke him again, Snake was ready to "Shhh-BOOM.," and squeezed out of his hole and slithered to join his band. The cricket, hearing the word "band," chirped "Chew-up, chew-up," and then frog chimed in with his "Cha-Bop, Cha-BOP, Cha-Bob." And fish joined the concert with their "Pop-Pop-Doo-Wop." And so on. The instrumentalists soon included a bird and a turtle too. Still, something was missing from the musical fun, and Snake went in search of it. What or whom do you suppose he found?

This book is 30 pages of pure musical joy. Alyssa A. Lappen

The story has a wonderful fun rythum. When you read the story aloud, you can almout hear the music the animals make.

From the first "Chew-up, Chew-up" to the last "Shh-Boom", this book gets kids involved. They can't wait for the next character to pop in with the line "Did someone say band?", because they know the next cool sound is coming up. (The fish's "Pop-Pop-Doo-Wop" is a favorite with four year olds.) The hidden subtext teaches that it takes all kinds of sounds to make a band - everyone makes their own specal contribution. A nice way to teach about harmony, both musical and otherwise - the book teaches without preaching. This is a book that even parents will look forward to reading night after night - book fatugue has not set in after reading Snake Alley Band for a solid month!

This book is truly a rarity. Chusid vividly tells the tales of the most incompetant, inept musicians in history with a genuine love and affection that makes this book a true joy to read. It may be my very favorite book of all time.

The concept of "outsider music" is one that I have embraced for years. While I don't deny liking some classical music and traditional album rock (Dire Straits, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc.), I have always had a place in my heart for the struggling artists that just don't seem to (and never will) get it (like The Shaggs), others that DO get it, they just mock the norm (Brave Combo, PDQ Bach, etc.) and that peculiar group that are seemingly from Mars (Jandek, The Legendary Stardust Cowboy), that possibly get it, but are a so far beyond the norm that nobody pays attention to them.

This book is an unabashed celebration of ineptitude and (seeming) insanity. It is not to be missed, but when purchasing please make sure to buy the CD as well so you can grasp what he is talking about. Of particular note is the section on the famous MSR Song-Poems (where you send them $100 and your lyrics and they record your song) which, to me is the ultimate in outsider music.

I couldn't put it down. I can't recommend it strongly enough. Buy this book. Do it now!

Irwin Chusid's first book is an extremely entertaining, inspiring, and well-deserved tribute to an assorted cast of musical curiosities. More than just weird songsmiths, and certainly way beyond alternative music, these artists defy description. Under the umbrella of 'outsider music' (coined by the author as the musical equivalent of outsider folk art), he offers up twenty intriguing examples for your consideration. Some of these individuals have already achieved a certain degree of fame (Capt. Beefheart, Syd Barrett, Tiny Tim), and some have gained notoriety through the underground community (Wesley Willis, Daniel Johnston, B.J. Snowden, Wild Man Fischer). Some may have been unlucky geniuses (Harry Partch, Robert Graettinger, Joe Meek), and some have stories that remain unresolved, with only the recordings left to speak for themselves (Jandek, Shooby Taylor, Jack Mudurian). All of them, however, share unquestionable sincerity and originality when it comes to their skewed takes on popular music forms. What separates them from other pop oddities like Frank Zappa, the Residents, or Barnes & Barnes is a lack of self-awareness in their work. They don't aim to be weird, but the end result inevitably gets received that way. Although he writes with a healthy dose of humor, he also displays a large amount of respect for them. Fans of way-out sounds may recognize Chusid's name. He's been shining spotlights on fringe music for years, penning liner notes and producing compilations for both Esquivel and Raymond Scott (he's also the director of the Raymond Scott Archives), as well as co-hosting the "Incorrect Music Hour" on the legendary free-form radio station WFMU in New Jersey. This wonderful book is by no means a comprehensive look at any of these names, but merely a well-written sampler that will hopefully inspire you to find out more. Closing out the book, there's a section of artists' discographies to provide an idea of what's out there (and you can marvel at the vast self-released output of Jandek, Johnston, and Willis), and a bibliography featuring plenty of sources for the intrigued reader to do further research (both in print and on the Internet). A fantastic companion CD is also available, featuring tracks by many of this book's subjects (which is highly recommended, in order to fully appreciate what they do).

"- As regards the Outsider, the question -- never asked directly, but always to a third party -- is: "What were they.thinking?" - Irwin Chusid

Well, in the case of Harry Partch, perhaps we can know by wading through his massive tome on micro-tunings. But even that book is kind of weird.

So what makes The Shaggs, Joe Meek & the lovely Lucia Pamela so dear to our hearts? What compels us to stare at Jandek's fuzzy black & white album covers? What the heck is a "Neon Meate Dream Of A Octafish?"

Irwin has genuine affection for outsider music & art. He practically defined the genre on his WFMU radio programs. It's a massive subject, sure to be turned into coded babble as the academics get hold of it. But Irwin is not only an expert; he's a fan, too. His pleasure here isn't to be complete & definitive, but to throw open the door to this beautiful, intriguing & awful stuff & give you what you need to wander around outside on your own.

Clearly written (Irwin's a fine writer), loaded with cool pix, entertaining, amusing, even a little unnerving: You & I share the world with these oddballs; perhaps they .. is us! I wonder if that's Irwin's subtext?

Irwin has also compiled a CD soundtrack for "Songs in the Key of Z." Get that, too, so you can scat along with Shooby Taylor, the Human Horn.

Bob Rixon

Healing Essence was highly touted and I purachased it; however, I had a feeling that it was missing something - or I was. Now with this book, Dr. Gaynor, like Chopra, seems to be finding the niche of his essence, and he give the reader the right to find their's. That is HEALING! As a nurse, it was amazing what a sachet of dried lavender attached to a pillow,& backrub would do, or a little music box I carried in my pocket to help neuro patients calm down. That was the 60s. This book shows the expanse of sound, and that one's body responds to that which it particularly needs. Having had chemo, the horrors of the traditional rows of chairs and people 'yapping,' vs what privacy and sound may have done for me brings tears. Just recently, with a new water 'garden,' I placed it in the living room - discomfort overcame me. It took a week to realize I wanted it in my office near to me. I do not work such long spells any longer. I integrate sounds, and relax! There are so many more options I've yet to try thanks to Dr. Gaynor. And, so many practices I'm going to try to change here in Austin, Texas!

Dr. Gaynor integrates sound and emotion as powerful tools in his medical arsenal leading his patients back to health. His use of the healing power of sound compliments the use of conventional medicine. Dr. Gaynor's guided meditations have helped achieve living miralces in "terminal" patients. This book reaffirms anything is possible when we discover what made us ill and how we can rebuild our lives during and after illness. This book is a priceless road map to self discovery and joy. I wish I could give it six stars.

Sounds of Healing is an extraordinary publication. Like a journey within a journey, it is an odyssey along the path of spiritual wisdom, healing and self fulfillment. Like a compass, it directs as it informs-it encourages the reader to meander throughout its pages, enjoying the self direction and spontaneous discovery that are the essence of the spiritual quest. The book together with the Sounds of Healing compact disk moved me towards celestial realms that I have never before experienced.

i like emma too she is my favorite spice gir

This book was one of the best spice girl books i have ever read. And I have ALL of the Spice Girls CD's and Books made and I love this book. Emma is my favorite. I have EVERY SINGLE one of their dolls too! I'm the Number 1 Spice Girls fan EVER!! Spice Girls Rule! Especially Emma!

HI! I like emma very much. If your choice is same to me, E-mail me at this address (doreen_spice@hotmail.com) or (island_doreen@yahho.com).

I'll wait for you all. Thanks

We owe Richard Sudhalter for preserving the often-forgotten history of America's early jazz pioneers and composers. His subjects are white musicians, but he doesn't write about them with a nasty political agenda. He just doesn't want their contributions to be forgotten. Along the way, he pays warm tribute to the black musicians who led the musical revolution. Unfortunately, politically-charged reviewers refuse to see this.
I especially love this Sudhalter work. Sadly, Hoagy is becoming a forgotten genius of American song. Duke Ellington once called him America's greatest songwriter, and Sudhalter goes a long way in providing the evidence to such a claim. I especially enjoyed the focus on Hoagy's home state of Indiana, which was an amazing hotbed for jazz in the 1920s. One should take this book and drive around Bloomington, Indiana, and find all of the haunts described in rich detail by Sudhalter. Then go to Indianapolis, and Richmond, Indiana. Sudhalter really did us all a huge favor in providing such a wonderful document.

Hoagy Carmichael's college roommate, Hank Wells, claimed all his life that Hoagy, consciously or subcon- scioujsly, stole Star Dust from him. People in his home- town of Lake Bluff, Ill., said that this "broke his heart." Wells visited back and forth with the parents of a friend of mine, and she personally heard him tell this story. He played piano at her wedding..
I have read Hoagy's own words about Star Dust quoted in a book and they are cryptic. He does indeed imply that the song came out of nowhere into his mind.
Two facts: (a) What if a man wrote one great song that was unusual and never wrote another? Why is that?
(b) Why could one man write such a great song and then
never equal or exceed it in his long writing career. Why?
Only one set of facts fits that scenario. Hank Wells, heartbroken, never wrote again. Hoagy couldn't write anything so good on his own.

CCarf

My father, Bud Dant, is prominently featured in this book, as a man who helped Hoagy write down Stardust and I grew up hearing about the stories and now here they all are in a book...not just a book, but what I know is an extremely accurate and real account of Hoagy's life...the writing is terrific and Richard's obvious love of the music and times shows in his accounts...I know for a fact he researched this material exhaustively...it shows! It pretty much dwarfs all other books on Hoagy.