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Customer Reviews (8)

Stinx
The shame about this terribly written book is that it will discourage a good writer from writing a good biography of a fascinating man. The sentence by sentence writing is so difficult to understand that it makes one doubt the veracity of anything the writer says. This is the man responsible for a terrible book on B'way Musicals which had something like 3.000 errors in it. If you're interested, then force yourself to get through his clumsy prose. I just feel sad for his editor; what torture it must have been. Avoid-someday someone will write a good one.

A Fine Biography of The Greatest American Choreographer That Ever Lived
Bob Fosse, in this reader's opinion, is, besides the greatest director\choreography of musicals, the greatest choreographer that ever lived. His brilliant, simplistic style has entertained millions and has shown an inpact in current pop culture.
Mr. Fosse himself was a fascinating man. A slightly short, mumbling chainsmoker, his many demons included alcohol, drugs, paranoia, sex and women. Mr. Gottfried lets us know about those demons. However, he gives interesting accounts of all of Fosse's work for stage and screen.
This book is excellent, but to truly learn about the genius that was Bob Fosse, this reader recommends Mr. Fosse's autobiographical film "All That Jazz."

Fascinating Guy, Fascinating Book
I'll tell you right off the top, I'm not a huge fan of Broadway musicals.Mostly I'm a fan of Fosse because of his films, which rank among my favorites.But regardless of any of that, Fosse's personality and his life make him a fascinating subject for biographical study.

Gottfried's book is heavily detailed, describing the events of Fosse's life, exploring his work and his personal realtionships, and really getting inside the man's head, all the while maintaining a very readable, and appropriately jazzy style.There's also enough quoted dialogue to keep the book flowing almost like a work of fiction.

A great read and an informative one.Highly recommended to fans of Fosse and his work, or those simply interested in one of the most intriguing of showbiz lives.

Pure Fun
Maybe I'm biased: I'm a shrink. I lived in New York in the early 80's. I knew some of the people mentioned in the book. But this was the most fun I've had reading since Letters from a Nut. Full of tidbits about a raft of celebrities. Another reviewer complained about the lack of pictures. Why stop there? We need all the films, too. Must watch All That Jazz again ASAP, AND try to get my hands on Sweet Charity and Cabaret. A great ride!

Jazzed out!
The book is very thorough and does give a very accurate blow by blow description of every moment in Bob Fosse's life.If you love the man and want to relive his life for him, read this book.On the other hand, if you are trying to do a paper, you might want to start reading this about 6 months before your paper is due.It is very hard to weigh through the many, colorful words and facts in this book in any small amount of time.I will someday read this book for pleasure but right now, after only reading three chapters (though be very interesting), I am totally jazzed out!phew! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great compilation of jazz classics
I bought this 3-CD set which supplements a textbook I needed for class. I'm no jazz expert, but I have to say the selections of jazz pieces--from early ragtime pianists to Ellington to Coltrane--were fantastic! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A comprehensive view
I have taken the content for this review from the Monterey website. Make your own assessments:

celebrates the historic images that were created to promote and memorialize the Festival. In the last 50 years, the MJF posters have become legendary for their representation of the time, place and attitude. From the early days when the posters were created as hand-pulled silkscreens to the present era with contemporary prints produced through the offset process, The Art of Jazz: Monterey Jazz Festival / 50 Years features reproductions of posters by such artists and designers as Earl Newman, Eldon Dedini, Batista Moon Studios, Judy Anderson, Ron Grauer, Harry Briggs, Jeeun Lee and the book's designer, Jerry Takigawa. The posters feature abstract and figurative designs and are noted for their constantly striking and memorable images. Vintage MJF posters are still on the market today as collector items, and are available at www.montereyjazzfestival.org.

"As we approached our 50th year, we wanted to have a book that showed literally the `art' of the Festival," says Tim Jackson, the General Manager of the Monterey Jazz Festival since 1992. "There have been so many posters that have stuck in our minds over the years, yet they had never been assembled in a single place. Some of them are so colorful; some from the early years approach the twenties' Bauhaus movement, very dark, sparse and minimal. Some are more graphic, and some utilize photography, with the classic image of the trumpet on the chair. The posters demonstrate the progression of the Festival's artistic statement, not just on stage, but how its images have changed over the years. It honors the people and artists who have made the Festival one of the leaders in the world of jazz."

The Art of Jazz: Monterey Jazz Festival / 50 Years includes a foreword written by legendary actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood (a member of MJF's Board of Directors), and a decade-by-decade look at the world and the Festival, explored through essays by noted music and culture writers Keith and Kent Zimmerman.

The essays reflect on both the history of the era and the music that was produced. Punctuated by striking photographs of legendary musicians important to the history of the Festival, The Art of Jazz: Monterey Jazz Festival / 50 Years is a visual cornucopia of graphics, words and photography. The book contains historical and contemporary photographs of legendary jazz musicians, captured by longtime Festival photographers Jerry Stoll, Tom Copi, Ron Hudson, Veryl Oakland, Tony Salazar, Craig Lovell, and Cole Thompson. A number of photographs from the archives of the Monterey County Herald are also featured--some of which have never been seen before.

Photographs include rare shots of Dizzy Gillespie (one of the influential artists who called MJF his home over the years), Duke Ellington, B.B. King, Herbie Hancock, Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong, and many more. Striking the balance of historical precedent and aesthetic excellence, the photographs reveal an insight into the Festival and the artists.

Alongside the essays, posters and program covers, The Art of Jazz: Monterey Jazz Festival / 50 Years also has a comprehensive list of artists who have performed at MJF since the beginning, including the 50th celebration which will take place September 21-23, 2007.

The book was designed by Monterey graphic designer Jerry Takigawa, who also has designed the posters for the Festival for the last three years. "From a design perspective, it's fascinating to trace design and color trends of the artwork of the Festival across the decades," said Mr. Takigawa. "Keith and Kent Zimmerman's insightful narratives parallel design trends with music trends as well. The Art of Jazz is a tribute to all of the artists who performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival as well as the visual artists who captured each year in a form suitable for framing."

The Art of Jazz: Monterey Jazz Festival / 50 Years is released in celebration of the Monterey Jazz Festival's 50th year, and is also an intriguing companion piece to the Festival's previous publication, Monterey Jazz Festival: Forty Legendary Years which was released in 1997 and contains the history and story of the Festival, told by the noted jazz writer and critic William Minor, with photographs edited by Bill Wishner.
... Read more

Amazon.com Review
William Gottlieb stumbled onto photography by default. As a young reporter covering jazz during the 1930s and 1940s, he discovered that the Washington Post couldn't be bothered to dispatch a staff photographer. Gottlieb took to lugging along his Speed Graphic and a generous supply of flashbulbs, and as he interviewed his subjects he took pictures of them as well--brilliant pictures, in fact. Many have become canonical images: who can think of Billie Holiday, for example, without visualizing Gottlieb's famous head shot? Likewise, his whimsical photos of Dizzy Gillespie have become bebop icons. Yet his group portraits are even richer, suggesting miniature narratives and then leaving it to the viewer to provide the ending. (Which of Ellington's sidemen, I want to know, won that poker game so assiduously witnessed by Django Reinhardt?) The Golden Age of Jazz collects more than 200 of these gems, along with an informative text by the photographer, and it's hard to imagine a better source of visual delights for a jazz fan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

From the Publisher
"In this nostalgic book, writer and photographer William P. Gottlieb presents a fond look at the 'Golden Age of Jazz,' from the late 1930s through the 1940s. Here are two hundred of Gottlieb's memorable photographs, masterful images with a distinctive storytelling touch that captures a very human side of these larger-than-life musical personalities. All the greats--Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and many more--are pictured onstage and off. ¶ 176 pages, 200 duotone photographs, size: 8 1/2 x 11". Smythe-sewn paperbound book, with flaps. ISBN: 0-87654-355-7."--© Pomegranate

Really neat!!!
This book is really good.It has great pictures, and it really illustrates what jazz is like.If you are a jazz fan, this is the book to get!!! ... Read more

Product Description
The only book specifically designed to help jazz players organize their woodshed time so that practicing becomes fun and productive. This is done by showing the reader how to take big problems and break them down into manageable tasks, each one of which is easy to accomplish. Covers basic theory, soloing, comping, ear training, rhythm practice, tune analysis and much more! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A systematic approach to improving your jazz improvisation
How well do you practise?My practising is often a bit aimless and I got this book to help me develop a more structured approach. Berkman certainly has some good ideas on how to improve your jazz improvisation skills.

There are a many great points that he makes throughout the book on how to approach practising.Here are some that I found particularly helpful:
1. You should not practise what is not fun (This one takes some get used to - practising is meant to be hard and tedious isn't it? No!)
2. Don't practise too far beyond what comes easily to you (or it won't be fun and you will eventually give up!)
3. Break hard problems into easier problems and work on the easier ones first
4. Try to find many different ways of approaching the same problem
5. Look for natural tendancies or strengths in your playing (perhaps you play a lot of triplet patterns), first try to exploit them by exaggerating them even more than usual and also try to learn to play without using them.
6. Learn to honestly assess what you are good and bad at
7. Don't wait to be spoon fed!

The style of the book is often light hearted and humorous, and peppered with loads of interesting anecdotes from the author's own playing and teaching experiences.This often gives fascinating insights into the way other jazz musicians manage to work their way through the problems we all face in mastering this great art form.

Berkman says that the book is 85% for all musicians, and 15% for pianists.I am a trumpet and guitar player.I agree with the author that even non-piano players benefit from some keyboard skills so the 15% did not disturb me.Besides there is still plenty of interesting material in the remaining 85%.

While I think the real benefit of the book is helping readers understand how to practise, the bulk of the book is still in providing various ideas on what to practise. At the start of the book he mentions the areas he believes that most jazz students need to work on.

The author says that we should approach the book as a series of master classes on various topics and it does come across this way.It does not really try to design a specific practise program (that would be spoon feeding!), but is instead a comilation of ideas and approaches which you are encouraged to explore and find what works best for you.Clearly he can't tell us individually what we need to work on or what approach will best help us solve our problems - everyone is different and we each need to discover these answers for ourselves.It's definitely not a book of patterns and licks.

He begins with a brief chapter on theory - which is probably useful as a review, though I'm not sure if it would be sufficient if this was your first exposure to this material.He then talks about approaches to practise playing over changes including scale and arpeggio based ideas as well as a great section on the use of chromatic approach notes and guide tones.

There is a chapter each on how to approach the songs "Body and Soul", "Giant Steps" and "Rhythm Changes".These songs each have their own particular challenges, whether it be the interpretation of a ballad, playing over rapid changes, or knowing which of a possible multitude of reharmonisations to use.

He also has a useful chapter on rhythm and odd meters which I found particularly valuable.

I recommend the book highly to jazz musicians who need some guidance on how to practise jazz improvisation.

a must have!
This is a great book. It does not force-feed you tons of licks or voicings. Instead, it shows you how to practice better, by reducing problems to a manageable size. Berkman is a funny writer, very knowledgeable, full of anecdotes and insights, and full of ideas on how to practice and become a better, truer jazz musician. This is THE book to have if you want to find your own licks, your own voicings, your own voice, regardless of your instrument. There is enough stuff in there to last me for years!

Comprehensive practice guide
Left-hand voicings were brilliantly covered by John Mehegan many years ago and are still current and available at very little cost.Right-hand techniques are less well covered but this volume is remarkable for its comprehensiveness and accessibility.Although useful for all instruments it is very much a book for keyboardists written by a keyboard player.Much as I admire Aebersold he is very much primarily a sax player although his volumes of transcribed comping are invaluable.We need to buy them all and practice! ... Read more

Product Description

With The Jazz Poetry Anthology, this volume offers a comprehensive exploration of the history of jazz poetry. The Second Set gathers many poets omitted from The Jazz Poetry Anthology, including Gwendolyn Brooks, Arthur Brown, Diane di Prima, Henry Dumas, Nikki Giovanni, David Henderson, Anselm Hollo, Haki Madhubuti, Michael McClure, Larry Neal, Dudley Randall, Eugene B. Redmond, Carolyn M. Rodgers, Ntozake Shange, A. B. Spellman, and Jay Wright. The Second Set fills out the history of jazz poetry with poems written before World War II, as well as those from the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, and includes contemporary writers from a range of cultural backgrounds, including Ai, Rita Dove, Yusef Komunyakaa, Martín Espada, Joy Harjo, Keorapetse Kgositsile, Michael Longley, Mwatabu Okantah, Charles Simic, Lorenzo Thomas, Derek Walcott, Ron Welburn, and Yevgeny Yevtushenko.

Embracing a wide variety of poems informed by jazz, The Second Set also includes statements of poetics by many of the poets anthologized.

Product Description
Unlike other musical genres, jazz history is firmly connected to its great performers. They are the ones who create the complexities and individual nuances that make jazz so difficult to categorize and chronicle. Including pertinent biographical information, Introduction to Jazz History continues to examine this interaction between musicians, their history, and the history of their music.The Fifth Edition updates current and ongoing stylistic trends in jazz, including the modern big bands and the new hybrids of jazz extending beyond fusion and crossover. The chronological presentation of the history is intuitive and logical. New biographical sketches for recent and historical musicians have been added to update the text.Interactive Listening Guides are now available using the CDs that accompany the text and the CDs for SCCJ (Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz). Together, these two sets comprise the most powerful collection of jazz recordings available in such a simple package and they are now fully interactive. ... Read more

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Describes jazz dance, including history and basic steps. ... Read more

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This is a thoroughly modern series looking at all aspects of different styles of dance, including choreography, performance and presentation, history, costumes, and music.The stunning design and beautiful photography offer a cultural perspective on dance. It promotes an alternative to traditional sports subjects that will appeal particularly to girls. It covers a high-interest topic to get girls reading. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good overview of jazz technique
This book is a good introduction to jazz dance and emphasizes the building of technique not only via the steps and movements themselves but with also from an appreciation of the cultural origins of the dance. It could be read by dancers or teachers needing an organized set of exercises, or by those who want a deeper appreciation of this form of dance. There are many good photographs in the book, and many illustrations of human anatomy to assist in the discovery of the muscles involved in dance. The opposition of forces and movements, and the many isolations in the body, give jazz its unique characteristics. This interesting and fun art form is nicely summarized in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
These guides to popular dances include: clear photographs that show the moves step-by-step; background information; and tips on costumes, music to dance to and how to stage performances. ... Read more