To celebrate #InternationalJazzDay, we’ve pulled together some of our favourite titles that take us back to the Jazz age.
Making Monte Carlo: A History of Speculation and Spectacle A rollicking narrative history of Monte Carlo, capturing its nineteenth-century rise as the world’s first modern casino-resort and its Jazz Age heyday as infamous playground of the rich.
Supreme City “Supreme City captures a vanished Gotham in all its bustle, gristle, and glory” (Vanity Fair). In the 1920s midtown Manhattan became the center of New York City, and the cultural and commercial capital of America.
Letters to Yeyito: Lessons from a Life in Music A captivating memoir from one of jazz's most beloved practitioners, fourteen-time Grammy winner Paquito D’Rivera’s Letters to Yeyito is a fascinating tour of a life lived in music, and a useful guidebook for aspiring artists everywhere.
Miles Universally acclaimed as a musical genius, Miles Davis was one of the most important and influential musicians in the world. Here, Miles speaks out about his extraordinary life.
Six Tales of the Jazz Age and Other Stories Tales of the Jazz Age is a collection of eleven short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The Jazz Bird An exquisitely written novel of love and betrayal, of money and power, set at the apex of that time of glitz and innocence known as the Jazz Age.
Happy International Jazz Day!
The musician and author of the new picture book "Outlaw Pete” talks with The New York Times about music, cosmology, and, of course, books.
Outlaw Pete by Bruce Springsteen is available November 4th, 2014.
Source: The New York Times
Legendary Rock Stars: Billy Idol
From punk pioneer to global superstar, Billy Idol has left an indelible mark in popular music and remained a household name for over three decades. His style, music, and attitude have transcended time and trend. Determined to break through in America, he hooked up with guitar genius Steve Stevens and a crucial musical partnership was forged. Idol created some of rock’s most enduring anthems including “White Wedding,” “Dancing With Myself,” “Flesh For Fantasy,” “Hot In the City,” “Eyes Without A Face,” “Rebel Yell,” and “Cradle of Love,” among others. Billy Idol is the original punk rocker who found a way to take that sneering punk attitude into the pop and rock mainstream, carving out songs that have lasted a lifetime.
Did you know? (x)
- Billy Idol's real name is William Michael Albert Broad.
- The video for Idol's hit song "Dancing with Myself" was directed by Tobe Hopper, the director of the original 1974 version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
- Idol had a cameo role in Adam Sandler's 1998 film The Wedding Singer.
Dancing with Myself by Billy Idol comes out October 7th, 2014!
Source: billyidol.net
Legendary Rock Stars: David Bowie
A consummate musical chameleon, David Bowie has been a folksinger, androgyne, alien, decadent, blue-eyed soul man, art-rocker and a modern pop star, with each persona spawning a new league of imitators. His late-Seventies collaborations with Brian Eno made Bowie one of the few older stars to be taken seriously by the new wave. In the Eighties Bowie followed the mainstream pop smashLet's Dance (Number One, 1983) with numerous attempts to keep up with current trends. In the Nineties, that meant embracing grunge, industrial rock, rap and dance music, to varying degrees of success. But by then Bowie's place in history was secure: This is a man who did for pretensions what Jimi Hendrix did for electric guitar.
Did you know? (x)
- Elvis Presley and Bowie share the same birthday: January 8.
- His real name is David Robert Jones.
- He voiced the character of Lord Royal Highness on an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants in 2007.
Bowie by Wendy Leigh is available now!
Source: Rolling Stone
Discover the man behind the myth in a new biography of one of the most pioneering and influential performers of our time—David Bowie.
Bowie is available today.
All excerpts from ABBA: 600 Rare, Classic, and Unseen Photos Telling the Complete Story, available September 23rd, 2014.
September 23rd is David Bowie Day in Chicago
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel inadvertently declared himself the coolest mayor on Earth by proclaiming September 23rd "David Bowie Day." The honor comes in connection with David Bowie Is..., a retrospective exhibit opening that day at the city's Museum of Contemporary Art.
via Rolling Stone
UM, did the mayor know that September 23rd is also the pub date for Bowie's upcoming biography, Bowie???
Awesome.
Source: Rolling Stone
Every rock & roll character has a story to tell. Here are some of our favourites.
The Dylanologists by David Kinney, is a soulful and poignant exploration of the origins and meaning of fandom, the healing power of art, and the importance of embracing what moves you, whatever that may be.
Source: quotepixel.com
Looking for a great read to accompany Michael Jackson's new album? We've got you covered.
- Be Careful Who You Love by Diane Dimond
- You Are Not Alone: Micheal, Through a Brother's Eyes by Jermaine Jackson
- Michael Jackson, Inc. by Zack O'Malley Greenburg
Donald Passman, one of the most trusted music lawyers in the United States, offers his sage advice for creating, selling, sharing, and protecting your music in the Information Age in this updated Canadian edition of All You Need to Know About the Music Business. And now Canadian musicians have a voice of their own, as Chip Sutherland, one of Canada’s most distinguished entertainment lawyers, offers insight into the industry trends and particulars of the Great White North. Executives and artists, experts and novices alike will benefit from these detailed yet easy-to-understand explanations of the latest technologies, legalities, and practices shaping the music business, such as: • Royalties for music transmitted via digital downloads, streaming services, cloud lockers, and apps • Updated licensing regulations and industry agreements • Mastering the major and the finer points of contract negotiations In a bonus Canadian content section at the end of each chapter, they give guidance on the basics, such as how to: • Navigate the Canadian marketplace and the transition to a global presence • Find Canadian financial grants and bursaries • Understand regulations governing Canadian content development • Recognize the unique features of Canadian deal structures • Maximize concert, touring, and merchandising agreements in Canadian and American marketplaces Anyone interested in making and marketing music—musicians, songwriters, agents, promoters, publishers, managers, and record company executives—needs this crucial text to keep up with the frenetic pace of technological and legal change.
Happy book birthday to beloved rock and country legend Linda Ronstadt’s charming memoir, SIMPLE DREAMS.
Tracing the timeline of her remarkable life, Linda Ronstadt, whose forty-five year career has encompassed a wide array of musical styles, weaves together a captivating story of her origins in Tucson, Arizona, and her rise to stardom in the Southern California music scene of the 1960s and ’70s.
She's collaborated with legends such as Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Smokey Robinson, Willie Nelson, Buddy Holiday, Mick Jagger, the Neville Brothers, and many, many others. Linda has also earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards, an Emmy Award, has had a number of internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, and Tony and Golden Globe nominations.
In Simple Dreams, Ronstadt tells her story all in a voice as beautiful as the one that sang “Heart Like a Wheel”—longing, graceful, and authentic.
Source: books.simonandschuster.ca
Happy Birthday Bob Dylan! He turns 72 today.
Another great hit from The Great Gatsby soundtrack.
Source: SoundCloud / Lana Del Rey
A beautiful song from The Great Gatsby soundtrack. How many symbols from F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic do you hear?