"...one of the best Miles Davis books..." --David Rickert, All About Jazz <read review>
Also, tune into an interview with Miles Davis author Jeremy Yudkin on WVXU (91.7 FM, Cincinnati, OH) this Sunday, May 18 between 7 and 8 pm EDT. Listen live online or download a podcast.
From UCLA Today Online:
When Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje (pronounced "J-J") was a child in Jesup, Ga., she thrived on the pride that her family took in their aspiring classical European pianist.
"I snubbed my nose up," said DjeDje, laughing, "at anything that had to do with Africa and African-American culture, even though I played for church ... gospel and spirituals."
Now she's an international expert on the things she once snubbed, with articles on gospel and spirituals and a new book on fiddling, "Fiddling in West Africa: Touching the Spirit in Fulbe, Hausa, and Dagbamba Cultures." She earned a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology at UCLA and now chairs the department. <continue reading article>
From the Augusta, Georgia, Metro Spirit:
"Yudkin does a fantastic job of managing the various elements of music and personality in his work, and in so doing, he evaluates the previous work of Davis and the fusion of his later pieces while focusing on the moments in life that drove Davis into the wide open spaces of creative ingenuity. A thorough analysis of the 1966 classic 'Miles Smiles' is complimented by Yudkin’s ability to use schematics and sheet music snapshots in order to analyze the changes and revelations of the new form versus the earlier roads traveled. With stunning clarity, this work introduces the reader the intricate details that exist beneath the sound coming from speakers." <read review>
From the Augusta, Georgia, Metro Spirit:
"...convey[s] the power of language within a framework of artistic expression that is both scholarly relevant and readily accessible to readers." <read review>
Released this month, Marcel Tabuteau is a fascinating biography of the most influential oboist of the 20th century. Author Laila Storch--a student of Tabuteau and a world-renowned oboist in her own right--blends archival research with personal anecodotes to tell this remarkable story in an engaging style. The book has already received some great word-of-mouth reviews on the International Double Reed Society (IDRS) forum. To purchase a copy of this title, visit the book page on our website.
"This is an excellent account of the often turbulent life of a player that inhabited those cosmic realms that all jazz musicians aspire to, & I give it our MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, particularly for those who want to catch a glimmer of how tunes are structured and (at times) improvised..." --Improvijazzation <read review>
Sascha Feinstein, editor of Ask Me Now, and Yusef Komunyakaa, poet and contributor to the book, were recently interviewed on The Moe Green Poetry hour. <Listen to the interview>
"The book takes a modern look at Marcel Tabuteau's classic method.” --Los Angeles Times <read article>
"Indiana University Press have published their new edition (with
extensive commentary) of the correspondence between Alban Berg and his
mistress Hanna Fuchs following the premiere of the Wozzeck Fragments (conducted by Zemlinsky) in Prague. She became the influence for the Lyric Suite and in part to Lulu.
They are an invaluable and rare insight into the seemingly calm and
collected Berg's life. Replete with musical references and desperate
longing, I can't recommend highly enough." --
"...this is a valuable, much-needed and important study...I for one take my hat off to the author for a remarkable achievement." --Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone
