It wouldnt be Christmas without the "things." How they came to mean so much; and to play such a prominent role in Americas central holiday; is the tale told in this delightful and edifying book. In a style characteristically engaging and erudite; Karal Ann Marling; one of our most trenchant observers of American culture; describes the outsize spectacle that Christmas has become.
#1616293 in eBooks 2005-12-01 2005-12-01File Name: B002LSI1G4
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Enter the magical world of professional jazz musicianshipBy JujumommaScotty Barnhart. longtime trumpet soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra. shares his experiences and knowledge in a historical context that cannot fail to fascinate jazz lovers. aspiring musicians. or fellow professionals. In depth interviews with many of our most beloved trumpet players give authentic insight to the world of jazz music making.A fascinating book. deeply thought out and sensitively presented. What a pleasure it is to turn those pages and be immersed in anecdotes. photographs. and meaty tidbits that give insight to the philosophy of jazz theory and also some nitty gritty instruction on how to achieve that elusive magic that reveals itself through masterful improvisation.Enjoy. revel and learn. Jazz is a profound exploration into the musical divine. Enter the portal here.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The World of Jazz TrumpetBy steven n. gatesI found the book to be very interesting. The book is out of print so I had to pay nearly double the price to get it. I the seller got it to me faster than the scheduled delivery....great. There was some small damage to the cover during shipment. but I can live with it.I think anyone who is learning the trumpet will find the book valuable. Experienced players will find useful information.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. All that JassBy CronosThe World of Jazz Trumpet. by Scotty Barnhardt. is a most welcomed contribution to the relatively scant related literature. Along its 146 pages. and after a foreword by Clark Terry and Freddie Hubbard. the author takes the reader along an exciting tour of the universe of. arguably. the most important jazz instrument (the sax only became ubiquitous after the 50s and 60s). The language is accessible. friendly. and has great literary quality. and perhaps even poetic tones (take the Introduction. for instance). Scotty Barnhardt is an accomplished jazz musician and lecturer. which contributes a lot to the substance and approach of the whole book. I strongly also recommend Scottys recent CD "Say it plain". which confirms his versatility in a variety of styles and techniques.The book is organized in four parts. Part I describes the history of jazz from its earliest stages to the present. After the importance of ragtime (a piano centered style) on jazz is duly acknowledged. the focus is shifted to trumpet players including Buddy Bolden. King Oliver. the unsurpassable Louis Armstrong. Dizzy Gillespie. among many others. I found the chapter on women trumpet players particularly interesting as it allowed me to discover outstanding (though little known) artists such as Clora Bryant and Saskia Laroo. A good balance between style. technique. and personal histories is achieved along these chapters.Part II consists of a collection of unique and impressive interviews which have been made by the author along decades. including some historic pieces recorded just before some of the great artists had passed on. The author takes special care in asking for advice for students and young artists. I was particularly impressed by the interviews of Arvell Shaw (played with Armstrong). Clora Bryant. Maynard Ferguson. Freddie Hubbard. Chuck Mangione. Vallery Ponomarev. and Wynton Marsalis.Part III is about Theory and Application of trumpet in jazz. and covers the organization and rules of the trumpet section in a band. the role of trumpet in small and big bands. as well as instructional philosophy and elements of trumpet playing. Although containing valuable insights and covering some of the most important related issues. I felt this section to be somewhat abbreviated. It would be great to see more technical material in subsequent editions. which could include some additional aspects of embouchure. playing styles (with more detailed harmonic and improvisational analyses). as well as some technical discussion about the trumpet as an instrument in jazz.Part IV. the Coda. includes a nice and relatively comprehensive collection of brief biographies of great trumpet players in jazz. organized chronologically. A list of essential jazz discography is also provided.All in all. I appreciated this book a lot and believe it will be great reading to both those who play and those who hear this marvelous and quintessential jazz instrument.
