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Music Books in this online selection represent only a sliver of what we offer in the store. If you've got a particular book in mind and want to check on its availability, call us at 415-362-8193.

1 2 3 >>>     sort list by author | publication date Always in Trouble An Oral History of ESP-Disk', The Most Outrageous Record Label in America Jason Weiss In 1964, Bernard Stollman launched the independent record label ESP-Disk' in New York City to document the free jazz movement there. A bare-bones enterprise, ESP was in the right place at the right time, producing albums by artists like Albert Ayler... Beneath the Underdog His World as Composed by Mingus Charles Mingus A wild, lyrical, and anguished autobiography, in which Charles Mingus pays short shrift to the facts but plunges to the very bottom of his psyche, coming up for air only when it pleases him. He takes the reader through his childhood in Watts, his... Blue Note Records The Biography Richard Cook Blue Note Records is the first full history of the most noted label in jazz. Cook lingers with record-collector zeal in analyzing everything from Sidney Bechet's 78s to Norah Jones' recent chart-topper. Insightful scenes... Blues and the Poetic Spirit Paul Garon Paul Garon knows the blues, from the music itself to the poetry and psychology that are the impetus of its creation. The author of biographies of such blues icons as Peetie Wheatstraw and Memphis Minnie, Garon focuses on the social and political... Bob Dylan Like a Complete Unknown David Yaffe Bob Dylan is an iconic figure in American musical and cultural history, lauded by Time magazine as one of the hundred most important people of the twentieth century. For nearly fifty years the singer-songwriter has crafted his unique brand of music... Carlos Aldama's Life in Batá Cuba, Diaspora, and the Drum Umi Vaughan, Carlos Aldama This book recounts the life story of Carlos Aldama, one of the masters of the batá drum, and through that story traces the history of batá culture as it traveled from Africa to Cuba and then to the United States. Early Work 1970-1979 Patti Smith Collected here are selections from Smith's writings over the decade in which she made a lasting impact on America's underground literary and rock scene. Some of the works selected are unpublished pieces from journals, performances and Smith's personal... Girls to the Front The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution Sara Marcus In the early 1990s a group of friends in Olympia, Washington decided to tell the world what it felt like to be young and female in America. Through consciousness-raising meetings, zine exchanges, and numerous kick-ass all-girl punk bands, with the... The Grey Album On the Blackness of Blackness Kevin Young Taking its title from Danger Mouse's pioneering mashup of Jay-Z's The Black Album and the Beatles' The White Album, Kevin Young’s encyclopedic book combines essay, cultural criticism, and lyrical chorus to illustrate the African American tradition of... Guitar Zero The Science of Becoming Musical at Any Age Gary Marcus Just about every human being knows how to listen to music, but what does it take to make music? Is musicality something we are born with? Or a skill that anyone can develop at any time? If you don't start piano at the age of six, is there any hope? Gypsy Cante Deep Song of the Caves Will Kirkland Over centuries, Andalusian Gypsies developed cante jondo, or deep song, which grew from the experience of exile and marginalization. Although flamenco music enjoys wide popularity today, the words of the songs are often lost in the passion of the... Head Hunters The Making of Jazz's First Platinum Album Steven F. Pond ". . . [a] very readable dissection of all the different ways in which Herbie Hancock's 1973 album Head Hunters broke the mould. . . . An entertaining and thought-provoking read." ---Jazzwise Magazine "An important and timely book. Pond's work... The House That Trane Built The Story of Impulse Records Ashley Kahn "A jazz-lover's delight."—Ray Olson, Booklist Noted jazz author Ashley Kahn brings to life the behind-the-scenes story of Impulse Records, one of the most significant record labels in the history of popular music. "Kahn mingles engaging stories... How Music Works David Byrne How Music Works is David Byrne's remarkable and buoyant celebration of a subject he has spent a lifetime thinking about. In it he explores how profoundly music is shaped by its time and place, and he explains how the advent of recording technology... 1 2 3 >>>