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28 Feb 05 - 09:05 PM (#1423472) Subject: What Should I Read Next? From: Azizi There are songsbooks and then there are books on the history and culture of music and its accompanying traditions [dance, games, accompaniment traditions such as off & on beat hand claps; 'plays' & promenades etc]. Since I LOVE to read, I'm wondering what other books should be next on my reading list. Also, I thought that it might be a good idea to share the titles of some of the books on the history & culture of music that I have found interesting and informative. So, in no particular order, here's 5 books I found to be good reading on the topic of music of African and African descent: Samuel Floyd Jr; "The Power of Black Music:Interpreting Its History from Africa to the United States"; Oxford; New York, Oxford University Press, 1995 Samuel Charters; "The Roots of the Blues-An African Search"; Boston; London,Marion Boyars, 1981 John Storm Roberts: "Black Music of Two Worlds:African, Caribbean, Latin, and African-American Traditions" New York, Simon & Shuster Macmillan, 1998 Francis Bebey [translated by Josephine Bennett}: "African Music: A Peoples' Art"; Chicago, Lawrence Hill Books, 1975 Warren L. d'Azevedo,editor; "The Traditional Artist In African Societies", Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 1975 **** What books on the history & culture of music did you find interesting and informative? |
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28 Feb 05 - 09:12 PM (#1423478) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Margret RoadKnight Anthony Heilbut: "The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times" New York, Limelight Editions, 1997 |
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28 Feb 05 - 09:41 PM (#1423494) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Q (Frank Staplin) Dena J. Epstein, 1977, "Sinful Tunes and Spirituals, Black Folk Music to the Civil War." Univ. Illinois Press. Paul Oliver, 1968, 1989pb, "Screening the Blues, Aspects of the Blues Tradition." Da Capo Press, NY B. H. Bronson, 1969, "The Ballad as Song." Univ. California Press Iona and Peter Opie, 1985, "The Singing Game," Oxford Univ. Press Botkin, B. A., "The American Play-Party Song," 1837, Frederick Ungar Pub. Co. NY Frances Toor, 1947, 1964 etc., "A Treasury of Mexican Folkways," Crown Pub. NY |
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28 Feb 05 - 10:06 PM (#1423508) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: GUEST,Gerry Henry Sapoznik's book about klezmer music. Jean Ritchie's book about her Appalachian upbringing. John Manifold's two volumes about Australian folk song. |
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01 Mar 05 - 06:24 AM (#1423682) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: GUEST,Paul Burke "Last Night's Fun" by Ciaran Carson. |
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01 Mar 05 - 06:45 AM (#1423694) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Brian Hoskin Gayle Dean Wardlow (1998)Chasin' That Devil Music: Searching for the Blues San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books |
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01 Mar 05 - 02:48 PM (#1424119) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: John C. I found the following book very interesting: 'Folk Song: Tradition, Revival, and Re-Creation' ed. Ian Russell and David Atkinson, The Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen, 2004. This is a collection of papers given at a conference to mark the centenary of the Folk-Song Society in 1998. It sounds a bit dry, and it is a bit of a mixed bunch, but it kept me happy for a couple of weeks. There are some very interesting and provocative papers here. You might also like to look at a song book published by the EFDSS: 'Still Growing: English Traditional Songs and Singers from the Cecil Sharp Collection', ed. Steve Roud, Eddie Upton and Malcolm Taylor, 2003. The introduction to this book, by Vic Gammon, is an extremely well written, authorative and insightful overview of the career of the great English folk song collector, Cecil Sharp - unmissable! |
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01 Mar 05 - 06:09 PM (#1424325) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Burke Alan Lomax, The land where the blues began. Michael Broyles, Music of the highest class : elitism and populism in antebellum Boston. New Haven : Yale University Press, 1992. This really about American Music, not just Boston, from the beginnings to 1860. I admit I did not read the whole thing, but found parts very interesting. |
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01 Mar 05 - 06:51 PM (#1424373) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: GUEST,Gerry When I wrote about Manifold's books on Australian folk song a few messages up, I meant Meredith, not Manifold. |
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01 Mar 05 - 07:01 PM (#1424381) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: radriano Lydia Parrish's book, "Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands," 1942. |
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01 Mar 05 - 07:18 PM (#1424395) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Marion Ditto to Burke's suggestion of "The Land Where the Blues Began" by Alan Lomax. There's an interesting thread about the book here. Marion |
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01 Mar 05 - 07:33 PM (#1424413) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Q (Frank Staplin) Re Radriano's suggestion- The book by Lydia Parrish has been reprinted by the Univrsity of Georgia Press and is in print. |
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01 Mar 05 - 07:42 PM (#1424423) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Bob the Postman "Spreadin' Rhythm Around: Black Popular Songwriters, 1880-1930" by David A. Jasen & Gene Jones, Schirmer Books, NY, 1998. |
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01 Mar 05 - 09:11 PM (#1424498) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: mg I met the author who was one of those people who just sort of shines and glows...can't say I have read the book yet but will when I can..Fisherman's Quilt.Margaret Doyle.about lives of fishing wives in Kodiak, Alaska...not music but certainly lives different than most..and it gets into quilting...Lots of book clubs are reading it and we hope to get her on Oprah. mg |
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01 Mar 05 - 09:28 PM (#1424511) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Azizi I would like to thank everyone for their mention of books that they have found interesting and informative. A special thanks to Marion for including that link to a 2003 Mudcat thread on Alan Lomax's book 'The Land Where the Blues Began'. I found the discussion in that thread to be particularly moving. To paraphrase a person who posted on that thread, it's threads like that which make me glad that I found Mudcat. Azizi |
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02 Mar 05 - 01:18 AM (#1424612) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Pauline L I, too, thank Marion for the link to the thread about Alan Lomax, blues, and race. I read it with morbid fascination. Such strange and horrible things have happened in my country in my lifetime. Now, for another good book. "Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone? The Carter Family & Their Legacy in American Music," by Zwonitzer and Hirshberg. It is about the Carter family, of course, and also about Appalachia around the time of the Depression and the early years of the recording industry in this country. One part of the story is about the few (white male) folks who got rich recording and selling mountain music and race music. The Carters collected and sang both types and socialized with Southern black singers. I recommend the book highly. |
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02 Mar 05 - 02:16 AM (#1424623) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: greg stephens Azizi: you mention a 1998 book "Black Music of two worlds". I remember years ago reading a very interesting book of that name, but I cant remember the author. Is the book you refer to a 1998 reprint of an older book, or are there ywo books wityh this title? The one I recall was a mine of information on Caribbean dance bands. |
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02 Mar 05 - 05:08 AM (#1424714) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Azizi Greg, I believe we are talking about the same book as I see that the "Black Music of Two Worlds" book I mentioned is a Second Edition. That book have a chapter on The Caribbean..It's a very interesting, easy to read book! Highly recommended!! And since you mentioned Caribbean culture- here's some other books that you might be interested in: Chris Potash; "Reggae, Rasta, Revolution-Jamaican Music from Ska to Dub"; New York, Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 1997 Mervyn Alleyne, "Africa: Roots of Jamaican Culture"; Chicago; Research Associates School Times Publications, 1996 Shiela Walker, editor; "African Roots/American Culture: Africa in the Creation of the Americas"; Lanham,Maryland; Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2001 Steve Barrow, Peter Dalton, "The Rough Guide to Jamaican Music from Ska Through Roots to Ragga"; London; Rough Guides; 2001 Simon Broughton, Mark Ellington; "World Music-Latin and North America, Caribbean,India, Asia, and the Pacific, Volume 2 of the new edition, an A-Z of the Music, Musicians, and Disc; London; The Rough Guide; 2000 Enjoy!! Azizi |
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02 Mar 05 - 01:32 PM (#1425082) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Steve-o I just finished "Lonesome Traveler- the Life of Lee Hays" by Doris Willens. Absolutely WONDERFUL! |
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04 Mar 05 - 01:55 PM (#1426722) Subject: RE: What Should I Read Next? From: Dave the Gnome For anyone interested English traditions I would recommend anything by Ron Hutton or Eddie Cass. For books by, rather than about, folk singers, any of Ted Edwards' books, 'fight the wild island', 'beyond the last oasis' or 'unfinished business'. Cheers DtG |