Reference

A fakebook is a collection of melodies with the chord changes that allows jazz musicians to read the tunes instead of playing solely by ear and memory. It is, then, a place to start, a structure upon which jazz improvisation, faking, builds. As a young man, the author, a jazz saxophone player, tried to make a living at what he loved most. He failed, gave up jazz and became a college English professor. Today he is playing his saxophone again, at weekend gigs, rediscovering the unending challenge and the fulfillment that jazz brings him. This journey of self-discovery demonstrates the power of both jazz and superbly crafted writing.

The earlier Film Noir Readers, which now boast a combined sale of well over 30,000 copies, have all quite deliberately conveyed a sweeping overview of the classic period, demonstrating how broad and inclusive noir movies are. Film Noir Reader 4 moves in a different direction. Its purpose is to identify the key films and motifs of noir and to analyze in depth the prototypical pictures that, while vivid examples of certain cinematic themes, bend and break their molds to find new ways to enthrall and frighten us. Like its predecessors, Film Noir Reader 4 is generously illustrated and features essays by such respected film critics and scholars as Robin Wood, J.P. Telotte, R. Barton Palmer, and Robert Porfirio. All have as their purpose to explain why and how these classic films work; the way screenplay, direction, acting, cinematography, editing and all the other filmmaking crafts blended together to produce work that exemplifies both a particular movement in film history and the innovations that keep the noir style fresh and compelling.

For the potential, as well as the professional, producer and for writers, actors, directors, and investors, this book is for anyone wanting or needing to understand the process of producing Off Broadway plays from start to finish. Written in crisp, clear, nonlegal language that the layman can easily understand, every page reflects the experience and expertise of Farber, a well-known and highly respected theatrical attorney. The book contains detailed information on how to: option a property, raise money, obtain a theater, deal with the cast and other personnel, the art of negotiation, partnerships and co-production agreements, and much more. Especially useful are the updated and expanded appendixes, which include all new budgets and actual examples of today's commonly used legal forms and contracts.

I'm trying to leave a record of the technique, to create a blueprint for an ancient art. - Denny Martin Flinn Devoted theatergoers fondly remember Broadway's Golden Age - when musical theatre reached its apex and creativity was infused into every time signature, witty remark, and kick-ball-change. Denny Martin Flinn analyzes the classic musicals of that era, outlining the unique artistic and theatrical qualities that elevate these great American book musicals.

Maxim Gershunoff is a natural storyteller so it makes sense that he would want to tell the story of his very full life in show business. Throughout this easy-to-read memoir, the author writes about his personal life interwoven with the lives of music legends, including Benny Goodman, Leonard Bernstein, and Igor Stravinsky, and ballet stars, such as Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, George Balachine, and prima ballerina for the Bolshoi Ballet, Maya Plisetskaya. His close personal and working relationship with Sol Hurok brought Mr. Gershunoff into the company of such diverse personalities as Warren Beatty, Natalie Wood, Howard Hughes, and the Kennedys. His involvement with the Soviet/American Cultural Exchange Program brought Gershunoff into the everyday lives of Soviet performers during a tension-filled time between the US and USSR. Both a personal memoir and history, this compelling story of a renowned manager of the stars gives a unique and candid view into the world of creative arts and its personalities. HARDCOVER.

His best-known song is Mack the Knife, with words by Bertolt Brecht, from The Threepenny Opera, first performed in Weimar Berlin in 1928. Five years later, Kurt Weill fled the Nazis to come to America, where he soon emerged as one of the most admired composers of the Broadway musical stage. His shows included: Knickerbocker Holiday, Lady in the Dark, One Touch of Venus, Street Scene and Lost in the Stars. His songs: My Ship, September Song, Speak Low and It Never Was You. This biography concentrates on Weill's career in the United States, but its aim is to explore the truth in the comment made by Weill's wife, the unforgettable Lotte Lenya: There is no American Weill, there is no German Weill. There is no difference between them. There is only Weill.

With this book, the many wonderful musicals that played the small theaters and cabarets of Off Broadway are finally given the spotlight they deserve. Little Musicals for Little Theatres is a comprehensive reference guide to over 150 small musicals that any theater or school can produce with limited resources. Each entry includes writing credits, synopsis, cast size, musical numbers, production notes, and licensing information. The book also includes the few Broadway musicals that have small casts and can be performed in almost any circumstances. Photos give the reader a look at production requirements, and statistics on the number of performances indicate how successful a show's original production was.

The lyricist/librettist of The Fantasticks, the longest-running show in the history of the American theater, takes on a new role as your guide through the magical world of the stage musical.

This book offers 18 of the best walking tours you'd ever want to take of the greatest venues of movie scenes in New York City. In one volume, Katz updates the two best-selling Limelight Editions guidebooks, Manhattan on Film and Manhattan on Film 2 to include films released over the past six years as well as changes to New York City neighborhoods, especially lower Manhattan. Each tour is illustrated with photos from each film shot along its route and includes maps and travel tips. No tour takes more than two hours. A list of the films, with page references, provides an easy guide for those who want to quickly look up their favorite movies.

A star of two well-remembered television series, The FBI and 77 Sunset Strip, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. looks back on the many different roads he has traveled in his lifetime and recreates his most memorable experiences in the prose of a true stylist. The son of two legendary musical talents, the violinist Efrem Zimbalist and the operatic soprano Alma Gluck, Efrem Jr. grew up on an estate in the Connecticut countryside. Long before he was a recognized actor, Zimbalist broke a show business barrier as coproducer of Gian Carlo Menotti's operatic double bill, The Medium and The Telephone, on Broadway. Its critical and (surprising) commercial success led to Zimbalist's coproduction of Menotti's next opera, The Consul, also on Broadway and also with gratifying results, including the Pulitzer Prize.