Reference

Reviews and rates more than 20,000 sizzling recordings by over 1,700 musicians - from New Orleans jazz to bebop, fusion and beyond. Music Maps chart the evolution of jazz instruments, plus the influence of significant players, vocalists and sidemen.

This book looks inside the artists and music that transformed the American and British soundscape of the 1980s and '90s. Scene-setting essays - some with interviews of key figures - explore alternative rock's primary influences, from Captain Beefheart to Brian Eno, and its many subgenres, from punk to grunge and Brit pop to trip hop. Reviews and profiles cover over 2,000 recordings and more than 500 musicians, such as The Beastie Boys, The Cure, R.E.M., Marilyn Manson, XTC and hundreds more. This comprehensive guide also examines the cultural scenes, technologies and people behind the alternative sound. From the author of Depeche Mode and Never Fade Away: The Kurt Cobain Story.

The first comprehensive book on American-made electric and acoustic bass guitars, American Basses offers a wealth of well-researched information about all of the important builders, from one-man shops to the biggest manufacturers. Hundreds of full-color photos illustrate the wide range of instruments available, and special insider essays take you step by step through the bassmaking process, from concept and design to final setup. Includes how-to tips from top builders and designers on topics such as: neck and bridge setup; active vs. passive pickups; bolt-on vs. neck-through design; tonewood characteristics; defeating hum and buzz; string angle and tone; and more. What a book! I feel much closer to my bass guitar after having read American Basses. - Will Lee, Bass Player for The Late Show with David Letterman

This book is an essential manual of techniques for recording a song. It explores arranging essentials such as grouping instruments effectively, using multi-track recording, artfully layering parts, achieving a good mix, and creating unusual arrangements using common techniques. The accompanying CD illustrates all of the techniques presented in the book. Guitar chord boxes are included for the CD tracks where appropriate.

This dazzling showcase of the art of inlay provides artistic inspiration as well as how-to instruction and design insights - written by the inlay artist for U2, Led Zeppelin, and many more. Over 100 color photographs show you exquisite inlays in musical instruments, wooden boxes, and various objets d'art, while black-and-white photos and drawings guide you through the intricate process of creating your own. The book has been revised and expanded throughout, including an additional 16-page gallery of inlay examples.

The first famous double-bass stylist in jazz, George Murphy Pops Foster enjoyed a career that spanned gigs with greats from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. This autobiography, first published in 1971 and now reissued with a generous collection of rare photographs, was created from 70 hours of interviews with this beloved and influential musician. Foster recounts his seven-decade career with uncanny attention to detail and charming candor, providing an uncensored look at the society in which jazz developed and breathing life into legends such as Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, and Sidney Bechet. As he takes us on his journey from plantation to riverboat, New Orleans to New York City, Foster paints an indelible panorama of the jazzman's life while setting the record straight on many crucial points of jazz history.

A rock 'n roll classic, back in print, updated and revised. One of the funniest rock memoirs ever, Al Kooper's legendary Backstage Passes is available again! Al's quirkly life, from would'be teenage rocker, to crashing Bob Dylan's recording session and playing the organ on Highway 61, to forming Blood, Sweat, and Tears and masterminding the Super Sessions, it's all here...plus, in this updated version, Al rides with us all the way back to the end of the 20th century. There has never been a more wickedly humorous and honest book by a man who has made such rock history.

The fourth in a series (The Fender Book, The Gibson Les Paul Book, The Rickenbacker Book), The Bass Book offers a complete illustrated history of bass guitars from Fender's first in the 1950s through the models of the next 40 years that formed the foundation for modern music. The bass guitar is undoubtedly one of the most significant instruments of this century, yet this book is the first to study its history. Features original interviews with bass makers past and present, dozens of unusual, specially commissioned color photos, and a reference section that provides a wealth of information on every major manufacturer.

This indispensable handbook helps players of all levels produce better, more creative, and more varied bass lines. Divided into two sections - Playing Your Bass and Knowing Your Bass - it covers everything from tuning, reading music, scales and chords, and advanced techniques to tips on buying and upgrading a budget bass and troubleshooting. Along with a list of suggested listening and a reference guide, this book provides an unrivaled digest of bass information that might otherwise take an entire career to amass.

This is the right-hand man for players who live and breathe bass, or for beginners who want an all-in-one guide to the instrument that shakes the low end of rock, pop, jazz and more. This handbook details the ins and outs of buying basses and equipment; provides set-up and electronics tips; and explores unique characteristics of landmark bass models. Chapters on technique cover bass basics, theory, fretless playing, acoustic bass, the essentials of various music styles, recording, gigging, and more. Seminal interviews with great bassists include Jeff Berlin, Stanley Clarke, John Pattitucci, Bill Wyman, and many others. 44 pages, 8 3/8 inch. x 10 7/8 inch.