No comments about Bob Wills - King of Western Swing.

No comments about Swing That Music.

No comments about Jazz in Black and White: The Photographs of Duncan Schiedt.

No comments about Follow Your Heart: Moving with the Giants of Jazz, Swing, and Rhythm and Blues (African Amer Music in Global Perspective).

5 comments about Swing It!: The Andrews Sisters Story.

1. My dad's a veteran of WWII. He bought a biography of The Andrews Sisters, and when I saw "Swing It" on the coffee table, I decided to start reading it. I then decided to order one for a friend of mine who's into swing music, and when he saw the negative reviews posted here, I was dismayed. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, which told me lots about this trio that I never knew, from their personal friendship with Lou Costello, to their abundant sacrifices for the war effort of the 1940s, to the reason they were so famous for squabbling. I also never realized that they recorded and performed through 1966 (who would've thought that The Andfrews Sisters recorded things like "Puff! The Magic Dragon" and "I Left My Hearty in San Francisco")? I thoroughly enjoyed the biography, and the pictures were great. And in regard to the bad reviews, I wasn't surprised to find that the e-mail address of the reader who wrote the "Yawn" review was "Nutloaf." That about says it.



2. I read "Swing It" upon recommendation and found it to be both entertaining and informative. As I read through the pages, the Andrews sisters, a band I was vaguely familiar with, came alive to me thanks in great part to Sforza's intricate research and finesse. For the casual reader, I recommend this book as a companion to the music and work of the Andrews sisters. For the educator, I stress the importance of this book and its treasure trove of information as a tool for teaching music, culuture, and history for Sforza not only entertains and informs, but, also, "fleshes out" these interesting women and their contribution to the American tapestry. Work well done, Mr. SForza !!



3. Sforza and U. of Ky. press are to commended on issuing the first biography of the Andrews Sisters. While this book may not answer every question, particularly about the private lives of the sisters, it does establish a publication basis for future efforts. In and of itself, the book documents the public careers of this seminal trio of popular song. Sforza lays out in convincing terms the threesome's place in history by comparing them to other vocal groups who have come and gone over the years. He rightly points to the variety of music sung by the Andrews gals from their early swing efforts of the 1930's to their harmonizing of broadway music in the 1970's, and everything in between--South American music, hymns, polkas, Hawiian, Christmas--their rousing version of Jingle Bells with Bing Crosby can still be heard in supermarkets across the land 50 years after it was recorded! And, this perennial trio was a hit in every medium of their day--records, films, theaters, nightclubs, radio and television. They packed a wallop and were loved by millions of fans in America and abroad. The book brings all this home to the reader. It should be of interest both to audiences who remember the Boogie Woogie girls, and to younger fans who still enjoy their music and want to know more about their unparalleled career. For more serious collectors the book provides a filmography, a discography, and information about their on air performances on radio and TV, their gold records, most played jukebox hits and more. Also, the book features lots of photographs, some rare. Hence, the volume is appropriate for the casual reader, because it is an easy and interesting read, but it is also a must for collectors, discographers, musicologists, and libraries for its valuable information. Appreciation is due Sforza for bringing this book to life; a book that is long overdue.

   Bob Boyer




4. I was estatic to finally find a book based around the career of the Andrew Sisters. If you're looking for information on who the sisters were as people, Sforza only hints on the subject. This book is largely a chronicle of their career and Sforza does an amazing job of tracking their discography. The book is not truly a biography as it does not delve into events in their personal lives. It leaves many things to the readers' imagination.
   
   It would have been wonderful if the remaining sisters could have buried the hatchet one last time and collaborated on a biography. It would have been truly wonderful to have a book that commemorated not only their work, but the amazing lives they led.



5. It's surprising to read some of the negative comments posted here but, as it is a free country and to each his own, I'll let it go at that.
   
   My own feeling is that Mr. Sforza wrote a good, informative history that tells the reader not only about the Andrews Sisters but you get an encapsulated look at America during World War II.
   
   If you are like me, then you know the sisters only from old Abbott and Costello movies or by the homage that Bette Midler paid them. That's a great introduction but in SWING IT, Mr. Sforza takes it a step further and gives you a short and sweet story about the women. Although it is clear to see that he likes not only Patty, Maxine and LaVerne as performers, as people too, he never lets his personal feelings get in the way. In a non-critical but highly informative way, the reader learns just how talented the Andrews Sisters were just as you walk away from the book with a clear understanding of what it was like to be living during those times.
   
   His research is quite thorough but the book is neither talky or dragging. Facts are pleasantly given with no preaching or sermon.
   
   If anyone wants to discover what a true American icon was like, pick up this book

1 comments about Mel Bay Western Swing Guitar Styles.

1. This book is perfect for short practice sessions and quick inspiration, and its contents can be immediately applied to real-world musical situations.
   
   Basically, western swing guitar is rhythm guitar characterized by chord changes and / or substitutions every two beats, and whose harmonies are designed to give an improviser as much room to move as possible (7th chords, half-diminished resolutions, minor 7ths, etc.). This book presents about fifteen chord progressions in a handful of keys (all of them are major) and ties it together with five rules for chord substitution - that's right, only five rules. Which means you can digest this and apply it very quickly. How many books are good for that, honestly? If you want to pepper up your chord phrasing, if you don't want to just play a static chord across a full measure (or more), this book is a compact little shot in the arm.
   
   Chords using open strings are covered, as are 'inside' (no open strings) chords and so-called 'fat' chords (played on the bottom four strings only).
   
   I'm only giving it four stars because it's limited at what it does - but what it does, it does very, very effectively. Strangely, a CD isn't all that necessary here, as none of the progressions are technically difficult and pretty easy to read through. Very good book, very usable.

1 comments about Sultans of Swing - The Very Best of Dire Straits.

1. This is a very good book with some of the most well-known songs by Dire Straits. The songs are in the right keys. I found that it was worth the price if only for the Romeo and Juliet tab. This song uses an alternate tuning that you won't find on free internet tabs. The only trick you have to know is to tune lower and capo at fret 3, then you're set to play it the way Mark Knopfler does. Of course, Dire Straits is recommended for, at least, intermediate guitarists. I put myself in that group. Advanced players will have fun on Sultans of Swing, Tunnel of Love and all soli. Some tablatures are less easy to read. They seem to come from magazines and the notation (bends, slides) is different. Unfortunately, the tabs are really for the Sultans of Swing compilation, i.e. shorter versions of the songs. For instance, many bars are missing for the beginning and last solo of Brothers in arms compared to the version of the eponymous album. Still, it's a lot of fun and practice, even for the rhythm chords.

2 comments about SWING FAVORITES BIG BAND PLAY-ALONG VOL. 1 DRUMS BK/CD (Big Band Play-Along).

1. Classic tunes but all tracks include drums. It is NOT a true Drum Play-along. It should have two tracks for each tune; one with drums and one with out. This only has the one track with drums.
   
   It is not as advertised.



2. True, the CD only has full band versions of the songs and the CD is not enhanced so you can't slow down the songs but the arrangements are professional and the charts are also professional. I guess that would be my one complaint is that the charts are for those who already read charts. I have a degree in music but I could still use a nice key for all the different symbols on the chart. But there is no key and the notation isn't self explanatory. IF you are experienced then this won't be a problem, but for beginners then this is too advanced.
   Still, it's got the grooves and with some practice you can play them.
   
   Just an addition to my review: I'm used to transcribed score arrangements where every note is transcribed and I now realize this book uses a shorthand method. In places, the drum is notated not on the staff, but by using "B.D" for Bass drum and regular quarter notes in the staff. In traditional drum notation, the bass drum has a designated spot on the bottom space of the staff. And whenever the bass drum is played then it gets a note. This goes one step further in the short hand method. That keeps all songs to one page or 2 with no page turns so it's useful.
   
   This book provides a piece of the actual drum part and then indicates any embellishments like rim shots or loose high hat, but you are left to devise your own swing pattern. The whole song is notated, but if you want a transcribed score then this isn't the book to get. Swing and Jazz really aren't the genres to try for a note for note recreation. If you can play good fundamental jazz grooves and only want the embellishments and where to play them as well as the phrase markings and rehearsal marks then this book will work.
   EX: On the CD the drummer plays an extended ending tag improvisation on the Toms and the notation is "Toms" with one note.

2 comments about Jazz Improvisation 3: Swing And Early Progressive Piano Styles (Jazz Improvisation).

1. This is the third in a series of four volumes created between 1959 and 1965 by jazz pianist and instructor John Mehegan. The complete set is of the utmost historical importance for anyone with a serious interest in jazz piano. Before Mehegan, no other author had succeeded in unlocking the mysteries of jazz piano and then communicating them to a mass audience in a clear and cogent manner.

   This volume considers three primary piano styles--first is a stride architecture using open scale tone tenth chords and modelled after pianist Teddy Wilson. The second, also stride, utilizes tenths with other notes filled in. It is modelled after Art Tatum. Third is a bebop architecture modeled after Bud Powell, in which stride is abandoned altogether and the only chord architecture is a series of comparatively naked root-third and root-seventh intervals.

   (Parenthetical note: Serious Bud Powell fans may chafe to see Powell's legacy reduced to something so vastly oversimplified. However, when one is trying to communicate the revolutionary paradigm shift embodied in Powell's groundbreaking bebop work, it is difficult to incorporate his more elaborate solo piano work.

   To get the best grasp of what Mehegan is talking about, particularly in the two stride styles, you should have Mehegan's second volume, Jazz Rhythm And The Improvised Line, which includes solo transcriptions for Wilson's version of Thou Swell and Tatum's legendary "Aunt Hagar's Blues." These transcriptions make it easier to see Mehegan's theoretical concepts "in action."

   Be forwarned that both stride styles are technically very demanding, perhaps impossible if your hands are too small. Mehegan does a good job of breaking all the 10th intervals into three levels of difficulty and proposes viable root-seven alternatives for the most difficult ones.

   The book's primary flaw -- one which persists throughout the series -- is its unfortunate allegiance to the concept of "figured bass" used within traditional music theory instruction. Indeed, there is a conspicuous overall effort throughout the series to "suck up" to academia, but this is a forgivable byproduct of an age when traditional academia persisted in viewing jazz as something too vulgar and intellectually impovershed to merit acceptance within hallowed academic environs. -- Cortland Kirkeby
   
   

2. First, a quick warning... this book is not for beginners or dabblers, it is very thorough, intense, and very little is simplified for folks with small hands or short attention spans. It is probably one of the most thorough yet readable documentations of Jazz Piano technique circa the '30s - '50s, but in its trueness, I imagine countless "quick fix" learners have wound up putting it aside indefinitely... The truth is that the era documented in the book was one that was very Darwinian in nature, especially for pianists who had to battle it out to rise to the top. As a pianist, you couldn't make it to the top by co-existing with your fellow section members... you had to knock the other guy off the bench by playing better than him. Finally, the '60s afforded the piano more harmonic and melodic adventureness and an economy of style where the rhythm section freed up the piano player to break free of many of the conventions documented in this very book - - a rich, full, and rhythmically strong playing style that required experience, stamina, muscles, tireless tendons plus the bedazzling ability not just to be able to play chords and modes, but to HARMONIZE melodies on the spot while playing stride style basslines (!) Fortunately (and towards the end of the book) George Shearing came along, and the 40 or so pages dedicated to his unique "locked hand" style made the book worth the purchase (atleast for me !)

   Some of the language and notation might be a bit out of fashion, and the book definitely requires a lot more reading than many of today's Jazz piano students might be used to, however, anyone seeking a true and systematically presented glimpse into the influences of Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, Bud Powell, George Shearing and Horace Silver will definitely find this book a priceless resource.

3 comments about 20 Swing Tunes That Every Parking Lot Picker Should Know.

1. Steve Kaufman is a good teacher, from the beginner to the advanced player,3 versions of each tune, well done for me.
   JY C
   FRANCE



2. This instructional packet is mind blowing. Book, 6 cd's, and tab. The songs are absolutely amazing. This is probably the best instructional material I own. Steve Kaufman is an extraordinary player and teacher. In my experience, there is not a better teacher out there. The songs are swing tunes arranged for flatpick guitar. There are 3 versions of each song, ranging from easy to advanced. You will learn new songs and improve your technique/playing. This honestly deserves 10 stars.



3. If you like to learn how to play flatpicking swing guitar, in the style of the greats like Doc Watson or Clarence White, Or if you're allready playing in a bluegrass band but want to put one or more swing tunes at your playing list. This book is IT! The scales and chords used in this book are easy to play. Ones you know how to play these tunes, you will easily put a flatpicking flavour on tunes like Bye Bye Blues or Sweet Georgia Brown. Well known swing tunes not presended in this book.