The Great American Songbook: Stories of the Standards
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Intriguing, Inspiring and Entertaining Stories of the Songs, the Singers and the Composers.
From Tin Pan Alley to Broadway and Hollywood, THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK: The Stories Behind the Standards, tells the stories of our most popular songs with humor, drama and insight. This is timeless music written in unique ways that is constantly being reinterpreted by each generation. Isaac Stern made this distinction between talent and genius: "A person possesses talent; genius possesses the person." This is a book about singers, musicians, lyricists and composers taking their talent into the atmosphere of immortality. They are fascinating, and they set the standards by which popular music is measured. They may not have lived easy lives, but their creativity drove them to new heights and they changed the face of American music forever.
Music by a wide variety of artists is covered, including: George Gershwin, Billie Holiday, Cole Porter, Rogers & Hart, Paul McCartney, Dave Brubeck, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, John Coltrane and many others. Some chapters tell the story of just one song; others sketch the life stories of the artists. Music lovers will find new facts and deeper understanding about old friends in THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK The Stories Behind the Standards, and readers unfamiliar with the standards will find the book accessible, easy to read and delightfully entertaining and informative.
Photos by world famous photographer Duncan Schiedt.
About the Author
Dr. Chuck Denison is a writer, speaker, consultant and musician. During the day he works for the Presbyterian Church USA designing new models of ministry. As a jazz musician, he has played at the Indy Jazz Fest and many other venues. He has also been a poet, blues guitarist, merchant marine, cab driver, pastor, songwriter and folksinger. Those were the fun jobs. He lives in Louisville KY with his wife Cindy.
Duncan Schiedt has photographed jazz musicians for sixty years. He is the author of several books. Schiedt's original and archival photographs were featured in Ken Burn's landmark PBS series, Jazz, and his work has appeared in international art exhibits and trade and academic publications worldwide.
The Great American Songbook: Stories of the Standards,Chuck Denison,Duncan Schiedt,Robert D. Reed Publishers,1931741425,General,History & Criticism - General,Music,Music (General),Popular Music,Reference
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