Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson

Book Description

Bassist James Jamerson was the embodiment of the Motown spirit and groove - the invisible entity whose playing inspired thousands. His tumultuous life and musical brilliance are explored in depth through hundreds of interviews, 49 transcribed musical scores, two hours of recorded all-star performances, and more than 50 rarely seen photos in this stellar tribute to behind-the-scenes Motown. Features a 120-minute CD! Allan Slutsky's 2002 documentary of the same name is the winner of the New York Film Critics "Best Documentary of the Year" award!

Customer Reviews:

Motown .......2007-08-13

My husband is love with this bass gautairist, and love this book and DVD combo.

An absolute must for any aspiring bassist.......2007-08-01

First off, this book does an excellent job describing his life and sounds, from "he began playing a double bass" to "he would have the bass all the way up, and the treble half way." This book knows you want to sound like Jamerson, and it tells you just how to do that. What makes the book invaluable are the transcriptions. 49 of Jamerson's songs transcribed for you to play, right there and be able to get the idea of what he was thinking and trying to give when he wrote the basslines.

A book for any bassist.

Amazing!!! It's ALL that!!.......2007-05-04

Thorough, well-researched biography of James Jamerson - the man who changed how musicians view the bass. What an amazing life and a tragic end for a musician of immense talent.

Warning - the section of tunes in the back of this book will make you want to burn your bass!! He was THAT good.

Can't really write more - gotta go practice.... That's how much this book will inspire you to go play. A MUST HAVE for your bass library.

Play bass? Buy this!.......2007-03-20

Amazing learning tool filled with lots of great info and transcriptions.

Great for bass players and motown fans.......2007-01-05

The book arrived in excellent condition and in a timely fashion.

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More light than usual in Lebrecht's little-known collection

Book of Musical Anecdotes
Norman Lebrecht
Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0029187109

Book Description

Here is one of the most enjoyable and illuminating books ever published for the music lover, a feast of delightful anecdotes that reveal the all-too-human side of the great composers and performers.

There are stories of appetites (Handel eating dinner for three), embarrassments (Brahms falling asleep as Liszt plays), oddities (Bruckner's dog being trained to howl at Wagner), and devotions (a lovely admirer disrobing in tribute to Puccini). There are memorable accounts of Stravinsky telling Proust how much he hates Beethoven, of Tchaikovsky's first bewildering telephone call, of Dvorak's strange love of pigeons, and of Verdi's intricate maneuvering to keep the now-famous melody of "La donna è mobile" top secret.

There is also wonderful trivia (Beethoven loved to cat "bread soup" made with ten raw eggs), along with eccentric strategies (Verdi, disturbed by the sound of street organs playing arias from his operas, hired them all for a season and kept them locked in a room). There are examples of musicians munificent generosity (Haydn called Mozart "the greatest composer known to me, either in person or by name"), and scathing dismissal ("Have you heard any Stockhausen?" the conductor Sir Thomas Beecham was asked. "No," he replied, "but I believe I have trodden in some").

Collected from thousands of books, articles, and unpublished manuscripts (with historical sources provided in extensive notes), these anecdotes appear in their original form, throwing fresh light on familiar figures in the musical hall of fame. For browsing, reading, research and amusement, this book is a grand entertainment for concert-goers, record-buyers, operamanes, gossips and music lovers everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

More light than usual in Lebrecht's little-known collection.......1999-07-19

Lebrecht gives life to these composers/musicians much in the same spirit that they gave of themselves in their own works. In many ways, these stories are as informative as some music history texts. From Bach to Stravinsky, these stories will make you laugh and cry. If you've grown weary of Lebrecht's more recent dark outlooks on the future of classical music, this book looks back on the sunnier days. Full of humorous, informative and touching stories, you won't regret you bought this!

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Slonimsky's Anecdote Collection
Great collection of musical humor
Since When are Musicologists Funny?

Slonimsky's Book of Musical Anecdotes
Nicho Slonimsky
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415939380

Book Description

Quirky anecdotes and observations abound in this volume now published by Routledge. Enter a surreal and humorous world of medicinal music, musical schizophrenia, conductorless orchestras, suing seals, cat operas, musical beds and more. Let Slonimsky regale you with tales of Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini and the other expected Classical Music figures, the ugly ducking of Russian music, the Kafka of modern music and other sublime misfits. First published in 1948, this book has earned well-deserved acclaim for being insightful, witty and enthralling. Charming illustrations by Robert Bonotto complete this superb collection of musical vignettes.

Customer Reviews:

Slonimsky's Anecdote Collection.......2006-09-29

Slonimsky's Book of Musical Anecdotes is an entertaining book of oddities, curiosities and tidbits.

Read about composers' funny quirks:
Rossini's sense of humour;
Wagner's psychic abilities;
Scriabin's inability to keep track of his umbrella

Unusual inventions:
Precursors to the radio: telephone broadcasting, the musical bed
Precursor to the walkman: the musical petticoat

Strange occurrences:
The story of Schumann's spirit called up at a séance, and how he urged one of the violinist participants to uncover his lost/hidden concerto for their instrument. And then, at a later date, (also through the ouija board) dictating changes to the piece.

Not always laugh-out-loud funny, but an amusing, musical read

Great collection of musical humor.......2005-03-17

I thought this book would be funny and I was right.

I fist heard of Nicolas Slonimsky in reference to his book, Lexicon of Musical Invective, a humorous collection of bad musical reviews of great musical compositions from Beethoven to Shostakovich. Once I heard about this book, I had to read it.

In this book Slonimsky has compiled great stories about music, including those about performers, composers, performances, and inventions. There are some good anecdotes about composers such as Rossini, who was once composing in bed. A sheet of music he had written fell out on the floor, and as he was too lazy to pick it up, just wrote another melodic line instead. Later, a friend came in and picked the original sheet off the ground, and both parts were used as an opera trio.

Another great chapter involves music and animals. It's amazing to read, but there are multiple sources in history which describe the development of a new instrument involving cats. Each cat in a cage has its tail tied to a keyboard device, when, played like a piano, causes the cat to cry out. If tuned "appropriately," one can create a suitable instrument.

Slonimsky has a wonderfully smart method of delivery, and he certainly has a great sense of humor. My biggest complaint is the fact that there is no index. Therefore, it's hard to find stories which you're looking for. Also, Slonimsky leaves out some great stories in music history which are great anecdotes. But that's to be expected.

This is a great book for any music scholar with a sense of humor, or even a casual classical music lover who likes to laugh.

Since When are Musicologists Funny?.......2000-10-05

In the course of my life I have spent many hours pouring over volume after volume of musical history. I am a professional clarinetist. Most things written by musicologists are incredibly boring. It's nothing personal against them, it just simply is. I will never forget the time I sat in the Deering Library in Northwestern University and read the introduction to Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. I had been in the library for the better part of the day, and decided to find out what Mr. Slonimsky had to say. I was immeadtley engrossed with the writing. Slonimsky was not only fluent and informative. He was downright funny. I was amazed to be reading a book that weighed more than most small dogs, and still find it funny. I came to realize that Slonimsky was no ordinary musicologist. He was an incredibly intresting man. He was not only a historian, but a composer. He compiled an enormous volume of scales and patterns whick most jazz players use frequently. At the age of 85, his best friend was Frank Zappa. He is the only musicologist I have ever known that appeared on the Carson Show. And, he is also the most accurate historian I have ever read. Slonimsky goes to great length to verify his sources. I would be willing to belive just about anything published under his pen. This Book of Musical Anectdotes is no exception. It is full of strange, and true tales of the most famous of musicians. All great musicians are genuises, and most of them are very strange. Mr. Slonimsky captures the true essence of the composers, and lets us see what else they did besides compose glorious music. A truly excellent, witty book.

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THE BOOK OF MUSICAL ANECDOTES.
Norman. Lebrecht
Manufacturer: Sphere Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IWZE10

Rock & Roll Tri: 30 Years Of Rock & Roll

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Rock & Roll Tri: 30 Years Of Rock & Roll
Rh Value Publishing
Manufacturer: Crescent
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0517479338
Release Date: 1985-06-27

Tallis's Dramatic Magazine, and General Theatrical and Musical Review. with Tallis's Drawing Room Table Book of Theatrical Portraits, Memoirs and Anecdotes. and Tallis's Shakespeare Gallery of Engravings

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Tallis's Dramatic Magazine, and General Theatrical and Musical Review. with Tallis's Drawing Room Table Book of Theatrical Portraits, Memoirs and Anecdotes. and Tallis's Shakespeare Gallery of Engravings
John, ed. Tallis
Manufacturer: London/NY:
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IUW898

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The Victor Book of Musical Fun: A Brand New Collection of Musical Quiz Games, Anecdotes And Cartoons
Ted Cott
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1419157485

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The Victor Book of Musical Fun; a Brand-New Collection of Musical Quiz Games, Anecdotes, and Cartoons
Cott Ted
Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GHC57S

A Book of Musical Anecdote, from Every Available Source

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A Book of Musical Anecdote, from Every Available Source
Frederick James Crowest
Manufacturer: Library Reprints
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0722252358

A book of musical anecdotes,: From every available source

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A book of musical anecdotes,: From every available source
Frederick James Crowest
Manufacturer: R. Bentley and son
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B00085G1R8

Book Description

All Ellen DeGeneres wanted to be was funny. She kept her humor clean and steered clear of politics and social agendas, instead honing a quirky, off-center, mistrustful view of the world.

I was coming home from kindergarten--well, they told me it was kindergarten. I found out later I had been working in a factory for ten years. It's good for a kid to know how to make gloves.

If ever there was a more unlikely comic to become a symbol of controversy, it was Ellen DeGeneres. Throughout her career, she balanced her ever-growing success with her desire to keep her sexuality private. How that struggle affected her life and career and ultimately inspired her to come out of the closet, putting her life in the spotlight and her career at considerable risk, forms the emotional core of this biography. And in a broader sense, the controversy caused by Ellen's acknowledged sexuality is a reflection of America's own struggle with tolerance and acceptance.

Ellen examines the repercussions still being felt by the comic as a direct result of her revelations and offers a glimpse of what her future may hold. It details:

Ellen's colorful family history, which includes a swashbuckling pirate ancestor

How her conservative father turned his back on Ellen when he learned she was gay

The personal tragedy that became her greatest inspiration

Her secret life in the gay bar scene during her stand-up days

The women Ellen has loved

Her life as a gay crusader

Customer Reviews:

A lot of good info, but it reads like a newspaper.......2005-04-19

I'm giving this book 4 stars, because I'm a huge fan of Ellen, and as far as I can tell, this is the only biography available. If there were a few more biographies available, I'd probably only give it two stars.

This book reads like a newspaper written by a mediocre journalist. Or a compilation of a bunch of articles from Us or People. It's really annoying to read because of that style.

But, it does contain a lot of good information. It answered most of my questions that I had about Ellen. It doesn't have any direct interviews with Ellen, but I don't think that Ellen is going to say any more about her past than she has. In one book, Ellen says, "I can't remember anything about my childhood." And, I think that's probably true. That's probably why she makes a bunch of jokes about everything, because she's got a horrible memory.

And, this book is mostly about the TV sitcom, Ellen. Probably about 75% of it is about the sitcom, and the biography ends after the end of the show. So, since she's got a talk show, this book is really dated. And, three of the chapters are dedicated to various co-stars of the TV sitcom, so this book really isn't a 100% Ellen book.

So, if you're a huge Ellen fan like me, you will probably want to dredge through this book. For everyone else, I'd recommend passing on it and waiting for Ellen's next biography to come out in a few years.

CHEAP REHASH OF MAGAZINES, NEWS ARTICLES AND VIDEOS.......2001-07-11

I bought this book expecting a carefully researched, full biography on Ellen. Instead it was basically a rehash of magazine articles, videos, and news stories about Ellen and her Coming-Out. The author did not even interview Ellen, so we don't get a true, direct-source picture of Ellen's life. Instead, we have old information taken from other sources and condensed into this book. It doesn't sound like the author interviewed Ellen's closest friends and associates, either; I got the impression that a lot of the information was third- or fourth-hand, not directly from the sources. This book is crassly commercial and written at the time that public interest in Ellen was at its peak. It reads like a fan magazine and its sole purpose was to make money, not to provide an insightful biography of Ellen DeGeneres. I would only recommend it to those who no longer have access to the magazines and videos about Ellen's show and her coming-out.

wanting more.........2000-08-01

I am an admirer of Ellen and applaud the difficult decision she had to make in order to live her life her way. This book, which was a fast read, left me wanting more.

Who is Ellen. What are her likes and dislikes. The book was a chronograph of her professional life and while she is "still a work in progress" it would have been nice to know a little more about who she really is as seen through the eyes of friends and family.

WHY NOT READ A MAGAZINE?.......1999-10-03

AS AN ABSOLUTE ADMIRER OF ELLEN AND DESIRING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE REAL LIFE OF ELLEN DEGENERES, I WAS VERY DISAPOINTED TO READ A BOOK THAT HAD NO IMPUT FROM ELLEN DIRECTLY. THIS BOOK WAS TOO INVOLVED WITH THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF THE GOINGS ON OF HER SHOW, THAN THE PERSONAL EVENTS IN ELLEN'S LIFE. OVERALL THE BOOK WAS WELL WRITTEN, BUT VERY UNEVENTFUL.

Ellen: The Real Story of Ellen DeGeneres

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Ellen: The Real Story of Ellen DeGeneres

Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0806527293

Book Description

From its first glimmerings in the 1950s, the software industry has evolved to become the fourth largest industrial sector of the US economy. Starting with a handful of software contractors who produced specialized programs for the few existing machines, the industry grew to include producers of corporate software packages and then makers of mass-market products and recreational software. This book tells the story of each of these types of firm, focusing on the products they developed, the business models they followed, and the markets they served.

By describing the breadth of this industry, Martin Campbell-Kelly corrects the popular misconception that one firm is at the center of the software universe. He also tells the story of lucrative software products such as IBM's CICS and SAP's R/3, which, though little known to the general public, lie at the heart of today's information infrastructure.

With its wealth of industry data and its thoughtful judgments, this book will become a starting point for all future investigations of this fundamental component of computer history.

Customer Reviews:

The only book solely on histroy of software industry.......2007-09-08

From Airline Reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog: A History of the Software Industry - by the time of its publication and writing of this comment - is the only book that is solely on history of software industry. As an academician, Mr. Campbell-Kelly builds a historical view using carefully collected data. The scope of the book is mostly software industry in USA and this point is explicitly phrased at the beginning of the book, with plausible reasons. Among with absence of non-USA part of the history, history of military software is also missing (except SAGE). But this should also be an expected result, since it is very hard to collect data about military systems.

Because of the scope issues, the book may not satisfy all expectations (which is the reason for 4 stars), but from the opposite point of view, I believe that a better book can hardly be composed in the same conditions. As Mr. Campbell-Kelly pointed out, there are a lot of data about success stories or the firms that managed to live until today, but a lot more data have been lost to history. In this regard, "From Airline Reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog: A History of the Software Industry" is among the most valuable source about the history of software industry. Everybody, who works in software industry should read this book.

A last note: the book really makes to think about history. The interested reader may also read books about meaning of history, like E. Carr's "What is History".

Insightful!.......2004-06-09

From Airline Reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog may sound like a mystifying title, but this book provides a reasonable overview of the history of the software industry. At times, given the ups and downs in the industry, it can't avoid sounding like a catalog of defunct firms and obsolete software. However, this chronology is quite useful for anyone who wants to come up to speed very quickly and very generally on the main trends in the industry. Author Martin Campbell-Kelly covers some of the industry's seminal events and the main categories of software. Vexingly or refreshingly, he takes pains to say as little about Microsoft as possible, making it clear that others have written enough on that subject. So, with that absence duly noted, we recommend this book to those who want an inside history of the software industry, from massive mainframes to little blue cartoon porcupines.

Insightful!.......2003-10-15

Looping through Memories.......2003-09-28

This is a history of the Software Industry. "Software" was coined to distinguish it from hardware; it describes the spirit that activates electronic machines. There are three sectors: software contracting, corporate software products, and mass-market software products (pp.3-8). The book covers events from around 1950 to 1995 in the USA. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the sources available. Chapter 2 tells of the origins of software writing, and its need for high-maintenance. Could errors arise from "one minor change"? Early users cooperated in sharing software. FORTRAN and COBOL became the first standard programming languages. But high costs and slipped schedules became typical. Government support for SAGE helped establish US dominance of the computer industry (p.48). The "Great Society" led to investments in non-defense projects.

Chapter 3 discusses "Programming Services". The established techniques of engineering management filtered into programming projects. Program flowcharts became institutionalized, then flushed away by the "fad for 'structured programming'" (p.69). The boom for software companies in the late 1960s reminds me of the dot-com fever in the late 1990s. All fueled from government spending (p.75, P.80). The arrival of minicomputers around 1970 allowed middling companies to own a computer. Chapter 4 tells about the change to "Software Products". Computers were more plentiful and more powerful (pp.90-91), programmers didn't keep up. Lines of code used increased 1000% every 5 years, the cost of developing quadrupled by 1965. Page 100 discusses flowcharting, whose purpose was to graphically represent a program's operations. Sort of like a condensed slide presentation of a topic. Page 102 tells of a secret machine instruction used to improve sorting speed (what was it?).

Chapter 5 tells how the software industry acquired its current shape, and gives an overview. Software products was a capital goods business. Industry specific software requires in-depth knowledge; in systems software programming skills are critical. The success of CICS can be compared to a system of roads where applications can freely travel (p.151). Chapter 6 discusses the maturing of corporate software packages, and growth through acquisition. It focuses on three large firms that became prominent in the 1990s. Some grew by acquiring smaller firms for their products (diversification). The rise of the relational database had an adverse affect on older database technologies. The use of fully integrated business application software (ERP) created new companies. Pages 182-4 overviews the successes of Computer Associates. A relational database did not require knowledge of the internal structure of the database; ever faster computers masked its relative inefficiency. Sales of SAP R/3 benefited from the "fad for business re-engineering" (p.195). Page 197 explains why SAP is more important that Microsoft.

There are strong parallels with other historical systems, such as railroads to airlines. If the database was bundled with the operating system there would be no independent vendors. European firms were able to pioneer ERP because they not not been locked into "legacy software" (p.199). The remaining chapters discuss the history of the personal computer.

How 'Toy Computers' Grew Up.......2003-09-27

This history of the Software Industry covers personal computers in the last three chapters. The "Acknowledgments" lists his sources and references. Chapter 7 reviews the early development of microcomputers. The invention of the microprocessor in 1971 made microcomputers possible (p.201). The Apple II was the transforming event of April 1977. The fall 1979 release of VisiCalc transformed "toy computers" into a useful machine for businesses. Digital Research's CP/M allowed any application to run on any computer that used CP/M; this allowed program vendors to access a larger market. Microsoft eclipsed DR by providing DOS for the IBM PC, and its games and programming languages. PC software was usually sold by mail, then at stores. The invention of VisiCalc is credited as boosting the market for personal computers. Productivity applications drove the software industry in the early 1980s (p.215). Word processing was aimed at home computing; Word Star was the most successful. Most computer games were produced by sole authors, lasted a few months, and made little money.

Chapter 8 discusses the now mature PC industry. Why did a few companies succeed where many failed? "The Autodesk File" says: product improvements, complementary products, training networks (p.243). Technical competence does not guarantee success unless it meets user needs (p.244). The need to work with two or more applications simultaneously led to "windowing" (p.247); but this required more time and money than first estimated (p.251). Page 253 tells of the big mistake by Lotus' management in rewriting the program. A similar mistake doomed Word Star (p.255). Ashton-Tate's demise is described on page 257. These were one-product companies. Page 259 explains Microsoft's winning strategy for its Office Suite. Page 264 tells of Symantec's strategy for success.

Chapter 9 describes software used for entertainment, and looks at videogames, CD-ROM encyclopedias, and personal finance software. Arcade games replaced older pinball machines during the 1970s. Videogame consoles for the home allowed playing many games. Home computers had a keyboard and secondary storage, and could be programmed by the user. Videogames are similar to recorded music's stream of new titles, and relatively short life. The purpose of a CD-ROM with an encyclopedia was to justify the cost of a computer (p.289). Microsoft's Encarta broke into the 1993 consumer market with multimedia. This coincided with the falling price for CD-ROM drives (p.292), and lowered prices for CD-ROM software. By the early 1990s Quicken was the best selling consumer software product of all time. Its founder entered a crowded field with no track record, an untried product developed by a single programmer (p.295). It was designed to be easy to use, and continually improved.

Chapter 10 discusses the success of Silicon Valley, and the economic and physical environment that created its culture (p.303). Hardware companies tended towards success, software companies less so (p.304). The great number of computers in the US created a market for software companies. The prices for their mature products ruled out competitors. This pattern continued to the personal computer age. One effect of manpower training is to create off-shore body shops to benefit US multi-national corporations. Clustering firms in a small geographic area helps, as does Government subsidies (like the Internet). But misdirecting support can hurt rather than help (p.311). [I found Robert X. Cringely's book to be better.]

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