Book Description
Charlie Parker has been idolized by generations of jazz musicians and fans. Indeed, his spectacular musical abilities--his blinding speed and brilliant improvisational style--made Parker a legend even before his tragic death at age thirty-four. Now, in Chasin' The Bird, Brian Priestley offers a marvelous biography of this jazz icon, ranging from his childhood in Kansas City to his final harrowing days in New York. Priestley offers new insight into Parker's career, beginning as a teenager single-mindedly devoted to mastering the saxophone. We follow Parker on his first trip to New York, penniless, washing dishes for $9.00 a week at Jimmy's Chicken Shack, a favorite hangout of the great Art Tatum, whose stunning speed and ingenuity were an influence on the young musician. Priestley sheds light on Parker's collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Bud Powell, Mary Lou Williams, and Thelonious Monk, and he illuminates such classic recordings as "Salt Peanuts" and "A Night in Tunisia" and Parker's own compositions "Shaw 'Nuff" and "Yardbird Suite"--music which defined an era. Priestley also gives us an unflinching look at Parker's dark side--the drug abuse, heavy drinking, and tangled relations with women and the law. He recounts the death of Parker's daughter Pree, who was only two-and-a-half years old, and Parker's own death at thirty-four, in such wretched condition that the doctor listed his age as fifty-three. With an invaluable discography that lists every recording of Charlie Parker that has ever been made publicly available, here is a must-have biography of a true jazz giant, one that helps us penetrate the dazzling surface to grasp the artistry beneath.
Customer Reviews:
The best of Bird in brief.......2006-07-23
Here's a perfect short critical biography of one of the finest and most influential musicians in America's--and the world's--history. The book offers a few new anecdotes even to readers familiar with the literature, corrects several previous biographical errors, then goes on to give a musicological analysis of Charlie Parker's works and their implications. The latter offers both musical examples as well as reference points of current Parker CDs so even nonreaders of music can understand the point. There is some technical detail that requires musical knowledge, but lay reader can still get through this with an excellent understanding of why many of us still believe "Bird lives"!
Very Disappointing.......2006-07-21
Perhaps Priestley's discography is valuable, but his short biography is a meager contribution to "Ornithology." And stylistically, the book is no tribute to Bird. By all means, read Russell and Giddins--and wait for something better to come along.
Not Bad, But Definitely Could Be Better.......2006-01-19
This wasn't a bad read, but it definitely could have been a lot better. The book is only slightly over 100 pages as far as the story of Bird's life is concerned. The other hundred or so pages is made up of a discography and an index. Obviously there are both pros and cons to this. The good side is that the discography is very informative and great for Charlie Parker collectors. The bad side of course is that the biography is quite short and you could definitely get a lot more information if you read "Bird Lives!" by Ross Russell. Also, there were quite a few facts that got messed up by the author. Not to mention that it really doesn't say anything as far as new information about Bird, which was the biggest hope that I had before reading it. Considering that a new biography on Bird hadn't come out in a while, I was hoping some new stories or info on his life had been uncovered, but unfortunately that was not the case here. However, I still enjoyed the book and if you're a fan of Bird then you will most likely enjoy this book too. Just be aware that, like I said, it's definitely on the short side.
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Chasin' the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker
Brian Priestley
Manufacturer: Equinox Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1845530365 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Black Issues Book Review, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2006. The length of the article is 788 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: More noteworthy titles.(Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley)(Chasin' the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker)(The Gentle Giant: The Autobiography of Yusef Lateef)(The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records)(Lady Sings the Blues)(Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty: The Autobiography of Horace Silver)(Life Is Not a Fairy Tale)(Louis Armstrong's New Orleans)(Marley Legend: An Illustrated Life of Bob Marley)(One O'Clock Jump: The Unforgettable History of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils)(Blue Monday: Fats Domino and the Lost Dawn of Rock 'n' Roll)(The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, From Noisy Novelty to King of Cool)(Harlem of the West: The San Francisco Fillmore Jazz Era)(Book review)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication:
Black Issues Book Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 8
Issue: 3
Page: 38(2)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
In a challenging new history of modern India, the authors explore the imaginative and institutional structures that have changed and sustained the country. While previous histories have been composed as handmaids of British nationalism or as products of emerging nationalist identities, this book challenges the notion that a continuous meaning can be applied to social categories such as "caste," "Hindu," "Muslim," or even "India,". An initial chapter focuses on the period of Muslim dynasties that preceded colonial conquest, while the final chapter analyzes the dramatic recent events of the 1990s, including economic change, religious nationalism and India's emergence as a nuclear power. Illustrations and quotations from historical sources are integral to the narrative. Thomas R. Metcalf is Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley. His previous books inlcude An Imperial Vision (California, 1989) and Ideologies of the Raj (Cambridge, 1997). Barbara Metcalf is Professor of History at the University of California, Davis. She is the editor of Making Muslim Space in North America (University of California Press, 1996).
Customer Reviews:
By Jai Kapadia.......2006-10-30
Not the easiest read, but the book is still useful for refrence material. The glossary section is useful and the section focussing on the period of the Muslim dynasty is detailed.
Lovely Topic. It's A Shame It's So Poorly Written!.......2004-10-27
This is perhaps the most poorly written general history I have ever read. Assigned reading in a Modern Indian history course, I cannot recommend strongly enough that instructors and students avoid this text. The largest failing of this book is to poorly integrate the scope of the topic. The book goes from focusing on one tiny event in India to another, with absolutely no flowing, overarching narrative to tie them together. There is very little context given for most of the events described, and the reader is left wondering why certain actors are behaving the way they are. There also seems to be a strident anti-British tone throughout the text, which generally is a fair assessment for Indian historians to make, however the authors fail to capture the Pro-British vs. Anti-British debate within the reform movement with any objectivity, which is essential to understanding modern Indian history. Overall, a wonderful opportunity to introduce Westerners to the rich history of India has been wasted, and educational institutions everywhere should take note.
Two lovers and a naughty-bore of a child.......2004-02-09
The Metcalf's have produced a book rich in factoids, post-colonial sentimentalism, and wretched prose. Clearly, the authors had good intentions in terms of contriving a history that implored us to mock the sunny empire. However, instead of focusing on their keen ehtical duty to educate against empire, they should have considered the horror that comes with mirthless prose and inevitable colonization of any passionate interest the reader ever had.
Refreshing in its correction of bias, but indigestible.......2004-01-06
Most of the concise histories of India commonly assigned to students, such as those by John Keay and by Kulke and Rothermund, have been accused of having to Eurocentric a bias. The Metcalfs, professors at the UCalifornia schools, remedy this slant in their new CONCISE HISTORY OF INDIA by stacking the deck against European colonialism. While this is welcome, it is not without cost. The greatest, perhaps, is that the Metcalfs often seem to great length to vilify some figures or parties while at pains elsewhere to vindicate others . While their biases are understandable (even ones with which I basically agree), this does not make for the most balanced or objective of histories.
More worrying is their utter dryness of tone: it would be hard to imagine anyone being introduced to India (presumably the book's target audience) finding this book anything other than a painful chore. key figures or concepts are introduced basically offhand, then circled back to discuss in greater length much later when you've forgotten who or what they were; very minor figures from the nation's history or culture are often brought forth to comment on the events, but the authors do not clarify whether these commentators are important or central or not. There are good maps, and a useful beginning glossary, but I would have to recommend John Keay's book (for all its European bias) as a much more readable introduction to India than this one.
There is nothing remotely "concise" about this book!.......2002-11-04
I am very interested in learning about India and Indian Culture, as I am planning to marry an Indian man who was born and raised in Bombay, however my fiance is extremely Westernized and would love to live in the United Sates as well as India. In fact, he loves Hollywood Blockbuster movies, while I actually prefer foreign films. Anyway, as I may end up living in Bombay someday, I wanted familiarize myself wih the history of the country and culture of the people. While the authors of this particular book are obviously very well educated and experts on the subject, the content of the material is written in such a dry, unimaginative manner that I have pretty much given up on finishing it. It seems hard to believe that book written about a country with such a vibrant, colorful past could be so boring! For a person such as myself who really needed to start from the basics, this book was much too detailed and academic to hold my interest. However, I am sure other professors and those people who are more familiar with the subject matter may find this book of great use to them. Needless to say, I was disappointed with it, as it wasn't quite what I was looking for in reading material regarding this particular subject.
Book Description
In a second edition of their successful Concise History of Modern India, Barbara Metcalf and Thomas Metcalf explore India's modern history afresh and update the events of the last decade. These include the takeover of Congress from the seemingly entrenched Hindu nationalist party in 2004, India's huge advances in technology and the country's new role as a major player in world affairs. From the days of the Mughals, through the British Empire, and into Independence, the country has been transformed by its institutional structures. It is these institutions which have helped bring about the social, cultural and economic changes that have taken place over the last half century and paved the way for the modern success story. Despite these advances, poverty, social inequality and religious division still fester. In response to these dilemmas, the book grapples with questions of caste and religious identity, and the nature of the Indian nation.
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The Concise Oxford History of Indian Business
Dwijendra Tripathi , and
Jyoti Jumani
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 019568429X |
Book Description
The Concise Oxford History of Indian Business is an adapted edition of The Oxford History of Business. The author traces the transformation of the Indian business class from merchants to industrialists and, more recently, service providers. The focus of this volume is on the modern or that
phase of Indian business in free India and response of Indian business to the call of globalization.
Book Description
"The True History and the Religion of India" is a single volume, concise Encyclopedia of Authentic Hinduism which details all the aspects of Hinduism at one place. It relates the authentic form of Hindu culture, religion and the history of India since the very beginning of human civilization and describes the real Divine aspect of the Vedas, Upnishads, Puranas, Gita and the Bhagwatam. This all inclusive book presents an enormous amount of information with scriptural, logical, historical and scientific evidences. It is the first time in hundreds of years that such an encyclopedia has been produced which reveals the true form of Hinduism and the correct history of India to the world.
Customer Reviews:
Could have been a great book.......2007-09-19
The author is a highly respected Hindu spiritual guru, and has deep knowledge of Hindu traditions. The present book is primarily a Hindu response to muck-raking and mud-slinging which many Hindus feel is the main output of Western scholarship.
The title of the book is slightly misleading, though the word 'True' should have been a warning. I bought this book eagerly hoping for a learned elucidation of Indian religious history. Unfortunately, the book turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. A large part of the book has been devoted to angry attacks on Western scholars (and Western-influenced Indian scholars), who have rejected Indian and Hindu views regarding out scriptures, and have floated their own theories and ideas. While I can empathize with this, the arguments have not been presented well, and some come down to almost a kind of shouting match.
This kind of a running fight has also affected the structure and coherence of the book, as there are frequent side-trips to counter-attack the culture-raiders. Amusingly, this is somewhat reminiscent of Prof. Amartya Sen's style of writing in the 'Argumentative Indian'.
Notwithstanding this blemish, the book offers some useful information about Hindu scriptures, orthodox views of Hindu timelines, and a Hindu perspective on some of the controversial issues.
To conclude, I do humbly submit that it would be useful for us to consider carefully what the Lord himself told Arjuna (Srimad Bhagwad Gita, Ch.2, shlok 62-63): '...unfulfilled desire leads to anger, anger results in loss of judgment. This leads to loss of memory, and loss of memory leads to loss of intellect. This causes loss of 'gnan' (knowledge).'
All in all, a useful book, especially if taken with a large pinch of salt.
garbage.......2007-09-13
If I could give 0 I would.
In this book one can find only hate, hate and hate towards everything which does not come from India.
Of course not any scientific proof for history of India except his own interpretation of Puranas and similar scriptures.
Do not waste your time....
A Hindu perspective from one learned Indians Perspective.......2006-12-19
I gave this book a four star review because it's a hard slog. You've got to be genuinely interested to delve into the details. A fabulously researched view of Hinduism and Indian History from an Indian Perspective. The winners write history and much of Indian History and thought has been, sometimes crudely and other times subtly twisted and changed by people(s) with an ulterior agenda. The author points out where this may have happened, how and the potential reasoning - from his perspective. Whether you agree or disagree, this is a breath of fresh air compared to the tired old 'cows, caste and curry' formula repeated ad nauseum. At the least it is much better than any book written by 'experts' in US universities, who seem to see Hinduism and India through a sadly myopic and sometimes downright hostile view. With friends like these... read this book for a look through Indian Eyes and not through the foggy lens of the West.
Good, but not excellent........2006-08-20
I bought this book with the idea of knowing more about the history and religion of India as the title suggests, but unfortunately, the author seem to have diverted from the main topic and gets into criticizing others works.
I was little disappointed. But, I do give due credits to the author for going into depths and trying to analyze each topics in the book, very good job.
Would I suggest this book to someone who wants to know the history and religion of India, probably a yes. I would also caution the reader not to get too carried away with each and every statments that the author has written and would urge the reader to use his/her own good judgement. Some of the author's reasoning are not that strong enough to prove a point.
A Brilliant Guide for hundreds of generations........2005-05-16
This book is by far the most complete and authentic history of India and the Hindu spiritual tradition available to the English speaking world. This book covers so much information that the title doesn't do it justice. The author (an established and proven Spiritual Master) provides a complete history of India dating from the beginning of our Earth planet up until the present. In precise scientific and historic detail, He lists the development of every human civilization on this earth, explaining the development of their language, cultural shifts, the transforming of religious beliefs etc. In AMAZING detail the author gives perfect dates, names, and proven historic details that show how Hinduism has been mutilated by Western (and some Indian) writers which has confused the entire world for thousands of years. The book explains in perfect common language the source and common thread of all the Hindu scriptures in an unmatched style. Come to find out this book has been hailed by hundreds of authors and writers from around the world as the most factual and amazing book on Hinduism OF THIS AGE. The book is rather large and a few of it's chapters do read much like a text book simply because of the vast information it's explaining; However in VERY easy to read, basic common English sentences. Anyone could easily read and understand this book and I recommend it for extensive or casual study and especially for students doing research papers. A HUGE list of sources, an index and a glossary help the reader understand and elaborate the book. A vast website has been created by the author that captures the essence of the book on a web-format. http://encyclopediaofauthentichinduism.org I highly recommended this book to EVERYONE, looking to get a true and accurate spiritual history of not only Hinduism but a spiritual history of the entire world. Words cannot explain the wisdom and clarity this book contains.
Book Description
Did you know that the Central Asian and Northern Indian Turks (Aryan Krishtaya) begat all modern races, nations, civilizations, gods, and religions? In the religious text What Strange Mystery Unites the Turkish Nations, India, Catholicism, and Mexico? learn the worldÂ's best-kept secret about people and the power they possess.
Author Gene Matlock traces the ancient Turks, progenitors of all humankind, from their first home at the Arctic Circle. Consisting of five races, which the Bible calls Nephilim, they were the Yadu, Druhyus, Turvasa, Anu, and Puru.. Also called Aryans (Ari) and Kuru, the Nephilim were the progenitors of all civilizations, religions, and nations. What Strange Mystery Unites the Turkish Nations, India, Catholicism, and Mexico? discusses the religion of the Aryans, called Khristi, Krishtaya, or Kristihan. Their religion taught that by understanding the mysteries of the Cross and the Holy Trinity, mankind could live forever, both in and out of the flesh. Matlock also examines their ancient religion and its cultural and spiritual affect on India, Mexico, and Catholicism.
In What Strange Mystery Unites the Turkish Nations, India, Catholicism, and Mexico?, Matlock guides us in relearning mankindÂ's most important, simple, and easily verifiable “spiritual solutions”. He also reveals how the objective practices of Duality, Cross Science, and the Holy Trinity can spiritually advance humans of all religious beliefs.
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Concise History of Ancient India
Aoeske K. Majumdar
Manufacturer: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Ancient
| History
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India
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Social History
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ASIN: 8121502675 |
Average customer rating:
- Moslems, Hindus and British
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A Concise History of Indo-Pakistan
S.F. Mahmud
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Economic Conditions
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ASIN: 0195773853 |
Book Description
A scientific and objective historical account of the assimilation and absorption of several races, this book examines the ecological, geographical, political, anthropological, and sociological patterns that have influenced the history of the subcontinent since ancient times. Spanning a period
of 5000 years, Mahmud presents a simple and balanced picture of Indo-Pak history, stressing the contributions made by the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs, and imperial powers to Indo-Muslim culture.
Customer Reviews:
Moslems, Hindus and British.......2001-08-20
The Indian subcontinent is inhabited by millions of people from different cultures and religions. Mahmud has written a concise introduction to the history if the Indian subcontinent. He tells a chronological story of the rise and fall of many states and empires. Mahmud chronicles the relationships between the various cultures and religions, the Hindus, Moslems and Europeans. While displaying the panorama of the interplay of religions and cultures he also tells about the actions and qualities of great individuals including Asoka, and Akbar the Great. Unfortunately, while Mahmud tells about the coming and going of conquering armies, he never tells the details why they came and went. Mahmud remains objective, never speaking ill of any of the Muslims, Hindus or Europeans. To help make the complex story clearer, Mahmud includes maps chronological charts and photographs.
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A Concise History of Modern Architecture in India
Jon Lang
Manufacturer: Sangam Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
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Reference
| Architecture
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ASIN: 8178240173 |
Book Description
In lucid language that speaks to laymen and architects alike, Jon Lang provides a history of 20th century architecture in India. He analyses its tangled developments from the founding of the Indian Institute of Architects during the 1920s to the present diversity of architectural directions. Lang examines the early influences on Indian architecture both of movements like the Bauhaus as well as prominent individuals. Over 150 photographs and line drawings explain and illustrate concepts outlined in the text.
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- Exchanging Our Country Marks: The Transformation of African Identities in the Colonial and Antebellum South
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