Books — All Formats  

We're not usually fans of books on a single album – but in this case, we gladly make an exception – as the creation and circulation of Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue is definitely powerful enough to fill volumes of writing! Author Richard Williams does a great job of exploring this crucial piece of jazz – not only detailing the important session and musical moment that led to the record's creation, but also looking it its influence for decades after its release – not just in jazz, but in American popular culture as well! Hardcover book is 309 pages.

The compelling story of Alan Lomax – the man who recorded so much music around the globe, he was practically a rock star himself! Lomax's efforts with a tape recorder are the stuff of legend – and he's left behind a huge legacy of important recordings that would have never happened without his efforts – jazz, blues, folk, and global sounds – collected in the Library Of Congress, issued on Folkways, and circulated in other key ways too! This huge book really gets at the breadth of work and effort that Lomax put into his projects – and the whole thing is magnificently done by John Szwed, who's previously penned important books on Sun Ra and Miles Davis. 438 pages, hardcover.