The story of a legendary New York nite spot – served up in a really wonderful way! The Pyramid was a gritty bar in the East Village in the 80s – a small spot, but one that served as a real crossroads for music, performance, and gender identity – a place that was experienced by few, but shared as a legend by many – with an influence that's recounted here by those who experienced the Pyramid during its glory days! The book is a mix of oral histories, but structured well by the authors – who were all involved in the club itself at the time – interspersed with all sorts of great visual documents, including photographs of key performances – one of which even includes a young Steve Buscemi! The club mixed theater, music, performance art, and other modes – and the book really gets at the unique spirit that fanned the flames during its important mid-80s run. The book also includes a very cool set of materials from vintage press releases, and lots more surprises too – and the softcover edition has a great sense of presentation, on many different-colored pages. Book
A book that's as lively as the image on the cover – one that traces the role of drums and percussion in the music of New Orleans – following a legacy that runs from the 19th century all the way up to contemporary sounds as well! If you know the sounds of Nola, you know that the drum is the key – and that because of the city's placement as a crossroads of culture, New Orleans helped create all sorts of new grooves, from the early years of jazz up through more contemporary soul and hip hop as well. The book is square, almost like a record cover – and is filled with images of both instruments and players – as it traces a long legacy that begins in Congo Square, then runs through improvised percussion experiments, early jazz, then blues, funk, soul, and later styles as well. Book is hardcover, 227 pages, with images throughout. Book
A fantastic slice of work from WEB Dubois – materials showcased at the Paris Exposition of 1900, in a special exhibit in which Dubois tried to convey the reality of black life in America to a larger international audience! The materials include a number of handmade charts, graphs, and maps – all created by DuBois as an early sort of data analysis, with a very visual punch – images that instantly conveyed the black experience in America in the years after the Civil War – combined with a range of photographs that provided visual illustration of the contents. Much of DuBois' efforts were to showcase advancement and achievements – and the large 11" x 17" presentation of the softcover book allows the reproductions of these materials to really get the kind of prominence they had at the exposition. The book is the first-ever reproduction of all these items, along with the photographs – and features a new essay by historians Stephen G Hall and Jacqueline Francis. Book
A really great look at the later years of Louis Armstrong's life – that time when he'd moved from being an underground jazz musician to a surprising star of both radio and screen – using his undeniable charisma in ways that really cemented his legend! And sure, there's some folks out there who might deem these Armstrong's "pop" years as a bit of a critique – but the author really gets at the subtle power of Louis during these years, and the way this period of his life was actually something of an artistic triumph, rather than a sellout – maybe no surprise, given that some of the music from these years has been Armstrong's most enduring. Softcover edition is 369 pages, with some black and white images. Book
The first 5 issues of the legendary Wax Poetics – the one-and-only genius publication dedicated to the art of crate-digging, aka funky soul & hip hop vinyl archeology – collected in this massive hardcover tome! Anthology Vol 1 tackles the essential chore of bringing those earliest Wax Poetics issues – which are for the most part long out of print and as tough to track down as some of the wax the mag covers – available once again with some additional illustrations, to boot! All of those great pieces– from the groundbreaking debut issue of December 2001 up to issue 5 in summer 2003 – covering Idris Muhammad, Pretty Purdie, Weldon Irvine, Manzel, Fania Records, King Tubby, Prince Paul, RZA, Louis Vega and so much more! The photos and illustrations pop even more in this larger scare format – with loads of period photography, shots in the studio, and all of those delicious dust jacket photo discoveries. Beautiful, essential, and long overdue! Hardcover, 241 pages, and bursting with beautiful images and illustrations! Book
Didn't find what you're looking for? You can set a product alert and we'll notify you of new matches.