A long-overdue moment of exposure for pianist Horace Tapscott – one of the greatest creative forces in west coast jazz in the 60s, 70s, and 80s – but an artist whose genius was often kept away from the limelight! That hardly seemed to matter to Tapscott, though – as his legacy is tremendous, finally given full exposure by this autobiography, which then paved the way for new presentations of his music in years to come – a surprisingly large legacy of reissues that we wish Horace could have seen in his too-short life! Yet despite that, it's clear that the man himself took a lot of pride in his music – as you'll read in this live story, which documents Tapscott's move to LA as a young child, his creation of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, and all his many other projects – which were often tied to cultural and political developments in south LA. The book is 272 pages, softcover, and as beautifully written as Tapscott's music! Book

BB King is a blues musician with a much richer story than most – one that's captured here in very vivid detail by the author, as he mixes together a wealth of historical research with quotations from interviews and other materials too – all of which really makes the long journey of BB King come alive, as he shifts from roots in the south to the Memphis scene, then California, then superstardom that made him one of the biggest blues figures of the 20th Century! There's a great flow to the book – down to earth details that really make you feel like you're following King on his rise to fame – yet the big section at notes also indicates that the author wasn't just throwing stories out there without any support, and did plenty to weave the whole thing together with an eye for the facts. Softcover edition is 481 pages, with some black and white images. Book

One of the most lavish, loving books on hip hop that we've ever seen – a huge volume that manages to be a history of rap music, a photo book, a guide to key albums, and also a personal journey as well – all served up with a vivid, non-stop array of images that make the whole thing even more of a visual delight than digging in the crates! The volume is huge – stuffed with over 1000 images, most in color – photos of album covers, street art, hip hop DJs and MCs, and countless other subjects – all presented in loose chronological order, alongside a history and evolution of the music, plus a timeline of key records and moments – all guided by some personal reflections by the author as well. Chuck D gives the book some huge props in the intro – and this updated volume is a heavy 446 pages, in a softcover edition, filled with images throughout. Book

There have been plenty of Prince books written over the years, but Neal Karlen was the journalist that the singer first let get really close to him in his early days – a status that really comes through here in the details of the book! As the title indicates, the volume is more about the creative journey of the man himself, sometimes away from the limelight – and the author is not afraid to write in the first person at times, showcasing his access to Prince and his experience with the musical legend as he evolved his style and faced new creative crossroads over the years. This hardcover edition is 337 pages, with some black and white images. Book

About 30 years back, Joseph Lanza first turned us on to an amazing array of 60s easy listening records that we'd never fully given their due – and here, he continues the journey, but with a key shift into the world of psychedelia too! The book is a wonderful look at the way that easy listening and instrumental pop tried to stay vibrant in the second half of the 60s – and it follows the way that easy artists of the time were picking up the aesthetics of the younger generation in a variety of ways – not just doing cover versions of songs by The Beatles and Stones, but also going for trippier artwork on their album covers, and using more unusual studio techniques in production – all in ways that made for a huge legacy of very groovy records! At times, things would even move backwards – as older songs from the early part of the century were given a mod spin for the 60s generation – and the range of topics covered here is as wonderful as Lanza's presentation. The book is a very cool 7" square format – with lots of album reproductions and great graphics, plus a list of 50 essential records at the back – served up in a softcover volume that's 237 pages in length. Book

A well done book about the continuing importance of soul and R&B in black culture over the decades – one that begins its journey in the 70s, and moves right up to the present with a key chapter on the music in the post-George Floyd landscape in America! Author Alexander Ghedi Weheliye has a very particular bent at times – and the chapters work together more almost like related essays, instead of an exhaustive whole – a format that allows him to shift topics easily – between cellphones, new wave, remix technology, and diaspora – while still also bringing everything together through continuing themes, and copious notes that accompany the writings. The book also features two interviews, and directions to an accompanying playlist on Spotify – and this softcover edition is almost 300 pages, with some black and white images. Book

Things really heat up in this second volume of Robert Darden's look at the rise of gospel in America – as he traces the music's journey from the pulpit to the public, from praise to protest – and really illuminates the power that gospel and its inspiration brought to black identity from the 60s onward! This volume is even bigger than the first, and really overflows with research and information – a hugely documented project that features pages of notes at the end, and black and white images throughout the larger first section – as Darden does a fantastic job of mixing music, politics, and cultural progression. Hardcover edition is 334 pages. Book

A book that really gets to the heart of the cassette tape and the way it helped shape modern music – a long journey that's run well into the 21st Century – which might come as a real surprise to anyone who gave up on the format many years ago! The book looks at the way tapes helped underground movements share music, go global with tape-only releases, share live experiences between fans, and open doors of musical communication through the circulation of mixtapes. There's a lot more going on here too – a very vivid account of the greatness of tape culture and its durability – served up in a softcover edition of 209 pages, with some very cool black and white images. Book

The first really in-depth look at the life of the great Al Green – a book that traces the fascinating journey that led a young man from Memphis to the top of the soul charts in the 70s – only to leave the world of secular music for the church in the following decade, then go on to a surprisingly rich career in decades that followed! The book is especially great at the roots of Al's sound and style – and if you dig southern soul as much as us, you'll really appreciate the author's account of the long journey before Green rose to fame at Hi Records – the kind of journeyman work that's often eclipsed when an artist becomes a star. The book also includes an appendix with a discography and legal notes too – and is over 400 pages, hardcover, with some black and white images. Book

Jazz critic Dave Gelly's biography of the tenor sax titan – who's legacy is so much more than just "The Girl From Ipanama". Gelly describes Getz's early days, playing with some of the giants when he was still just a teenager, until his days as one of the most esteemed bandleaders in jazz, and the highs and lows of his career. An insightful journey of one of the biggest names and most important figures in bringing jazz to the masses! Paperback, 176 pages. Book