Trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah has made some great music of his own, but over the years he was also a key player in the legendary Arkestra of Sun Ra – and this unique volume is maybe one of the first books ever to really get at what life was like as a member of that legendary ensemble! The book is incredible – very open and honest about many issues, not just music – and it's also huge, too – over 500 pages, originally written by Abdullah in the 90s, with help from poet Louis Reyes Rivera, and finally published after all these many years! The book is very narrative, and gets at some of the lifestyles and theories behind the Arkestra – which have never been recounted in such great detail, and with such a focus on the way their fame and music intersected with everyday life. The book also features a huge section of photos and images – over 50 pages in all – and the whole thing is a long-overdue, much-needed look at Sun Ra, his legacy, and the career of Ahmed Abdullah too! Book

A fantastic look at the underground world of jazz record bars in Tokyo – served up here in a stunning array of full color photographs that showcase dozens of spots! The book is a great document of the "jazz kissa" – small bars where the owner is a lover of music, has a huge jazz record collection, and pours out drinks while spinning records in a very intimate, laidback space! Most of these club have stunning sound systems – often pictured in the book – and they are tiny, with just a few seats for drinkers/listeners – which makes the experience of enjoying a classic jazz record there feel even more unique. There's a bit of text, but most of the hardcover volume is full color photographs – presented in beautiful artbook style. Book

A really cool project, and one that's even cooler than you might guess from the title – as the graphic novel is a very well-done exploration of key strands of electronic music – starting with the early years, moving through disco, Chicago House, Detroit Techno, and beyond – all with individual chapters that really do a great job of telling the story! At some level, the book is a bit like the hip hop history of Ed Piskor, but there's a different approach to storytelling too – as the scenes are interwoven with more personal, reflective elements – almost a Harvey Pekar quality at times, which really makes the narrative come alive. The artwork is great – mostly black and white, but with some color as things move to the 21st Century – and we're really pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the book is, and especially proud of the way it handles Chicago. Harcover edition is 239 pages, with images throughout – and a smaller text section at the end. Book

A rich overview of the role of Jewish creators in American comics – from the early days of the art form, through important 60s and 70s underground years, to some of today's best indie moments! The book features plenty of images – from the likes of Art Spiegelman, Will Eisner, Robert Crumb, Milt Gross, Ben Katchor, Harvey Kurtzman, and others – but it also features a fair bit of writing on the role of Jews, and Jewish identity in comics, by author Paul Buhle – listed on the cover as the editor, but much more the driving intellectual force of the whole book. 198 pages, with black and white images, hardcover. Book

Many years back, we always thought that David Byrne should have written a children's book – a volume to convey the best themes of some of the Talking Heads tunes to a younger, impressionable generation. And while that never actually happened, this beautiful edition of work released in conjunction with the American Utopia stage performance may be the next best thing – all sorts of lovely little illustrations from Maira Kalman, interspersed with text from Byrne from the performance – brought together in a volume that's as much a pleasure to flip through as the larger performance on stage. This isn't an attempt to capture the show in a book – but instead kind of a sidebar, almost a distillation of the ideas taken into a cool new format – served up in a hardcover volume, with full color illustrations throughout! 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