A fascinating slice of work from the legendary Johnny Otis – the longtime LA bandleader who had such a strong role in the worlds of jazz, soul, and R&B – and who also turns out to be a hell of a writer too! The book is Otis' answer to the Watts riots of 1965 – a mixture of memoir and social action that originally grew out of a letter written to a friend after the riots, expanded here to a book that's a tremendously strong read – a side of Johnny that we never knew before! There's definitely some aspects of the book that resonate strongly with other jazz autobiographies we've read – but Otis has such a strong connection to the LA scene, and really understands its politics – and comes across here with a sense of clarity and mission that are really striking. Book is softcover, 242 pages, and features a new introduction by George Lipsitz. Book

A groundbreaking book from Greil Marcus – one that gets past some of the overblown histories of rock music, to look at the medium in a completely different way! Marcus eschews all the big name performers and movements – and instead looks at the music through ten different songs – all of them very unusual, very specific choices – but laid out by the author with a logic that's completely compelling as the book moves on. There's few folks that we'd trust with such a project – but given what Greil's given us in the past, we were already on board before reading – and as before, his creative approach is without parallel. And in case you're wondering, some of the songs include "Transmission" by Joy Division, "Shake Some Action" by The Flamin Groovies, "Crying Waiting Hoping" by Buddy Holly, "All I Could Do Was Cry" by Etta James, "Money" by Barrett Strong, and "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by The Teddy Bears. Book is 306 pages, hardcover. Book

Neal Samors has given us some very cool books on the history of Chicago over the years, but this book may well be one of the coolest – as it's an overview of famous nite spots, clubs, and other venues that provided entertainment during the postwar years – all presented on large pages with lots of images of the famous locations! The book begins with a chapter on jazz clubs that's worth the price of admission alone – as it has sections on Mister Kellys, Club DeLisa, The Beehive, and other spots you might know from famous jazz recordings – and the book follows with sections on folk clubs, rock venues, comedy spots, and lots more – all with lots of writings on the spots, great vintage photos, and memories from some key musicians too. The book is softcover, 208 pages, and filled with black and white images. Book