The music at Dusty Groove goes way way way back, and here's a shirt that does the same – a lovely image that evokes the feel of a vintage phone book ad – simple, elegant, and very much to the point! The lines are lean, but the image is bold and striking – never overdone, with a look that's cool and classy, and perfect for both at-home wear or a night on the town! As with all our shirts, the quality is great, and the all-cotton production will ensure years of comfortable wear. Most folks gave up their phone books years ago – but here's a way to memorialize the style of the Yellow Pages, while also showing your love for your favorite record store. Image created by SWILL Design. Clothing

The music at Dusty Groove goes way way way back, and here's a shirt that does the same – a lovely image that evokes the feel of a vintage phone book ad – simple, elegant, and very much to the point! The lines are lean, but the image is bold and striking – never overdone, with a look that's cool and classy, and perfect for both at-home wear or a night on the town! As with all our shirts, the quality is great, and the all-cotton production will ensure years of comfortable wear. Most folks gave up their phone books years ago – but here's a way to memorialize the style of the Yellow Pages, while also showing your love for your favorite record store. Image created by SWILL Design. Clothing

The music at Dusty Groove goes way way way back, and here's a shirt that does the same – a lovely image that evokes the feel of a vintage phone book ad – simple, elegant, and very much to the point! The lines are lean, but the image is bold and striking – never overdone, with a look that's cool and classy, and perfect for both at-home wear or a night on the town! As with all our shirts, the quality is great, and the all-cotton production will ensure years of comfortable wear. Most folks gave up their phone books years ago – but here's a way to memorialize the style of the Yellow Pages, while also showing your love for your favorite record store. Image created by SWILL Design. Clothing

The music at Dusty Groove goes way way way back, and here's a shirt that does the same – a lovely image that evokes the feel of a vintage phone book ad – simple, elegant, and very much to the point! The lines are lean, but the image is bold and striking – never overdone, with a look that's cool and classy, and perfect for both at-home wear or a night on the town! As with all our shirts, the quality is great, and the all-cotton production will ensure years of comfortable wear. Most folks gave up their phone books years ago – but here's a way to memorialize the style of the Yellow Pages, while also showing your love for your favorite record store. Image created by SWILL Design. Clothing

One of the trippiest records we've ever heard from Ilhan Erashin – very different than some of the groove-oriented work he gave us years before, and a rich array of sounds we never would have expected! The album's a trio effort – Erashin on saxes and electric piano, Dave Harrington on guitar, organ, moog, melotron, electronics, and percussion – and Kenny Wollesen on drums, percussion, and vibes – the last of whom might be a good reference point here, as the set's got some of the more open qualities of work that Kenny has done for Tzadik, but with a warmer, more organic layering of elements that really makes the best of the multi-instrumental talents of all the artists involved. Titles include "The Long Goodbye", "Dusty Village", "Invite Your Eye", "And It Happens Everyday", "Wreck The Study", "Even As You Smile", and "What All The Books Say". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of images from Times Square, pulled from the years before Disney took over – at a time when the action moved 24 hours a day, and at a non-stop pace! Bill Butterworth was right on the streets during the early 80s – and presents stunning full color shots of a range of figures from the Deuce – strippers, short order cooks, merchants, hustlers, b boys, Guardian Angels, and others – often in posed portraits in their environs, but occasionally captured in more candid ways too. The look and feel of the photographs is great – similar to some of the Powerhouse books on old school hip hop culture – and the whole thing is hardcover, and overflowing with great shots. Book

A seminal pop psych classic from the UK scene – served up here by a group that seem to borrow a bit of the energy from the late 60s Bee Gees at their trippiest, but who also really have a way for turning out a tune that has a very groovy vibe! Part of the credit might go to producer John Schroeder – a Brit sound library giant in his own right, and clearly able to make the sound of the records guitars, organ, and vocals sound incredibly groovy. But it's also clear that the group have plenty of great energy of their own – as they kept on going strongly, even after this early breakout record. Titles include their seminal "Pictures Of Matchstick Men", plus "Ice In The Sun", "Elizabeth Dreams", "Sunny Cellophane Sky", and "Spicks & Specks". Groovy cover, too, with the band sitting on a pile of matchbooks! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of New York soul gems back to back – the third and fourth albums from the legendary Chuck Jackson! First up is Encore – fantastic work from the great Chuck Jackson – a singer who was really at the height of his powers during these early years of his career! Chuck's maybe best known for heartbreaking material – and the notes on the album actually refer, oddly, to these songs as "the crying towel variety" – but what Jackson brings to his music is this strong sense of pride and power – this depth of reserve that makes you feel like he'll never give up, no matter how hard the going might be – a quality that southern soul singers would soon poach from Jackson and other singers up north, and make their own style of music. Yet back at the start, few folks did it better than Jackson – as you'll Hear on cuts that include the wonderful hit "Tell Him I'm Not Home", plus "Lonely Am I", "Blue Holiday", "Getting Ready for the Heartbreak", "Don't Believe Him Donna", "Tomorrow", "Two Stupid Feet", "Another Day", and "Invisible". Next up is Mr Everything – rock-solid set of heartbreaking soul – the sort that few others could touch at the time! Jackson often doesn't get his due in the history books these days – but records like these were landmark moments of pride, power, and open male emotion – of the sort that went onto inform generations of soul music to come – and help future artists find their way, guided by the emotional frankness of Jackson's approach! Backings are carefully balanced – tight, but never too polished to overwhelm Chuck's vocals – which soar out with a raw power that blows away Sam Cooke or some of Jackson's other contemporaries. Titles include "D-5", "I Need You", "Human", "I'm Your Man", "Tears Of Joy", and "Somebody New". CD

Writer Nelson Algren is one of our hometown heroes, and spent most of his key years right around the corner of Dusty Groove – so we're always a bit biased when it comes to his work – but you can trust us when we say that this well-done biography is almost as fantastic as some of Algren's classic books! Algren knew the streets of Chicago like the back of his hand – and his interaction with the city and its characters provided Algren with a life's worth of pain and pleasure – a richness of experience that really comes through in the biography. Nelson had a quick rise to fame with the success of The Man With The Golden Arm and a few other key books – but was also the subject of a long FBI investigation, and a number of other political pitfalls too – all documented here in great detail, along with his famous love affair with Simone DeBeauvoir. There's as much sadness and struggle to Algren's life as you'll find in one of his books – and the well-researched volume looks at a stunning array of material to give a full picture of his time and writing. 543 pages, hardcover, with some black and white images. Book

A beautiful collection of images by Ivan Brunetti – a cartoonist we've followed for decades here on the Chicago scene, and have watched with great appreciation as he's gotten worldwide attention for his work in the New Yorker and numerous other publications over the years! Brunetti's an amazing individual, with a character that goes even deeper than his artwork – and this book is something of a memoir, told by Ivan in words that go alongside the images – little stories about their creation, or his own place on the planet at the time – with some cartoons, some cover illustrations, and lots of obscure drawings, sculptures, and physical objects that are a real discovery, even if you've bought his comix and other books. The layout is great – as illuminating as the contents – and the hardcover book is color throughout. Book

Epic DJ Fontana (elvis presley's 50s-70s drummer) interview. The (pre-industrial) Wax Trax Records story – including the saga of the Jonny iii (Wax Trax house band). Czech prog-gods Plastic People Of the Universe interviewed. Little Richard is Jewish! 1950s country star Marvin Rainwater interviewed. The return, and self-destruction, of the Misfits. Flaming Lips interview. Don "Sugarcane" Harris obituary. Screaming Jay Hawkins obituary. David Lee Roth comix. 1960s psychedelic comic books explored. Interview with Gregg Gellar, master compilation producer, focusing on his "Sammy Davis Jr.-Yes I Can" box set, as well as the ins and outs of comp production. Plus Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Chuck Berry, rock & wrestling, comix and Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis Jr. as you've always imagined them! Magazine

A tremendous album from Thundercat – an artist who just seems to get better and better with every new record, and who's maybe here defining a genre that's completely unto himself! The record is soulful, and has a lot of contemporary cosmic currents – but it's also more far-reaching and fluid than anything that Thundercat's ever given us before – still done with key help from Flying Lotus, but with a majestic, confident quality that seems to have the duo ready to take over the universe! The airy soulful vocals are great, but the rhythms and instrumentation are maybe even more compelling – as there's a number of tunes here that are almost impossible to describe in words, even though they're instantly appealing and wonderfully soulful – a balance that's the sort of special genius from an artist who's ready to write himself into the pop music history books with a key release like this. There's a whole host of guests – including Ty Dolla Sign, Childish Gambino, Louis Cole, Kamasi Washington, Badbadnotgood, Miguel Atwood Ferguson, and many others – but it's clear that the Thundercat/Flying Lotus axis holds all the power – on titles that include "Fair Chance", "Funny Thing", "How Sway", "Miguel's Happy Dance", "Lost In Space/Great Scott/22-26", "Interstellar Love", "Overseas", "Dragonball Durag", "King Of The Hill", and "Existential Dread". LP, Vinyl record album

Chuck Jackson may be Mr Everything in the title – but there's one thing he does especially well on this classic 60s album – deliver a rock-solid sort of heartbreaking soul – the sort that few others could touch at the time! Jackson often doesn't get his due in the history books these days – but records like these were landmark moments of pride, power, and open male emotion – of the sort that went onto inform generations of soul music to come – and help future artists find their way, guided by the emotional frankness of Jackson's approach! Backings are carefully balanced – tight, but never too polished to overwhelm Chuck's vocals – which soar out with a raw power that blows away Sam Cooke or some of Jackson's other contemporaries. Titles include "D-5", "I Need You", "Human", "I'm Your Man", "Tears Of Joy", and "Somebody New". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the smartest books we've ever seen on album cover art – a lavish full color volume that not only presents loads of classic images, but also has plenty to say about them as well! The book is a bit smaller than LP format – maybe 8" square overall – but it's filled with loads of full page reproductions of classic hi fi, bachelor pad, and mood music album covers – most with a facing page of test that really examines the images, and also offers up other historical details too! The authors really follow a direction that's inspirational – treating these album covers not as kitsch, but as a rich document of midcentury America at the crossroads – full of deeper meaning if you know how to read things the right way. The book features chapters that include "Let's Have a Dinner Party", "Music For Hi Fi Living", "Cuba", "Airlines", "Adventures In Sound", "Sound Tour", and "Capitol Of The World" – and the hardcover volume is 420 pages, full color, with great notes at the end! Book

One of the most heartbreaking stories we've ever read from Daniel Clowes – penned with a sense of pathos we never would have expected during his Ghost World years! The book has a great format – long sideways, like a newspaper comic strip – and Clowes' pages alternate between panel narratives and rectangular close ups – all delivered in vivid color, and that increasingly tight line he's been using in later years. The whole thing's as striking as the cover – and the book is 78 pages, full color, and hardcover. Book

An excellent album of funky drumbreaks – cut by a drummer who's a legend among funk fans, but who hardly ever gets mentioned in history books of jazz! Les DeMerle was a lesser-known LA player, and he had a monster approach to the kit – which is why most of the few albums he cut are very in demand for fans of a good funky drum break, as well as the longer grooves! This one's a stellar session that mixes together straight funk with some strong choppy fusion numbers – and it was issued on the tiny Dobre label, which came out with some excellent obscure sides during the 70s. Raul De Souza's on trombone, Milcho Leview plays piano, and Robby Robinson plays plenty of nice electric keyboards. Includes the break-heavy tracks "Moondial" and "Funk It!", the jazz dance cut "Canned Heat Suite", the choppy funky "Bacchanal", and the great groover "Kaballa". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best books we've ever read on any sort of creative scene and cultural moment – a superbly-penned account of the rise of underground comix in the 60s, and the growth and changes of the movement in the decades that followed! Author Brian Doherty makes the scene come alive in ways that are even more powerful than most music books that try to do the same – tracing the disparate roots of key figures like Robert Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, Trina Robbins, and others – as they end up converging in San Francisco in the late 60s, finding a way to express themselves through new styles and new means of production and distribution – then spread out as the 70s move in, and underground comix provide the building blocks for the graphic novel generation to come. The book is insanely well-researched, but also written with a lively style that really gets at both the creative talents and individual personalities of each of the folks involved – all at a level that makes for a hell of a read that goes way past the usual book on comics, music, or any other sort of cultural creative scene! Hardcover edition is 439 pages. Book

A beautiful book on the dancehall scene in Jamaica – one that's done in a different style than some of the other Soul Jazz books – which are often focused more on album cover art! This book's got a very different approach – and is more an art book with photos of the dancehall scene in Jamaica, as well as lots of detailed information – including a history of Jamaican dance culture, bios of artists, and more information. Beth Lesser has already given us other great writings on reggae, and she really knows her stuff – and her care here is apparent, and a great complement to the hundreds of photos included within! And don't worry, there's still some pictures of records – but the book also offers up a lot lot more. Over 200 pages, oversize, and full color throughout – and this new edition also includes a fresh introduction from Duro Olowu, and more material than the original volume! Book

The secret history of Chicago house music – a side of the scene that's even more obscure than its many rare records or long-departed clubs! The book is a fantastic follow up to the first volume – and like that one, features rare flyers, posters, and ads for some of the underground Chicago house music events and venues – some of them legitimate entertainment venues, but others more obscure hole-in-the-wall places – including some churches that were surprising hosts to house music events back in the day! The book has no text, but features full color reproductions of dozens of flyers and posters – most of them very detailed and vibrant, with loads of information on obscure artists, DJs, and other forces helping to make house music happen – often emblazoned with addresses that will come as a real surprise if you only know the Chicago of the 21st Century! A beautiful book – and one that makes us proud to call Chicago our home. Book

A modest classic from the British scene of the mid 70s – and an album that may loom large in the history books, but which has found its way into plenty of record collections over the years! Metro features lead vocals from Peter Godwin and plenty of support from Duncan Browne – the latter of whom had some great solo work in the late 60s, the former who'd bloom more as a solo act after the breakup of this group! Sean Lyons is part of the trio, providing plenty of support on guitar – and there's a post-glam mix of cool compression and class that's very much in the Roxy Music generation – on titles that include "Precious", "Momo Messiah", "Black Lace Shoulder", "Paris", "Jade", "One Way Night", and "Criminal World" CD

We're not normally ones to stock urban fire books here at Dusty Groove – but as you probably know, our hometown is Chicago, a city with a pretty incredible history – part of which is a fantastic fire that burned the whole place to the ground back in the 19th century! This huge book dives into great detail about the fire – its origins, its too-long burnout, initial failed efforts to stop it, and the surprisingly quick rise from the ashes that Chicago experienced as a result – as the city turned the tragedy into a way of rethinking and modernizing itself, which made it very well-poised to become a global powerhouse in years to come! Carl Smith tells the tale with a nicely narrative voice, while also showcasing the long research that went into the project – and this hardcover edition is 374 pages, with some black and white images. Book

A completely hilarious book, and one that maybe makes the best use of computer photoshopping technology that we've ever seen – as Sean Tejaratchi remakes and remixes work from a whole host of familiar sources – and comes up with these really weird and wonderful images in the process! Nothing is off-limits to the author – as Tejaratchi skewers billboards, paperbacks, album covers, movie posters, supermarket ads, cookbooks, and just about anything else you can imagine – moving images, titles, and subjects around with a sense of humor that's incredible – and which may well have you looking around the house, laughing at things that once seemed commonplace. It's a bit hard to describe the book's magic in words, but you might try checking Sean's Liarspace website for a start – then dive into the hundreds of full color images in the well-done book. Book

You probably know the name of Jonathan Coe as a writer – for books that include What A Carve Up and The Rotters Club – but he's also had plenty of ties to music, including projects with Louis Philippe and High Llamas – and this new set of jazz-based works done with Artchipel Orchestra! The songs are all penned by Coe, and handled by the group with a great mix of larger charts and individual voices – all at a level that hearkens back to vintage work like this on the UK scene from artists like Mike Westbrook or Michael Gibbs – both of whom would be great comparisons to the vibe of this project! Ferdinando Farao arranged and conducted the group – which features a variety of saxes, flute, trumpet, trombone, and even some mighty nice vibes – on titles that include "Spring In My Step", "Erbalunga", "Looking For Cicely", and "Suspended Moment". CD

A stunning side project from Albert Toodie Heath of the Heath Brothers – a musician who was sometimes a bit staid in the past, but who was really feeling the vibe of the spiritual scene in the post-Coltrane years! The set resonates with a vibe that's very similar to the rare Heath Brother's album on Strata East, Marchin On – and the lineup here is incredible, with reeds from Jimmy Heath, trumpet from Don Cherry, piano from Herbie Hancock, bass from Buster Williams, percussion from Mtume, and drums from Ed Blackwell – all coming together for a session that's nearly lost to the history books, but which is one of the strongest spiritual jazz sessions of the late 60s! Herbie plays all acoustic piano throughout, and the tracks are long, leaping, and loping – with stretched-out spiritual solos from Jimmy Heath and Don Cherry – and a proud and righteous sound that's extremely free-spirited without going too far out. Titles include "Baraka", "Maulana", "Dunia", and "Kamili". CD

The near-complete work of one of the all-time great but overlooked groups of the UK scene of the late 60s – a group who jumped between a few different labels, mostly issued a handful of singles, yet managed to create a huge amount of magic at the time! You'll not find The Mirage in the history books, but they definitely gave the UK scene a few great singles, enough to get them onto the BBC – where a few of these tracks were recorded – and somehow managed to keep on working on great music, despite record label politics that would have buried most other acts of the generation. There's a tuneful approach to psych that begins some of the material, with maybe the odd freakbeat moment too – a quality that comes out even more strongly as the group morphs through a few later identities, including Yellow Pages, Portebello Explosion, and the really great Jawbone – the last of whom finally got a chance to record a full length album! The 3CD package divides up nicely – CD1 features singles and BBC tracks by The Mirage, plus a few by Portebello Explosion and Yellow Pages; CD2 features some stunning unheard outtakes that are maybe even more amazing than some Mirage singles; and CD3 features the full Jawbone album from 1970, a set that echoes some of the earlier moments, but with even sharper instrumentation and a nicely compressed sense of production. 3CD set features 60 tracks in all, and very detailed notes on the group and their music! CD

Tracks include "Slow Drag", "Mustang", "Jellyroll", "Books Bossa", "West Of Pecos", "The Weasil", "The Dude", and "Blackjack" – 9 tracks in all. CD

A really great idea for a book on records – and one that's completely different than most that we've seen before! Unlike other books of this nature, which are filled with "essential" or "classic" records – this book is full of flops, or records that never really hit the heights, but which are pretty darn great overall! In the eyes of the authors – and our eyes too – all of these records are under-acknowledged gems – some by big names, others by more obscure artists – lots of which never got their full due at the time. The book is filled with some of our favorite records of all time – which is a big hats off to the long list of contributors, who include Miriam Linna, Steve Shelly, Peter Holsapple, Russ Titelman, Marshall Crenshaw, Bob Irwin, Lenny Kaye, and many others – who've come up with a set of essays on titles that include The Living Legend by Baby Huey, Gene Clark & The Gosdin Brothers, Continued by Tony Joe White, Delta Sweete by Bobby Gentry, Entertainment by Family, Desertshore by Nico, Young Mod's Forgotten Story by The Impressions, Roots by The Everly Brothers, Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt, and lots lots more! The book is filled with records that we love, and that we'd now call classic – served up in a hefty softcover edition that's almost 400 pages in length, with black and white images throughout. Book

We love the work of cartoonist Chris Ware, but we maybe love his Rusty Brown character even more than the rest – as Rusty's an inveterate collector, with the sort of special drive that's plagued us all of our lives! Yet the depth of this volume really matches Ware's more famous character Jimmy Corrigan – as the long narratives here trace out the "origins" of Rusty, and follow him through years past – with a sensitivity and lingering sadness that's beautifully delineated in the kind of artwork that sets Ware apart from anyone else we can think of. The production quality is beautiful – hundreds of pages in full color, laid out sideways to replicate a book of vintage comic strips – which furthers the Ware exploration of the Rusty Brown aesthetic. Book

Rare funk doesn't get any better than this – massive music, all of it unreleased – recorded by Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band at the tail end of their classic years for Warner Brothers! This is the kind of stuff you read about in history books, but hardly ever get to hear on record – the full, unedited studio work of a hard-jamming funk group in all its glory – no edits, no overdubs, just live funky energy! Some of the key cuts here run for over 20 minutes in length – showing the Rhythm Band to be every bit as creative in long form format as the JBs were at the time – and the shorter tracks have a nicely gritty edge that takes us back to the best early 45 years of the group. The vocals are secondary here to the instrumentation, but that's ok with us, given the grooves! Titles include "Puckey Puckey", "Jam #3", "Watts Towers", "Brothers & Sisters", "Hard To Handle", "Sagittarius", "I Love You Girl", "Wine (early version)", "Gemini", "Jam #2", "Express Yourself (alt version)", "Till You Get Enough/Do Your Thing (alt)", and "Jam #1". CD

One of the most unique books we've ever gotten from John Corbett – an author who's given us some fantastic music writing over the years! This book is completely different – not written, but "salvaged" – as the contents are a lost manuscript from the early 30s – one that offers up a rundown of 140 different figures in the Chicago mob – some famous, some obscure – all written in this sharp style that's very to the point! The anonymous author offers no judgement in most cases, but provides a surprising amount of detail on each figure – from territory covered, to methods, to some of their important crimes – and their fates, if they ended up dead or in jail. The original manuscript is reproduced here exactly as it was found in a Chicago junk shop by Corbett – yellowed, brittle pages, each given a large page reproduction, with original typeface and typos – which makes it feel like you're handling the whole thing yourself. Corbett provides an introduction to the material – and then at the end, the book has some very cool features – a collection of all the locations referenced in the pages, 400 in all, most of which are presented on a pull-out map of Chicago that comes with the book! 232 pages, softcover, in full color. Book

One of those LPs that will go a long way towards rewriting the place of the south in the hip hop history books, from the era before the ascendancy of the ATL, etc. etc. Some of these cuts are definitely aimed at getting butts clapping, but there's more than a few respectable rhymes here, some excellent DJ work, and of course, loads of bass. 23 tracks in all, including "Speedy & Poncho", "Ain't No Doubt About It", "Dynamic Duo", "Do You Like Bass?", "Slow Draggin", "Madness To The Brink Of Insanity","Just Cruisin", "Suckers Frontin", "I'm Gonna Make It Real Funky For You", "The E & The Sea-Gull", "Give 'Em An Example Of How A DJ Works", "Abracadabra", "Feel The Bass III", "Shake Your Booty Baby" and "The Boo-Boo Of Rough J Rough". CD

A real lost treasure from Art Farmer – a tremendous album that hardly ever shows up in the history books, and which, to our knowledge, appears here on CD for the first time ever – plus a bonus album of earlier Farmer work with the Mundell Lowe Septet! Many Faces is a rare 1964 jazz side for the mostly-pop Scepter label – featuring Farmer at the head of a small group working with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Charles McPherson on alto, and Steve Swallow or Ron Carter alternating on bass. The album was done under the direction of Tom McIntosh – the brilliant young composer who had a magical talent for blending together modern and lyrical modes while still keeping a strong degree of soul. McIntosh contributed a few tunes to the set, as did Dennis Sandole – the nearly-forgotten trumpeter from the Philly scene of the 50s. There's a dark beauty to this session that surpasses even many other Farmer sides from the time – and titles include "Hyacinth", "Ally", "Happy Feet", "Minuet In G", and "Saucer Eyes". 1958's Porgy & Bess finds Farmer playing trumpet for guitarist Mundell Lowe's Septet on a nice set of material from Gershwin – including lesser known numbers from the original play. Players include Tony Scott on clarinet and baritone, Ben Webster on tenor and either George Duvivier or Osie Johnson on the kit. Titles include "Summertime", "Bess, You Is My Woman", "I Love You Porgy", "Redhead Woman", "There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York", "It Ain't Necessarily So" and more. CD

A really beautiful story of a life well-lived in jazz – the autobiography of our hometown hero Ramsey Lewis, done in collaboration with jazz writer Aaron Cohen – who really helps bring a lot out of Ramsey's story! Lewis passed on before the book was finished, but managed to lay out some well-done passages about his life and music – a story that's maybe as much that of Chicago in changing years of 20th Century culture as it is that of the famous pianist himself – augmented with snippets of recollections from associates and contemporaries – never used too heavily, in the way that some books do to prop up flimsy writing – and instead, interspersed in just the right way, to bring some added spice to the tale. Ramsey was always one of the most articulate cats on the scene, and his presentation of the material is great – very straightforward, but also very thoughtful – and full from some of the overdone cliches that sometimes creep into music autobiography. Aaron Cohen provides a great introduction to the material, and after thoughts on notes and process – and this softcover edition has a small section of black and white photographs as well. 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