In the twenties, thirties, and forties, now-legendary American songwriters and lyricists created a repertoire of popular songs, songs that have captured the hearts of generations of music lovers. George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael and many others, along with such lyricists as Ira Gershwin, Lorenz Hart, and Dorothy Fields, produced extraordinary songs of signal importance to the American musical heritage. In this book Allen Forte shares his love of American popular song. He discusses in detail twenty-three songs, ranging from Gershwin’s “Fascinating Rhythm” (1924) to Irving Berlin’s “Steppin’ Out with My Baby” (1947), guiding readers and listeners toward a deeper appreciation of this vital and engaging music. Forte writes for the general reader, assuming no background other than a familiarity with basic music notation. Each song is discussed individually and includes complete lyrics and simple leadsheet notation. Forte discusses the songs’ distinctive musical features and their sophisticated, often touching and witty lyrics. Readers can follow the music while they listen to the accompanying compact disc, which was specially recorded for this volume by baritone Richard Lalli and pianist-arranger Gary Chapman, with Allen Forte, pianist-arranger for “Embraceable You” and “Come Rain or Come Shine”. Learn about these favorite songs and more: “How Long Has This Been Going On?” “What Is This Thing Called Love?” “Embraceable You” “Autumn in New York” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” “The Nearness of You” “That Old Black Magic” “Come Rain or Come Shine”

This special enhanced eBook includes twelve Gershwin classics performed by Michael Feinstein and commentary from the author on the music and the lives of George and Ira Gershwin. From celebrated entertainer Michael Feinstein comes a beautifully illustrated account of the lives and legacies of the Gershwins—told through stories of twelve of their greatest songs. The “Ambassador of the Great American Songbook” Michael Feinstein was just twenty years old when he got the chance of a lifetime: a job with his hero, Ira Gershwin. During their six-year partnership, the two became close friends. Feinstein blossomed under Gershwin’s mentorship and Gershwin was reinvigorated by the younger man’s zeal for his and his brother George’s legacy. Now, in The Gershwins and Me, the only book of its kind, Michael Feinstein shares unforgettable stories and reminiscences from the music that defined American popular song, along with rare Gershwin memorabilia he’s collected through the years. From “Strike Up the Band” to “Love Is Here to Stay,” each of the twelve chapters highlights one of the Gershwins’ classic songs, exploring the brothers’ lives, illuminating what the music meant to them, and telling the stories of how their iconic tunes came to life. Throughout the star-studded narrative, Feinstein unfolds the moving chronicle of his own life with the Gershwins, describing his vision for their enduring presence today. No other writer could give us such an authoritative inside perspective on these titans of American culture—and no other writer could include such a soulful collection of music as Feinstein’s original recordings of the twelve songs. A timeless classic and the definitive account of the Gershwins and their legacy, The Gershwins and Me will having you humming with every turn of the page.

Michael Feinstein was just 20 years old when he got the chance of a lifetime: a job with his hero, Ira Gershwin. During their six-year partnership, Feinstein blossomed under Gershwin's mentorship and Gershwin was reinvigorated by the younger man's zeal. Now, in The Gershwins and Me, Michael Feinstein shares unforgettable stories and reminiscences from the music that defined American popular song, along with rare Gershwin memorabilia he's collected through the years. Includes an accompanying CD packed with Feinstein's original recordings of 12 Gershwins' songs.

Martin provides a new overall assessment of the importance of Charlie Parker through an analysis of his improvisations in a variety of genres. Earlier studies of Parker argue that his style is based on an extensive network of melodic formulas that are combined to create solos. Because the same formulas appear throughout his improvisations regardless of the theme, these studies concluded that the solos do not usually relate to the original melodies. Charlie Parker and Thematic Improvisation provides a much-needed reassessment by showing that Parker's solos are often related to the original themes in unexpected and sometimes ingenious ways. Numerous transcriptions are provided. This groundbreaking technical study will be of interest to musicologists and serious students of jazz.

"Composer Alec Wilder's American Popular: The Great Innovators, 1900-1950 is widely recognized as the definitive book on American popular song. In this volume, which achieved immediate praise and recognition upon its publication, Wilder discusses some 800 songs from the American Songbook, offering a composer's insight, acceccible music analysis, as well has his strong personal biases. Nearly fifty years later, this classic study has received a much-needed revision. While leaving Wilder's colorful prose and brazen opinions intact, language, style, and musical nomenclature have been updated to reflect current usage. The musical examples mostly remain, but piano score has been replaced with lead-sheet notation: melody, chords, and lyrics. Rhythmic notation has also been adjusted to follow present-day norms. Additionally, a final chapter has been added, which includes more than fifty songs that were not in the original, seeking to achieve greater representation for women and African American composers, as well as including several of Wilder's own songs"--

When we talk about a jazz "standard" we usually mean one of the many songs that jazz musicians repeatedly play. But unlike classical musical works, standards are always being transformed in performance. They are rearranged and improvised, which raises the question: what gives a standard its identity? Hearing Double answers that question. Filled with case studies and music analysis, this book will draw your attention to unheard aspects of jazz performance as well as unrecognized philosophical, social, and cultural dimensions of the jazz repertoire.

The Therapist's Notebook Volume 3 includes clinician field-tested activities for therapists who work with individuals, children and adolescents, couples, families, and groups. The reproducible handouts are designed to be practical and useful for the clinician, and cover the most salient topics that counselors are likely to encounter in their practices, with various theoretical approaches. Each chapter includes a "Reading and Resources for the Professional" section that guides readers toward useful books, videos, or websites that will further enhance their understanding of the chapter contents. This book is an excellent tool for both experienced and novice counselors for increasing therapeutic effectiveness.

This book is an exploration in time and distance as it takes you from the present day of America with When the Chickens come home to roost, and Malcolm X to 18th Century Caribbean Isle and the world of Bussa, passing through the mid 20th century of Paul Robeson and Wes DuBois The issues of racism are perceived through the prisons of slavery, colonialism, and neo-colonialism. The end result of any insurrections, civil or criminal, the survivors write the history.

Sentimental Journey is a cornucopia of 546 rang portraits that tell the story of America's very own great music, from its beginnings on Tin Pan Alley through its flourishing in step with the rise of the Broadway musical, radio, recordings, the big bands, and the film musical. The book spans 25 years, broken up into three decades entitled The Roaring Twenties, The Depression Years, and The War Years, each of which begins with a prologue giving a general description of the decade. Each year within the decades gives further historical background against which the individual songs were written -- including the political, social and artistic events. Within each year thc songs are portrayed individually, telling what made the song special and gives its vital statistics along with composer, lyricist, publisher, and when, where and by whom it was introduced.The twenty-six chapters of Sentimental Journey is finalized with a set of Appendices containing glossary, bibliography, index of composers and lyricists and an index of songs. No matter from what generation the reader is part of, the music from this book is being constantly rediscovered, and has become part of the American heritage.