WORDS ON MUSIC
Music lovers do not live by listening to music alone; sometimes
we also like to read about music. Here’s some print over the
past year that has brought music to my eyes.
Author ASHLEY KAHN has followed up his splendid
“A Love Supreme The Creation Of John Coltrane’s Classic
Album “ volume with an equally handsome tome THE HOUSE THAT
TRANE BUILT. THE STORY OF IMPULSE RECORDS. Telling the story of
the great record label funded by John Coltrane’s phenomenal
record sales, he signed exclusively to them in 1961 until his death,
the company continued until 1977 leaving a legacy of a commitment
to quality & innovation second to none.
Thanks to the integrity & vision of it’s founder, producer
Creed Taylor & his successor Bob Thiele who both figure heavily
in the story, artists like Archie Shepp, Pharaoh Sanders, Mc Coy
Tyner & countless other jazz giants were nurtured, encouraged
& supported by the company to produce timeless classics. They
also introduced lavish packaging, gatefold sleeves, the distinctive
orange & black colour scheme & great photography that marked
their catalogue as different; the cover of the book features the
worn spines of many of their stellar releases. The product of nearly
one hundred interviews with writers, executives producers &
musicians, Kahn weaves a fascinating narrative of an era of excellence
that we will never see again, a hothouse for talents at all levels
of the company both sides of the mixing desk. And that’s not
all, there’s also virtually a book within a book of 38 double
page in depth features on various classic albums that are part of
the narrative. Not only is it an inspiring tale of remarkable people
but thanks to it’s impressive bold design it also makes a
great coffee - table book with lavish black & white photographs
& impeccable easy on the eye layout & the album features
interspersed through the text encourage a brief browse. But beware!
Impulse have released a boxed set of discs to accompany the book
& also a series of collections of each of the artists featured
in the book, so it could prove an expensive read for novices &
jazz veterans alike as you read about each artist & feel compelled
& inspired to hear them & reach for your credit card. Like
me.
Australian rock music history remains relatively
under - documented so it’s always a pleasure to come across
an unCountdown era artifact, but especially so when it’s as
well researched & documented with such obvious love & enthusiasm
as aficionado of the era & public broadcaster IAIN McINTYRE
who edits TOMORROW IS TODAY AUSTRALIA IN THE PSYCHEDELIC ERA 1966
– 1970. Each year begins with music, then fashion, followed
by features / interviews / profiles on bands & artists like
the Loved Ones, The Easybeats, The Twilights & Spectrum along
with the lesser - known but extremely great, like Wendy Saddington
& the late Geoff Crozier, while running down the side of each
page a chronology of current Australian events of each year helps
give a perspective to the crisply - written text. Numerous photos
dot the pages of the excellently designed softcover, while Iain’s
definition of psychedelia is entertainingly broad & many of
the people in the book may never have smoked a joint or dropped
a trip, but they had the style. There’s, a good-natured charm
to the book that both informs & entertains on an era otherwise
forgotten.
Quality writing on music is always welcome especially
when it’s Australian & (Meanjin On Rock ‘n’
Roll) ALL YESTERDAY’S PARTIES is a text - heavy 240 page omnibus
of fiction, essays, poetry, photography & more by writers &
musicians on all things music. Robert Forster’s Normie Rowe
fantasy, Clinton Walker’s revelatory story of Australian music
pre - Johnny O’Keefe, the tale of Greg Macainsh’s Fender
guitar, Martin Arminger’s Sports tour diary & the early
Saints are some of my favourites but you no doubt will find your
own, there’s a marvellous choice; the contents list is 3 pages.
Even a comic & a great cover shot of Nick Cave in Rio in a Smith
& Wesson T shirt! Hopefully it will become an annual event,
its excellence deserves it.
What is music? Where did it come from? How did
it evolve? Why is it so universal? Which came first, music or language?
Drawing on archeological records & current research into neurology,
anatomy, psychology & genetics STEVEN MITHEN in his book THE
SINGING NEANDERTHALS answers all those questions & more. The
first half of the book is a fascinating overview of modern theories
as to how we hear music & the purpose it serves in our evolution;
citing various scientific experiments & evolutionary theory
as to how it effects our brains & beings & then takes our
hands & utilising those theories, walks us through 4.5 million
years of human evolutionary history. It sounds daunting but his
enthusiasm & conversational style skillfully steers a path between
hard & popular science, of the book’s 400 pages over 100
are notes citing his sources, taking the reader on a journey that
leaves you thinking differently about music & our intimate relationship
to it.
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