The Blues:A Very Short Introduction

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Pop & Rock, Popular, Music Styles
Cover of the book The Blues:A Very Short Introduction by Elijah Wald, Oxford University Press, USA
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Elijah Wald ISBN: 9780199752874
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Publication: July 8, 2010
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Elijah Wald
ISBN: 9780199752874
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication: July 8, 2010
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Praised as "suave, soulful, ebullient" (Tom Waits) and "a meticulous researcher, a graceful writer, and a committed contrarian" (New York Times Book Review), Elijah Wald is one of the leading popular music critics of his generation. In The Blues, Wald surveys a genre at the heart of American culture. It is not an easy thing to pin down. As Howlin' Wolf once described it, "When you ain't got no money and can't pay your house rent and can't buy you no food, you've damn sure got the blues." It has been defined by lyrical structure, or as a progression of chords, or as a set of practices reflecting West African "tonal and rhythmic approaches," using a five-note "blues scale." Wald sees blues less as a style than as a broad musical tradition within a constantly evolving pop culture. He traces its roots in work and praise songs, and shows how it was transformed by such professional performers as W. C. Handy, who first popularized the blues a century ago. He follows its evolution from Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith through Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix; identifies the impact of rural field recordings of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton and others; explores the role of blues in the development of both country music and jazz; and looks at the popular rhythm and blues trends of the 1940s and 1950s, from the uptown West Coast style of T-Bone Walker to the "down home" Chicago sound of Muddy Waters. Wald brings the story up to the present, touching on the effects of blues on American poetry, and its connection to modern styles such as rap. As with all of Oxford's Very Short Introductions, The Blues tells you--with insight, clarity, and wit--everything you need to know to understand this quintessentially American musical genre.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Praised as "suave, soulful, ebullient" (Tom Waits) and "a meticulous researcher, a graceful writer, and a committed contrarian" (New York Times Book Review), Elijah Wald is one of the leading popular music critics of his generation. In The Blues, Wald surveys a genre at the heart of American culture. It is not an easy thing to pin down. As Howlin' Wolf once described it, "When you ain't got no money and can't pay your house rent and can't buy you no food, you've damn sure got the blues." It has been defined by lyrical structure, or as a progression of chords, or as a set of practices reflecting West African "tonal and rhythmic approaches," using a five-note "blues scale." Wald sees blues less as a style than as a broad musical tradition within a constantly evolving pop culture. He traces its roots in work and praise songs, and shows how it was transformed by such professional performers as W. C. Handy, who first popularized the blues a century ago. He follows its evolution from Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith through Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix; identifies the impact of rural field recordings of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton and others; explores the role of blues in the development of both country music and jazz; and looks at the popular rhythm and blues trends of the 1940s and 1950s, from the uptown West Coast style of T-Bone Walker to the "down home" Chicago sound of Muddy Waters. Wald brings the story up to the present, touching on the effects of blues on American poetry, and its connection to modern styles such as rap. As with all of Oxford's Very Short Introductions, The Blues tells you--with insight, clarity, and wit--everything you need to know to understand this quintessentially American musical genre.

More books from Oxford University Press, USA

Cover of the book Revolutionary Iran: A History of the Islamic Republic by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Fire in the City:Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Round River by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Beyond Greed And Fear : Understanding Behavioral Finance And The Psychology Of Investing by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book The Strange Career of Jim Crow by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Political Theology for a Plural Age by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Africa's World War : Congo, The Rwandan Genocide, And The Making Of A Continental Catastrophe by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Dom Casmurro by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Lost Christianities:The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book CDC Health Information for International Travel 2014: The Yellow Book by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Twelve Examples Of Illusion by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book The Founding Fathers Reconsidered by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book The Making of a Name : The Inside Story of the Brands We Buy by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book The Divine HoursTM, Pocket Edition by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Crisis of Conservatism?:The Republican Party, the Conservative Movement, and American Politics After Bush by Elijah Wald
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy