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 A Genius for Deception:How Cunning Helped the British Win Two World Wars by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book What Went Wrong?:Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Overcoming Borderline Personality Disorder:A Family Guide for Healing and Change by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Albion's Seed:Four British Folkways in America by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Reunion and Reaction : The Compromise of 1877 and the End of Reconstruction by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book The Throne of Adulis: Red Sea Wars on the Eve of Islam by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Political Theology for a Plural Age by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book The Mechanisms of Governance by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book The Infested Mind: Why Humans Fear, Loathe, and Love Insects by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Reinhold Niebuhr : On Politics, Religion, And Christian Faith by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Memoirs of a Militia Sergeant by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Without Copyrights: Piracy, Publishing, and the Public Domain by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book Masters of the Battlefield: Great Commanders From the Classical Age to the Napoleonic Era by Elijah Wald
Cover of the book The 1979 Book Of Common Prayer 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