Average customer rating:
- Nice man, wandering story...
- ****LOVED IT****
- MEASURE OF A MAN does not measure up
- SPIRITUAL "Of, Relating to, Consisting of, or Affecting the Spirit" MERRIAM-WEBSTER
- Books
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The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
Sidney Poitier
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
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ASIN: 0061357901
Release Date: 2007-01-26 |
Book Description
"I have no wish to play the pontificating fool, pretending that I've suddenly come up with the answers to all life's questions. Quite that contrary, I began this book as an exploration, an exercise in self-questing. In other words, I wanted to find out, as I looked back at a long and complicated life, with many twists and turns, how well I've done at measuring up to the values I myself have set."
âSidney Poitier
In this luminous memoir, a true American icon looks back on his celebrated life and career. His body of work is arguably the most morally significant in cinematic history, and the power and influence of that work are indicative of the character of the man behind the many storied roles. Sidney Poitier here explores these elements of character and personal values to take his own measureâas a man, as a husband and a father, and as an actor.
Poitier credits his parents and his childhood on tiny Cat Island in the Bahamas for equipping him with the unflinching sense of right and wrong and of self-worth that he has never surrendered and that have dramatically shaped his world. "In the kind of place where I grew up," recalls Poitier, "what's coming at you is the sound of the sea and the smell of the wind and momma's voice and the voice of your dad and the craziness of your brothers and sisters...and that's it." Without television, radio, and material distractions to obscure what matters most, he could enjoy the simple things, endure the long commitments, and find true meaning in his life.
Poitier was uncompromising as he pursued a personal and public life that would honor his upbringing and the invaluable legacy of his parents. Just a few years after his introduction to indoor plumbing and the automobile, Poitier broke racial barrier after racial barrier to launch a pioneering acting career. Committed to the notion that what one does for a living articulates to who one is, Poitier played only forceful and affecting characters who said something positive, useful, and lasting about the human condition.
Here is Poitier's own introspective look at what has informed his performances and his life. Poitier explores the nature of sacrifice and commitment, price and humility, rage and forgiveness, and paying the price for artistic integrity. What emerges is a picture of a man in the face of limitsâhis own and the world's. A triumph of the spirit, The Measure of a Man captures the essential Poitier.
Customer Reviews:
Nice man, wandering story..........2007-10-04
I had to force myself to finish this book, simply because I didn't want to waste my money by leaving it when I was tempted to. It was interesting to realize that an actor whose work I had appreciated came from such a spare beginning, but by halfway through the book, the continuous wandering asides and disclaimers of the author so overwhelmed the narrative that I could barely tolerate it. It seems to me that the story could have been told to greater effect with half the words!
****LOVED IT****.......2007-09-24
Kept me interested...I really enjoyed this book...I couldn't put the book down until I finished reading it!!!!
MEASURE OF A MAN does not measure up.......2007-09-21
Wow, a book about Sidney Poitier. An outstanding actor with a book that just does not give him true justice. The reading tends to be dry and lacks substance. His life struggles could have been the story of any man or woman, black or white. The writing and editing are weak in some sections.
You should rent or buy one of Poitier's movies instead. His movie roles show his true skills.
SPIRITUAL "Of, Relating to, Consisting of, or Affecting the Spirit" MERRIAM-WEBSTER.......2007-08-30
I've always been smitten with Poitier's voice--his diction and control on film, the flow of his words as they travel in and around ideas during interviews--so I read THE MEASURE OF A MAN with an ear for his voice. I wondered, Is it translatable to print? It is, but that means allowing Poitier's thoughts to meander until they find their point, and that his thoughts are less formulated (or formal) and more "in his own words," than they might be if they were written by a biographer. (I read just enough "You know?"s "You hear me when I tell you?"s and "You follow?"s to feel like he was talking to me, but not too many to be annoyed.) I read to imagine what it might be like to have a conversation with Poitier. The book reinforced what I already knew--I'd be as intimidated as heck--but it also gave me the courage to think I'd be able to speak my mind.
As an editor, I read Poitier's book because I wanted to know how he defines a "spiritual" autobiography. Is it a I-Was-A-Sinner-But-I-Found-Jesus-And-Now-I'm-Saved chronology? Is it about how Christianity or another faith influenced his life? Neither. Poitier examines the people, events, circumstances, beliefs, and so on, which have related to, consisted of, or affected his "spirit," and, in doing so, he writes about childhood experiences in the Bahamas, his changing perceptions of his parents, how he adapts to living in the United States, his approach to acting and filmmaking, and his attitude toward fatherhood. He also shares a debate a friend and he had about the Basic Truth of Nature, a debate worth every second of reading it takes to get to.
Is THE MEASURE OF A MAN going to satisfy readers interested only in Poitier's film career? No, but I urge them to read it anyway, if for no other reason than to find out how his "spirit" influenced the films he starred in.
Books.......2007-08-21
I purchased this book for my daughter and she loved it!
She is a teacher and plans to teach this story in her English class fall 2007.
A great story with a great moral.
Product Description
This is a Signed - Limited Edition book which comes with a 45 minute CD of Steve McQueen reviewing his scripts for the movie Tom Horn. This book covers Steve McQueen's final 3 1/2 years up to and including his untimely death from Cancer. Includes around 400 Color and Black & White Photos taken by Barbara McQueen.
Customer Reviews:
A Must for McQueen Fans.......2007-03-10
Wow, the photographs are beautiful and highly personal. It's like seeing a private photo album from this marriage. Plus the text is informative and revealing. I'm so glad this part of Steve's life is now so well documented.
It goes perfectly on my coffee table.
The Real Steve McQueen.......2007-03-10
Intimate, touching, insightful, sometimes hilarious passages into the life of The King of Cool, Steve McQueen. We live in such a visual, media oriented world that we tend to get preconceived notions of who movie stars are, based on what we see. The world saw Steve McQueen as the ultimate man- handsome, macho, cool, someone they could spend their hard-earned bucks on back in the day and get their money's worth at the theater. Barbara McQueen, his widow, saw the real Steve McQueen. She got to know Steve, the family man; Steve, the man who loved the great outdoors and his morning constitutional; Steve, the great mashed potato guru, airplane and motorcycle enthusiast. "The Last Mile" shows how little we all knew of his kindness and philanthropy; how little we knew of his yearning for happiness and how he ultimately found it. The photos in this book will enchant you, leave you wanting more. One of my favorites is one where Barbara embraces Steve from behind. That photo alone is worth the book to me. Beautiful model, handsome superstar, real people worn out from what life has dealt them. You can see it in their faces. It makes me sigh everytime I see it because there's not one person I know who hasn't been to that point and had nothing left but an embrace. You will love this book and you will want more. I guarantee you.
Steve McQueen: The Last Mile.......2007-03-10
This book takes you into the very intimate and private world of Steve McQueen between 1977 and 1980.
Consisting of approximately 150 color photos (most of which were taken by his wife Barbara McQueen) and accompanied by Barbara's recollections of their time together.
Unlike some other photobooks where you sense you are watching the star pose, this book shows you the absolutely unguarded and relaxed side of the man as he goes about his daily life, talking to friends, tinkering on his bikes, dozing in an armchair or washing down the pavement outside his airplane hanger.
These are the sort of photos you would usually never see of a movie star - Steve in the morning before he has showered, looking drowsily over a hot mug of coffee, househunting in Montana with Barbara, or lying asleep on the living room floor with his pet dog lying on top of him.
You really feel like you have stepped into Steve and Barbara's house, it is that personal.
The text accompaniment is also very entertaining and educational as Barbara shares her memories of how Steve wooed her, the initial problems he had to overcome in winning her parents approval of the relationship, his personal lessons to her on how to dismantle and rebuild a motorcycle (sadly unsuccessful) or a gun (successful), how he came to propose, and many other intimate and fun moments. Overall it takes you through their entire relationship and serves as something of an autobiography in itself.
All these photos are beautifully presented in a high gloss large coffee table book format.
Released with the first limited edition run of the book is a 45 minute audio CD of Steve verbally working through the script of the film "Tom Horn". It is fascinating to hear him talk about his vision of the film, rework the script and plan his character. You get a real sense of the epic film he wanted Tom Horn to be (but was denied due to the studio slashing the budget), and you realise just how insightful he was with film and acting. The amount of thought he puts into his role should forever dispel the notion that he just played himself on film.
Steve McQueen - The Last Mile is a very special book and no fans collection will be complete without it.
Fantastic!.......2007-03-10
A fantastic book on the last years of legend Steve McQueen! Great job by Barbara McQueen and Marshall Terrill! Touching moments! Great photos!
BITCH"EN.......2007-03-08
Just recieved "the Last Mile" in the mail. The photos and text are outstanding !! The book could have been twice as big. Great job Barbara and Marshall!!
Book Description
Walt Disney (1901-1966) was one of the most significant creative forces of the twentieth century, a man who made a lasting impact on the art of the animated film, the history of American business, and the evolution of twentieth-century American culture. He was both a creative visionary and a dynamic entrepreneur, roles whose demands he often could not reconcile.
In his compelling new biography, noted animation historian Michael Barrier avoids the well-traveled paths of previous biographers, who have tended to portray a blemish-free Disney or to indulge in lurid speculation. Instead, he takes the full measure of the man in his many aspects. A consummate storyteller, Barrier describes how Disney transformed himself from Midwestern farm boy to scrambling young businessman to pioneering artist and, finally, to entrepreneur on a grand scale. Barrier describes in absorbing detail how Disney synchronized sound with animation in Steamboat Willie; created in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs sympathetic cartoon characters whose appeal rivaled that of the best live-action performers; grasped television's true potential as an unparalleled promotional device; and--not least--parlayed a backyard railroad into the Disneyland juggernaut.
Based on decades of painstaking research in the Disney studio's archives and dozens of public and private archives in the United States and Europe, The Animated Man offers freshly documented and illuminating accounts of Disney's childhood and young adulthood in rural Missouri and Kansas City. It sheds new light on such crucial episodes in Disney's life as the devastating 1941 strike at his studio, when his ambitions as artist and entrepreneur first came into serious conflict.
Beginning in 1969, two and a half years after Disney's death, Barrier recorded long interviews with more than 150 people who worked alongside Disney, some as early as 1922. Now almost all deceased, only a few were ever interviewed for other books. Barrier juxtaposes Disney's own recollections against the memories of those other players to great effect. What emerges is a portrait of Walt Disney as a flawed but fascinating artist, one whose imaginative leaps allowed him to vault ahead of the competition and produce work that even today commands the attention of audiences worldwide.
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Biography.......2007-07-10
I'm in full agreement with other reviewers that this is one of if not the best Biography of Walt Disney ever written. The recent Neil Gabler biography has received more publicity (and it not bad) and is the most obvious book to compare to, I found Michael Barrier's "The Animated Man" much better in terms of the insight into the life of Walt Disney. I read Barrier's biography about 2 months after Gable's and found Mr. Gabler delved way to much into speculation where Barrier seemed to give insight into Walt.
I don't often write a review, but I thought this book was worth giving the positive review.
Mr. Barrier tells the life of Walt Disney, warts and all. Walt comes off a real person with real problems while doing great things. I have over 100 books on Walt Disney and the things he helped to create including many books and articles by those that new Walt first hand, and Barrier's book seems to give the most accurate and unbiased view of Walt of any biography I have ever read. It seems to give an accurate picture of Walt behind the scenes.
A VITAL & ALIVE BIOGRAPHY.......2007-06-11
Barrier has drawn with precise selectivity from an immense amount of original research and then pursued a careful, true balance in the writing - there is not a false note in it - to create an informative, entertaining and also stimulating biography of Walt Disney. He has clearly engaged deeply with the subject and the material and has brought careful thought to bear on every aspect and angle. As a result, each page comes alive, with a vitality not found in lesser books that merely rehash old arguments. When future generations once again focus on animation and attempt to reassess the moving drawing, with the benefit of hindsight, I'm sure Barrier will be one of the authors whose works will be considered indispensable
The Best Biography of Disney yet.......2007-05-12
This is an extraordinarily good book. After giving up on the Neal Gabler book (too many words and not enough understanding, really, of who the man was), I love the approach of this book. Barrier knows animation inside and out, and he uses his knowledge to give us a picture of a real man and boss who tried to make animation great. The nitty gritty of those details make a real life comprehensible. The immense research is felt even though Barrier doesn't try to impress us with it; the book is a captivating read that propels you along. Highly recommended.
The Animated Man: A Triumph for Michael Barrier.......2007-05-11
If you were thinking of passing by The Animated Man in favor of Neal Gabler's biography of Walt Disney, think again. "...Complete access to the Disney archives..." notwithstanding, Gabler couldn't in many, many cases, figure out just what exactly to do with all the information he was supposedly buried in for five+ years. And as such, the reader comes away at times with more questions than answers about just who Walt Disney was.
This is not the case in Michael Barrier's fine biography of Walt Disney, The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney. Although he may not have had the unfettered access to the Disney archives accorded Neal Gabler, one would hardly be aware of that particular handicap. He was able to utilize a great deal of information housed there, which along with interview after interview makes for a mighty informative read. And since many of the interviews utilized throughout the book date back over 30 years, Barrier was able to talk with many Disney employees who "were there" at or near the start of Walt Disney's impact on the world.
So many of the interviews captured by Barrier provide an insight into what made Walt Disney `tick' that simply don't exist from the materials Gabler was able to unearth. More than once while reading through The Animated Man did I stop to re-read a paragraph as a particular tidbit of information provided an "a-ha" moment, helping to fill in some blanks pertaining to either Walt Disney himself or the legacy he left behind.
Also, Michael Barrier was able to weave his knowledge of animation throughout the text, providing additional insights not available to authors with less refined skills in that area.
In spite of it being half the length of Gabler's tome, I feel most readers will come away feeling more than fulfilled with few asking for more as Barrier's raison d'être of the book is his pinpoint focus on Walt Disney and what really made him tick.
As has been stated many times, and is still true today: the definitive Disney biography has yet (if ever) to be written, but Barrier comes as close as anyone has to date. There are plenty of books about Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Company to keep most of us glued to our reading glasses for some time to come. And one could round out one's knowledge by continuing on to Gabler's bio or even Bob Thomas' and certainly The "E" Ticket fanzine for very insightful and unique interviews with those who worked with Walt (primarily on the parks) - to name but a few. But I strongly feel the best starting point would be to grab a copy of Michael Barrier's biography and be prepared to be wowed.
A rich account.......2007-03-24
This book is so rich with detail! You can picture yourself there when a young Walt is growing up as a farm kid in Marceline, Missouri, or later when he's struggling to make a living.
The endless first-person accounts and interviews really bring Disney's world -- indeed, much of a whole bygone American world -- to life. At times it reads almost like an oral history. It's a great complement to Neil Gabler's "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination."
The book is not published by the Disney company, and the author is no corporate flack. But he's also no muckraker. You'll come away with a definite opinion of Walt Disney, his work and his life, but it's one you'll form yourself.
-- By Julie Neal, author of The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World.
Average customer rating:
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Frederic Chopin, As a Man and Musician
Frederick Niecks
Manufacturer: Library Reprints
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ASIN: 0722253893 |
Average customer rating:
- A Fun Book
- Outlandish, Outrageous Fun
- Janice is NO lady, but she's VERY funny!
- It's always fun chatting with Janice, but this isn't her best effort
- more janice! less check please!
|
Check, Please!: Dating, Mating, and Extricating
Janice Dickinson
Manufacturer: HarperEntertainment
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ASIN: 0060763914
Release Date: 2006-05-30 |
Book Description
The outrageous Janice Dickinson -- former star of TV's America's Next Top Model, bestselling author, and glam girl extra-ordinaire -- now brings her patented blend of hard-won romantic wisdom and diva chic to her first-ever dating guide. Loaded with uncensored dish on her romantic sagas -- and her stranger-than-fiction bedroom adventures -- Check, Please! unveils Janice's dating dos and don'ts, culled from her three decades at the top of the fast-track world of modeling, and a rich, racy life of dating, mating, and extricating.
With the same voracious charm that propelled her into the arms of some of America's most eligible bachelors, here Janice shares her secrets to landing men, loving them, and letting them go. From first dates and old flames to primping, cheating, and sizing things up, Check, Please! is a girl's guide to an irreverent, extravagant love life.
Some titillating tips from Check, Please!
Lesson #2: Wanna Get a Guy's Attention? Ignore Him!
Lesson #13: If He's Got His Eye on the Door, He's Already Halfway Through It
Lesson #28: Don't Do Anyone You Might Regret
Lesson #40: It's Okay to Want More, More, More
Lesson #47: Don't Follow Trends -- Start Them
From the unfettered hedonism of her modeling days -- spent in white-hot one night stands and steamy affairs -- to her crusade to find Mr. Right today and tomorrow, Check, Please! is a fun, over-the-top vicarious thrill ride as only Janice can deliver it -- with a core that's surprisingly real. Check, Please!
Customer Reviews:
A Fun Book.......2007-01-21
Janice Dickinson has a great sense of humor. While you may not agree with some of the things suggest, things she has done or the choices she has made, she doesn't brush them under the carpet. She's bold, she's honest and she tells stories with a twist of humor. A fun read.
Outlandish, Outrageous Fun.......2006-10-02
A FUN Read.
The sub-title says it's about Dating, Mating and Extricating. But I wouldn't take it too seriously. Sure, it's fine if you're a rich, six foot, supermodel with a body that's the very best example of what high priced plastic surgeons can build. Instead just read it for fun, in the same way we like to see the super houses of the rich and fameous.
And fun it is.
It's a description of a life where men are falling all over themselves to go out with her. It's the description of a girl getting ready to go on a skiing trip with a boy friend who goes out to buy $3,000 worth of clothes for the trip. It's probably not going to be of much practical help to the woman who finds herself single again, a few pounds overweight, with three kids to take care of. Instead, just read it for it's outlandish fun.
Janice is NO lady, but she's VERY funny!.......2006-09-25
A lady? Are you kidding with all the f-bombs she drops in this books? Still, it's the very thing to shake folks up. In her book, this Zza Zza Gabor of the 21st Century gives us ordinary people a peek into her egocentric "fantastic plastic" world. Normally, that would just annoy me, but I had to laugh at some of the "meow" factor in this book...and let's face, it she does dispense good real-life advice when it comes to dating...stuff that people NEED to hear rather than what they want to hear...and from the voice of true experience rather than some smug but clueless married woman.
Dickerson's advice is brutally honest and is given with a healthy dose of sass...and I like how she doesn't believe in all that "Rules" crap, nor does she put all the blame on dating failure exclusively on the female of the species like so many advisors do. I especially LOVE her comment about the men who are fat "trolls" but still expect to have a supermodel on their arm...it's about damn time someone said that to those megalomaniacs LOL. Her comment about the Twinkies had me nearly rolling on the floor laughing...crude but hilarious!
Note I am not claiming this book is illuminating, socially redeeming or profound. If you want that then I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere, but just for a bit of shadenfreunde inspired laughter at her and other folk's expense, then this is where you want to be...
P.S. I love the forward by John Lovitz too...he's as nervy and funny as she is...so did she sleep with him or not, that's what I want to know! That info could probably fill an entire book, eh? LOL
It's always fun chatting with Janice, but this isn't her best effort.......2006-09-13
Dickinson is a larger-than-life talent at modeling, hosting, and writing funny tell-all memoirs. She dished about her long, hard climb to the top of the supermodel world in No Lifeguard on Duty, and then she updated American on her life as a sober, wisened, hard-working mom in Everything About Me is Fake...and I'm Perfect. She's already revealed the most shocking and titillating anecdotes from her super-life, so her third book is packaged as a dating guide featuring her "patented blend of hard-won romantic wisdom and diva chic." She even manageds to dredge up a few more dating and bedroom antics to throw in her advice chapters.
The tossed-off tell-all anecdotes which worked so well in Dickinson's first two memoirs fall flat in this format. The book meanders with advice that applies more to six-foot, size-zero supermodels than to the average American woman. Sure, there are fun moments listening to our unapologetic narrator, but it appear that the books was constructed from scraps of shocking tales rather than as a whole entity. Dickinson's other books succeeded because they had a structure, a message, and even life lessons (as subtle as they may have been.) This is a mish-mash of tales masquerading as an advice book, and since when does an advice book need a glossy, dozen-page photo shoot of the (very beautiful) narrator in glammed-out poses?
more janice! less check please!.......2006-09-11
OMG! i thought the book was just like the title says dating, mating, abd extricating but its just another janice story. i thought it will be funner, its just about her experience with men.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Just Needs A Musical CD !!!!
- Encore! We want more!
- A great read aloud for kids!
- Jude's Review of Jazz Man
- This Great Book! (More and More Honors!)
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This Jazz Man
Karen Ehrhardt
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0152053077 |
Book Description
In this toe-tapping jazz tribute, the traditional "This Old Man" gets a swinging makeover, and some of the era's best musicians take center stage. The tuneful text and vibrant illustrations bop, slide, and shimmy across the page as Satchmo plays one, Bojangles plays two . . . right on down the line to Charles Mingus, who plays nine, plucking strings that sound "divine."
Easy on the ear and the eye, this playful introduction to nine jazz giants will teach children to count--and will give them every reason to get up and dance!
Includes a brief biography of each musician.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Just Needs A Musical CD !!!!.......2007-04-23
I love this book! My son is 20 months and loves this book the rhythm of the words, the numbers, the clapping the sounds of the instruments. What would be excellent if there was an auditory accompaniment to the book. A taping of someone reading the book who can demonstrate the sounds or even better a taping that included musical instruments playing.
I know a lot of people would LOVE to hear it as well and it would be an excellent teaching tool. Please forward this to the appropriate individuals and if possible keep me updated on the release date of the cd. Thank YOU for writing such an awesome, entertaining and needed book!
Encore! We want more!.......2007-03-22
Oooh, this book made me what to rap and tap and beedle-di-bop! Which is quite somethin', since I don't have a musical bone in my body!
This is a great book-the text jives off the page and the illustrations thimp dumple thump right along. What a great way to teach kids about jazz legends!
Hats off to Ehrdhardt and Roth for a beautiful book!
Encore!
A great read aloud for kids!.......2007-03-07
I am an elementary school media specialist for grades 1 - 5. I read this book to my first and second graders. By the third jazz man they were chanting along with me. By the fifth man we were all singing along with the familiar song tune. They loved the scat phrases and repeated them over and over. What a bonus that these men are actual jazz legends. I highly recommend this book for a great musical read.
Jude's Review of Jazz Man.......2007-01-21
I'm 3 and my Grandmother Helene reads this book to me. She said that my Doctor Beth gave it to me and my sister Scarlett and the author signed it. That made me smile.
I really like this book. My grandmother sings me it and i like music and instruments and can name the saxophone and trumpet and drums.I like the pictures of the conga drums.
I usually say, " read it again" when she's done and I can almost pick out all the numbers now too. Jude Stulb, Pueblo Colorado
This Great Book! (More and More Honors!) .......2006-10-05
Note: Since writing the review below, I've discovered that "This Jazz Man" has received three (and counting) prestigious honors in the last month or so: A Nick Jr. Book of the Year for Children, one of the N.Y. Public Libraries Top 100 books to Read to Kids, and one of a very few named by National Public Radio as a best children's book of the year!
February 2007 Update: This Jazz Man is on the cover of the February "Crickets" magazine! In addition, it was shortlisted as a top book by the Cooperative Children's Book Center, and is being used as a teaching tool for a Smithsonian Museum (yes, that Smithsonian!) exhibit.
If you've bought this book, you and I share a certain nose for kids' books; if you haven't, you'll discover a book that's snappy and swinging, fun and informative. My original review follows.
"Doodly-doodly-Doot-doot! Toot-Toot!"
That's Karen Ehrhardt's delightful take on a Dizzy Gillespie trumpet line, and like the rest of this sparkling first book, every note rings joyous and true. In a somewhat daring move, Ms. Ehrhardt airs out the musty English poem, "This Old Man," with jazz-infused lyrics, and distills the essence of nine jazz giants: Louis Armstrong, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Chano Pozo, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charles Mingus.
The improvisations in "This Jazz Man" are authentic and fun--the text is made for reading out loud! Listen to this evocation of Charlie Parker, for example:
This jazz man, he plays five,
He plays bebop, he plays jive,
With a Deedle-di-bop! Bebop!
Give the man a hand,
This jazz man blows with the band.
Within the 5-line format of the original song, the author conveys the sound and spirit of these artists, while keeping the tone light and understandable for her young, perhaps jazz-naive audience (about 3 to 7 years-old). Along with each Jazz Man's stanza are the sounds and rhythms of his performance -- depicted in text incorporated with each illustration. When drummer Art Blakey "plays solos with his sticks" and "beats with the band," the percussive sounds "Chikka-chee! Chikka-chee! Bubbuda-bubbuda-bubbuda-BOMP!" pulse over his vibrating cymbals. Following the `performance,' older readers (and adults) can learn more about Blakey -- his innovation of the "press roll" and his role in nurturing new talent -- in the book's afterward. Riffing on the customary introductions of band members at jazz gigs ("Playing 4, form Washington, D.C... Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington"), the book briefly spotlights the life of each Jazz Man.
Illustrator R. G. Roth complements Ehrhardt's narrative pictures with multi-media illustrations that are playfully retro yet fresh and child-friendly. Airy compositions help children see the relaxed, expansive pose of the smiling Louis Armstrong, the verve and rhythmic creativity of "Chano" Pozo (how many times have you seen him in a jazz book for kids?), the playful attack of Fats Waller, and the stature and majesty of Charles Mingus. Roth displays a repertoire of textures and soft, engaging colors, and makes subtle references to Birdland, the Newport Jazz Festival, and other venues along the edges of book's `stage. For the small fry, a cute and playfully elusive mouse plays hide and seek throughout the book. "This Jazz Man" has an exhilarating finale -- after each man plays (1 through 9), all of the jazz icons appear on stage together:
This jazz band, they play ten,
We beg them to play again,
With an "Encore, we want more!"
Give them all a hand"
These jazz men make one great band!
"This Jazz Man" gets it right, rhymes it tight, and entertains without misrepresenting. (To put this achievement in context, too many kids' "jazz" books really focus on the blues--usually the rural blues, seen through an awkward sentimentalism--or solely on dance. Sometimes they confuse eras, portraying any jazz singer as a combination of Bessie Smith, post-WWII hep cats, and 1950's beats, with a dash of oddly misplaced 1970's styles.)
"This Jazz Man" is a natural for school or library audiences, rambunctious group singing, the first efforts of beginning readers, or as a bedtime treat for toddlers. One doesn't need to know one lick about jazz to enjoy the musicality of the rhymes and the understated but compelling jazz portraits: They stand on their own. In addition, teachers can easily adapt "This Jazz Man" to language units, numbers and counting, music appreciation, art, solo and group singing. Older students may delve further into the lives and times of the musicians through Ehrhardt's rich yet compact biographical sketches in the afterward. (Offhand, I can't think of any book--for kids or adults--that so succinctly and eloquently describes each musician's significance.) For readers who'd like to sample the actual music, Ehrhardt recommends recorded works for each Jazz Man: a couple tracks for each musician, and even two feature films (available on video) that display Bojangles' tapping talents. (Perhaps in future editions of this book, the publishers could include a companion CD/DVD.)
With apologies to the author--though inspired by her:
This jazz fan, I count one,
"This Jazz Man" is lots of fun!
With a smile and a nod and an "ain't that grand!"
Let's give Ehrhardt a great big hand!
Amazon.com
Sidney Poitier wrote The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography because he "felt called to write about certain values, such as integrity and commitment, faith and forgiveness, about the virtues of simplicity, about the difference between 'amusing ourselves to death' and finding meaningful pleasures--even joy." Yet Poitier's book does not speak from on high; its tone is conversational and endearingly self-critical. He begins the first chapter by recounting an evening spent channel-surfing and wondering, as most of us do at one time or another, "What am I doing with my time?" The spiritual reflections in The Measure of a Man are nonsectarian; Poitier's faith is clearly influenced by his experience in Christian churches, but he is not, strictly, Christian. Though idiosyncratic, his faith is disciplined and rigorous, informed by leaders as diverse as Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Poitier's love--for himself, his family, and the world--infuses his recollections of his early life on Cat Island in the Bahamas and his memories of his stage and film career (including his Oscar-winning role in Lilies of the Field). Poitier has been rich and poor; he has been popular and despised; and his extremely varied experiences have made him a wise man, as he demonstrates with statements like this one: "[W]hat we do is stay within the context of what's practical, what's real, what dreams can be fashioned into reality, what values can send us to bed comfortably and make us courageous enough to face our end with character."
Book Description
"I have no wish to play the pontificating fool, pretending that I've suddenly come up with the answers to all life's questions. Quite the contrary, I began this book as an exploration, an exercise in selfquestioning. In other words, I wanted to find out, as I looked back at a long and complicated life, with many twists and turns, how well I've done at measuring up to the values I myself have set."
In this luminous memoir, a true American icon looks back on his celebrated life and career. His body of work is arguably the most morally significant in cinematic history, and the power and influence of that work are indicative of the character of the man behind the many storied roles. Sidney Poitier here explores these elements of character and personal values to take his own measure--as a man, as a husband and father, and as an actor.
Poitier credits his parents and his childhood on tiny Cat Island in the Bahamas for equipping him with the unflinching sense of right and wrong and of selfworth that he has never surrendered and that have dramatically shaped his world. "In the kind of place where I grew up," recalls Poitier, "what's coming at you is the sound of the sea and the smell of the wind and momma's voice and the voice of your dad and the craziness of your brothers and sisters ... and that's it." Without television, radio, and material distractions to obscure what matters most, he could enjoy the simple things, endure the long commitments, and find true meaning in his life.
Poitier was uncompromising as he pursued a personal and public life that would honor his upbringing and the invaluable legacy of his parents just a few years after his introduction to indoor plumbing and the automobile, Poitier broke racial barrier after racial barrier to launch a pioneering acting career. Committed to the notion that what one does for a living articulates who one is, Poitier played only forceful and affecting characters who said something positive, useful, and lasting about the human condition.
Here, finally, is Poitier's own introspective look at what has informed his performances and his life. Poitier explores the nature of sacrifice and commitment, pride and humility, rage and forgiveness, and paying the price for artistic integrity, What emerges is a picture of a man seeking truth, passion, and balance in the face of limits--his own and the world's. A triumph of the spirit, The Measure of a Man captures the essential Poitier.
Customer Reviews:
profound.......2007-08-13
An humbling read in deed...this is a man with a profound sense of self,I'll come back to this book often in the years to come.
An Insightful Autobiography.......2007-05-07
Learn about the man behind the great actor and storyteller who captivates audiences on the big screen.
A True and Honest Measure of Oneself.......2006-03-18
Sidney Poitier has always been one of my favorite actors and he has meant so much to me personally as a lover of the cinema. He is one out of a handful I can say that about. His autobiography is impressive and he is ever so modest about many of his accomplishments.
Sidney Poitier is one of America's greatest screen actors, a multi facetted practitioner of the performing arts and a true humanitarian. Not only did he portray men of humanity with a sense of dignified morality but his own career as a black actor broke racial barriers that ran parallel with the perception and acceptance of blacks in American films.
The beginnings of Sidney Poitier's big break into theatre and films have always seemed sketchy and are slightly different depending on what sources are available. However several events do seem to stand out and these lend credence to Poitier's place as a humanitarian because the poverty, the racial prejudices and the people that helped start his career were never forgotten. Sidney Poitier was understudying Harry Belefonte in the play "Days of our Youth" while working at the American Negro Theater. It does seem likely that he filled in for Belefonte for several performances at which he gained experience and proficiency through Belefonte's assistance. After several more productions and a national tour of "Days of Our Youth" Poitier got his first staring film role two years later in 1950's NO WAY OUT with Richard Widmark and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. This is a role that his good friend Harry Belafonte said put the truth about black people on the screen for millions to see due to Poitier's brilliant performance as a young good natured yet morally strong doctor pitted against bigoted Widmark.
Throughout the fifties, Sidney Poitier made some very important films in the history of cinema and some that were controversial during their time. BLACKBOARD JUNGLE made in 1955 was a realistic look at adolescence contempt for society at an inner city trade school for delinquent boys. Glenn Ford played a new teacher who decides that his only chance of teaching the boys anything is to reach the roughest boy of the bunch played by Sidney Poitier. Poitier gave a brilliant performance as the one youth that new true right from wrong and only used his tough facade to survive in a world of his peers where he would otherwise have been the low man on the rung. 1958's THE DEFIANT ONES directed by the progressive filmmaker Stanley Kramer was an engrossing story of two escaped prisoners, Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis, who must overcome issues of race in their struggle for freedom from police in the deep South. Sidney Poitier was nominated for an Academy Award.
In 1961 Sidney Poitier starred in A RAISIN IN THE SUN from Lorraine Hansberry's play, the first by a black playwright to show on Broadway. It was about a black Chicago family's attempts to make a better life against the many problems they faced both from within and from outside their household. In 1962 Sidney Poitier won the Academy Award for Best Actor for director Ralph Nelson's LILIES OF THE FIELD. Poitier played the handyman stranger who helps build a chapel for German-speaking nuns in the American southwest. Just prior to LILIES OF THE FIELD Poitier made PRESSURE POINT produced by Stanley Kramer. It was an intelligent drama based on a true case, with Poitier playing a prison psychiatrist trying to search out the problems of his deranged Nazi patient played by Bobby Darin. This was one of Poitier's best performances but the film has been long forgotten.
By 1965 Sidney Poitier was truly becoming a mainstream actor and his race seemed to play a minor factor in the characters he was portraying. In 1965 he made THE BEDFORD INCIDENT, THE SLENDER THREAD, A PATCH OF BLUE and appeared in George Stevens' THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD. In 1966 he starred in Ralph Nelson's DUEL AT DIABLO a violent tale about bigotry between whites and Indians out west. However, 1967's GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER directed by Stanley Kramer involved the first interracial kiss in screen history. Some reviewers criticized the film's story of interracial romance, as being unrealistic since Poitier played a black man who had such impeccable credentials race was hardly a factor. Kramer pointed out that that was his point. He wanted to put Poitier and his fiancée on an even playing field where their only differences could only be the color of their skin. Therefore, was there really a difference?
In 1967 Norman Jewison's IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT Poitier plays a black big-city black detective who assists redneck Southern sheriff Rod Steiger solve a murder. This is an excellent film and makes a great social commentary on color, respect and friendship. It also contains an innovative score by Quincy Jones. This film is a modern classic and is still powerful today. In 1967's TO SIR WITH LOVE, written and directed in Britain by James Clavell, Poitier plays a West Indian teacher to a bunch of tough East End teenagers who becomes successful and reaches them by teaching the class about survival in the real world. Poitier was and remains a force to be reckoned with.
Sidney Poitier helped change many persistent racial attitudes that had persisted in this country for centuries by the image he projected on and off the screen and the very life that he has lived. He has opened the doors for countless artists in succeeding generations. He is an actor who stood and still stands for hope, for excellence, and who has given happiness and the will to persevere in questionable times to millions of people around the world.
A story well told.......2006-01-15
Sidney Poitier's autobiography illuminates not only why he is true hollywood royalty, but why he is also to be considered a royal man. There is nothing pompous or egotistical about his journey from the island to Hollywood, but rather it is a very human story told with humility and grace.
Insightful into a surprisingly diverse number of areas.......2005-07-09
Poitier recounts his very humble childhood on Cat Island in the Bahamas. He then tells us stories about coming to the USA, making it into Hollywood, his experience with racism and civil rights, his reflections on life and spirituality, and the making of his movies. The book is a little uneven: I loved his stories about getting started in acting and making his films, while I got impatient with some of his thoughts on the nature of the world. But overall, this memoir is insightful and entertaining.
He provides an engaging narrative of the Civil Rights Movement from the perspective of black artists in show business. He gives a powerful example as he tells the story of refusing a film because it would have betrayed the values that his father taught him, and of how that refusal ultimately led to his Hollywood career taking off. He also entertains with anecdotes about his experiences with Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Harry Belafonte, Carl Sagan, and many others. Shortly after watching his film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, I read the story of how that film got made and enjoyed the insight that story provided.
Along the way, Poitier shares some wonderful insights about life and culture, progress and overconsumption.
If you have any opportunity to listen to this book on tape, I recommend it. Poitier reads the entire book himself, and his voice and intonation would make this worth listening to even if the memoir were less good than it is.
Book Description
The ballad "John Henry" is the most recorded folk song in American history and John Henry--the mighty railroad man who could blast through rock faster than a steam drill--is a towering figure in our culture. But for over a century, no one knew who the original John Henry was--or even if there was a real John Henry. In Steel Drivin' Man, Scott Reynolds Nelson recounts the true story of the man behind the iconic American hero, telling the poignant tale of a young Virginia convict who died working on one of the most dangerous enterprises of the time, the first rail route through the Appalachian Mountains. Using census data, penitentiary reports, and railroad company reports, Nelson reveals how John Henry, victimized by Virginia's notorious Black Codes, was shipped to the infamous Richmond Penitentiary to become prisoner number 497, and was forced to labor on the mile-long Lewis Tunnel for the CandO railroad. Nelson even confirms the legendary contest between John Henry and the steam drill (there was indeed a steam drill used to dig the Lewis Tunnel and the convicts in fact drilled faster). Equally important, Nelson masterfully captures the life of the ballad of John Henry, tracing the song's evolution from the first printed score by blues legend W. C. Handy, to Carl Sandburg's use of the ballad to become the first "folk singer," to the upbeat version by Tennessee Ernie Ford. We see how the American Communist Party appropriated the image of John Henry as the idealized American worker, and even how John Henry became the precursor of such comic book super heroes as Superman or Captain America. Attractively illustrated with numerous images, Steel Drivin' Man offers a marvelous portrait of a beloved folk song--and a true American legend.
Customer Reviews:
fascinating read!.......2007-07-16
As someone interested in history, the South, civil rights, and folk songs, I loved this book. The author starts by tracking down evidence to propose a candidate for the original John Henry who inspired the song. The author then fills in the details of what John Henry's life after arrest was probably like based on court, prison, and railroad records. Certainly, this part is speculative, as some reviewers have complained, but there is no reason a priori to expect that John Henry's experiences were significantly different from the norm. Besides, the discussion of the horrifying conditions the railroad builders and workers endured is eye-opening. Much of the latter portion of the book discusses how the song spread and the meaning it had at different times and to different groups. The author obviously did extensive research and creates a fascinating portrait of how a song mutates to suit current times.
This book really touched my soul !.......2007-02-09
Although I am a Civil War aficionado, I have rarely read about what happened directly after the war. However, this book has changed my reading habits!!
From the time I was a child, I had a special affection for the John Henry songs and "legends". Well, I had no idea he was REAL-- flesh and blood! This book not only brought him alive for me, but the research and presentation was EXQUISITE. Dr Nelson -- in my eyes you have done a tremendous job of bringing alive not only JH, but the terrible wrongs done to thousands of African-American freedmen (and women) in Richmond, by the corrupt "Freedman's Bureau".
By reading this book, in my mind's eye AND ear, I could see the men and women who toiled in the often brutal conditions, to dig tunnels and build track. I could almost hear the weird and wonderful chants that helped lay the track and ease the brutal conditions and physical pain that these people, mostly (wrongfully convicted in many cases) convicts endured, usually until they dropped dead from the years of toil and/or silicosis.
Could that photograph of a John Henry (page 46) in Bealton VA (not that far from Richmond) really be him? Truth is stranger than fiction - perhaps we ARE looking into his smiling face. And one question I have-- how does the Smithsonian REALLY know which bones are his? (maybe I missed something)
The author's narrative, interspersed with highly pertinent photographs AND song verse kept me riveted to this very complex and highly interesting book.
The book's narrative gives great detail to that era in Richmond that John Henry lived, as wel as the "white house" by the tracks (Federal Penitentiary where so many of these Freedmen were wrongfully incarcerated) and as it winds past John Henry the individual, it reveals the highly pertinent correlation with those railroad songs handed down by word-of-mouth and then collected and sung by the like of people such as Carl Sandburg, folk singer as well as poet, Pete Seeger, Burl Ives.
The book then shows how the John Henry story and ballads found their way into art, and life as well - expressed in the artwork and subject matter in Marvel Comix; expressed in the song and art of striking workers, the WPA, Karl Marx, the Communists and Socialists in America in the 1930's, the "radical and liberals of the 1940's", the Black Worker Protest Songs -- and more.
Of great interest also was the way the South incorporated (and the way it did NOT incorporate) black history regarding John Henry and other related Afro-American folk heroes and song into its school textbooks and library books back in the 40's and 50's.
I borrowed this book from the library -- but I was so impressed with it that I bought one for myself. I want to do my own research (in fact I'm playing some CD samples from Amazon right now, having to do with John Henry and word of mouth folk songs) on these ballads, and those who sang them as well as those who still sing them today.
I cannot find any fault with this book. The fact that I am now hooked on the John Henry ballad and all the history (past AND present) that goes with it is proof enough of this book's influence.
Does Dr. Nelson have a web site that relates to this book? I guess that's one more bit of research that I will undertake!! (I hope he does!)
PS- the "Gandy Dancer's Gal" on page 131 is a tremendous summation on canvas, of the strength and hardships, as well as the joys that were part of these track workers' lives.
A great view of part of American (and Black American) History.......2007-02-01
Race relations are a complex issue, this book was an interesting survey of the issue, following an American Legend how it was molded and re-molded to fit the view of the teller at the time.
The book isn't a novel, and possible starts a little slow but I felt picked up really well by the middle of the book.
Overall a great history book that looks at history in a interesting way.
History of a Railroad and a song.......2007-01-20
If you're looking for a validated, historical account of John Henry, well, Mr. Nelson could be correct - or maybe not. He has found an arrest record for a 5' 1-1/4", black male by the name of John Henry, who was arrested for stealing, sent to prison, and was loaned out by the scalawags to build a railroad. This would make a fine magazine article, not a book.
This history of a John Henry, then, is layered into the history of the building of the railroad, and of the many different John Henry songs (using the songs as a base for history). It is somewhat plausable.
Unfortunately, Mr. Nelson also adds much of his left-leaning political opinions, interwoven throughout the book - tolerable on heavier political subjects - not on what I assumed was to be a biography. In fairness, it is a biography - of a song, not a man. And Mr. Nelson also seems to think that capitalism is evil, while American communists were wonderfully warm and fuzzy (except for supporting Stalin's terror and genocide).
Wish I had read this before my first college history course.......2006-11-19
This book offers a great introduction into what and how a real historian does history. Who would guess that an old dump can be more informative than a documentary movie? The 'truth' about the real John Henry is only a hook for demonstrating the confusion, guess work, and desire to tell an acceptable story that is history. This very readable little book could go along way to breaking the belief of many that all you need to understand history is a good textbook.
Book Description
Wrestler turned rock manager, the late Peter Grant made his name as the manager of Led Zeppelin, helping to turn them into rock’s biggest attraction by the mid Seventies. The book reveals the facts about his suspended prison sentence, his dispute with the group over unpaid royalties and his retiring from the music industry , and his rumoured heroin addiction.Written with the full co-operation of Grant’s family and friends to give a unique access into the most fabled and feared man in the music business.
Customer Reviews:
90% band/10% promoter!.......2004-12-26
This book is a must for any Zeppelin fan,Peter Grant defined what the roll of a manager should be,Led Zep are a great band and left a huge larger than life legacy that wont be repeated again.They may have been overlooked or perhaps just done their thing.I believe without the guidance of Peter Grant and his headkickin ways I dont think Zeppelin would of been the rock gods they were.He made the band rich beyond their wildest dreams,he wheeled and dealed and got them gigs at sellout arenas.Peter Grant was the man,Led Zep were his boys.Do yourself a favour and buy this book if you want to know what rock n roll was about.
Much filler, still fries the bacon.......2004-02-12
I liked this well enough. It held me all the way through. But it really seemed as though it should have been an extended magazine article or part of another, more detailed book. I walked away feeling that I did not have a better understanding of G than when I came, and THAT'S a problem.
Another great book..........2003-06-16
...by Chris Welch, and this time on the heavy-hitting mananger behind Led Zeppelin: Peter Grant. Despite a few glaring factual errors, such as the story behind Swan Song's (Zeppelin's vanity 70's record label)logo, and a few typos this is another good Welch-penned Zeppelin effort. Being a big fan of the band I was very surprised on the chapters devoted to the group's film Song Remains The Same, and their devastating 1977 US tour. These chapters alone are worth your time and money. This book, S. Davis'Hammer Of The Gods, and Richard Cole's Stairway To Heaven, read back to back will tell you all you'll need to know about the best hard rock band the world has ever known: Led Zeppelin!
Answers a Whooooole Lotta Nagging Questions.......2003-02-20
Much insight on the band on and off stage. And Peter Grant, this brilliant and threataning manager is brought out from behind the shadows and emerges as a pivotal individual in rock history.
Simply a fascinating man, who was just as human as you or I. If he made any errors, the worst in his life were hiring John Bindon onto his security staff, and marrying a woman who was not a "single man woman.". I also now understand why he was referred to as the "fifth member of the Band".
The Book is very informative and thorough. The only problem I had with the book is that Welch even considered using Richard Cole as a source of information. That cost him one star. I also don't like the photographs of Peter giving us the finger. That almost cost him another star.
Good book.......2002-10-26
I really appreciated this book. Chris Welsh has been one of the greatest insiders of Led Zeppelin and provides numberless details about Peter and his relation with the band. I liked very much the info that came from interviews with people related, like Mickie Most, Allan Callan, Ed Bricknell and Warren Grant, among others.
The book also has the merit of being original on a very worn out subject. Indeed a very good buy for both Zep die-hards and neophites.
Average customer rating:
- Received the book so promptly that it made my head spin.
- Decent but not earth shattering
- The cover art is nice
- An adequate bio of an extraordinary man
- sadly underwhelmed, but at least some of the pictures are great
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Jimmy Page: Magus, Musician, Man: An Unauthorized Biography
George Case
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1423404076 |
Book Description
Jimmy Page - Magus, Musician, Man is a meticulously researched life story of Led Zeppelin's legendary guitarist and producer. From his childhood in war-torn Britain and his pivotal role in the recording studios that launched the British Invasion of the '60s to his milestone achievements, his dark, nefarious excesses with Led Zeppelin, and his emergence as a revered cultural icon and honored philanthropist, this biography - the first ever written about Jimmy Page - portrays all his spiritual, artistic, and personal dimensions. Swinging London, the Sunset Strip, Bron-yr-Aur, Kashmir, and Clarksdale: Magus, Musician, Man traverses through all of Page's hallowed stomping grounds and tells, at last, the complete story of one of rock 'n' roll's most enigmatic and influential talents.
Customer Reviews:
Received the book so promptly that it made my head spin. .......2007-07-19
I was in shock with the swiftness I received my book and the book was in perfect order too. Thank you.
Decent but not earth shattering.......2007-07-16
Case is a Led Zeppelin fan, that much is evident but he belabors the point losing all objectivity about his subject. The only thing new Case has to offer is his own, at times mind numbing analysis, as his book completely relies on secondary sources, much to this reader's disappointment. A good editor would have corrected the many grammatical errors not to mention some of the, albeit minor, factual errors in the work. He sums up entire tours and albums mostly to a few paragraphs focusing more on his own analysis (actually referring to Page's riffs on Trampled Underfoot as "Bootylicious.") Case offers little glimpse into the real life of Jimmy Page and his post Led Zeppelin accomplishments (although he did try to contact Page for his input). Despite the numerous flaws, this book was a fun read for a serious fan, particularly as a refresher. Still, Page fans will have to wait for something truly worthwhile. Hats off to Case for trying.
The cover art is nice.......2007-07-10
I have been a Page fan more than half my life. I started playing guitar because of Page. I was interested when I saw this book on the shelf and bought it immediately. It sat on my floor for weeks because I just felt it would be a let down, but finally curiosity got me to pick it up.
It was a let down. There is not a single point in this book that is original in any way. Most of the stories told have been told over and over and over again. It seems silly to try to write a biography about a guy who doesn't want to have a biography written about him.
I once asked the boxer, Marvin Hagler, if he would be interested in having a biography written about him. He said no. So, I did not write it. Not exactly a complex decision.
Jimmy Page rocks. This book does not.
An adequate bio of an extraordinary man.......2007-07-07
The packaging for this book is geared to sell. A beautiful black cover page, excellent photos, and an intriguing reference to Page as a Magus. Knowing all about Jimmy's excursion into the occult and his fascination with Aliester Crowley I still decided to purchase this book. I wasn't exactly disappointed that I had done so, however, the content definitely doesn't live up to the packaging. This is little here revealed about Page that a Zeppelin aficionado wouldn't know, and while it is noteworthy that the author shuns the outrageous media-hyped tour stories, it is at the same time unduly sparse about the facts of Zeppelins road career. The author also seems to lack insight on Plant's backgroud. For example, he completely misses the obvious allusions to JRR Tolkien's classic trilogoy "The Lord of the Rings" in songs such as "Ramble On", "The Battle of Evermore", and indeed "Stairway to Heaven". He can be somewhat forgiven for missing the reference in Plant's dog's name Strider.
The books strong points are when he discusses Page's career as a studio musician, and his involvement with Jemina Page his current wife and their philanthropic endeavors. Unfortunately this doesn't rescue the book from it's otherwise mediocre content.The Lord of the Rings (50th Anniversary Edition)
sadly underwhelmed, but at least some of the pictures are great.......2007-06-13
I had perhaps unfairly high hopes for this book, and to be honest read it cover to cover in about 24 hours. So I guess it either has something going for it or I am so starved for new biographical material on Jimmy Page that even a marginal rehashing of well-worn interview materials is still strongly compelling to me. As pointed out in other reviews anyone who has researched Page's career with any reasonable amount of due dilligence is not going to find much, if anything, new in Case's tome. In addition to the dearth of fresh material, I also at times found the narrative structure (ie -- combining pieces of disparate, sometimes strangely isolated, source interview snippets together to illustrate a point) to be a bit presumptuous. My main beef, however, comes when the author gets cute with his prose and mixes Led Zeppelin song titles in with his editorializing -- a truly amateurish literary device. Things get embarrassing every time he pullls this stunt.
That said, there's nothing really terrible about the project. The man knows his subject and is clearly a fan first and historian second. The book would have been stronger had Case stayed with his strength as a researcher and rounded things out more fully. Too me Magus, Musician, Man feels like a People Magazine caliber collage as opposed to a complete biography, unauthorized or otherwise. Maybe in light of the fact that Page isn't talking that's the best we can expect. Even so, with what is out there, and what the author tapped into for source material, a more complete picture was in his grasp. Case clearly could have used a good editor to clean up the multiple glaring typos and reign him in when he got too clever for his own good. The latter issues fall square on the shoulders of the publishers.
Books:
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The Musical Mind: The Cognitive Psychology of Music (Oxford Psychology Series, No. 5)
- The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (20 Volume Set
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (20 Volume Set
- The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music (NPR Curious Listener's Guide To...)
- The Pema Chodron Collection: Pure Meditation:Good Medicine:From Fear to Fearlessness
- The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music
- The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
- The Secret Garden (HarperClassics)
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