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The Blues: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback)
Loot Price: R219
Discovery Miles 2 190
You Save: R51
(19%)
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The Blues: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback)
Series: Very Short Introductions
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List price R270
Loot Price R219
Discovery Miles 2 190
You Save R51 (19%)
Expected to ship within 9 - 15 working days
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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. ABOUT THE
SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University
Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area.
These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new
subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis,
perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and
challenging topics highly readable.
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