"From the author of the definitive biography of Frank Sinatra, the story of how jazz arrived at the pinnacle of American culture in 1959, told through the journey of three towering artists-Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans-who came together to create the most famous and bestselling jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue. The myth of the 60s depends on the 1950s being the before times of conformity, segregation, straightness-The Lonely Crowd...

From the New York Times bestselling author of Satchel and Bobby Kennedy, a sweeping and spellbinding portrait of the longtime kings of jazz--Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie--who, born within a few years of one another, overcame racist exclusion and violence to become the most popular entertainers on the planet.

"Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny has been on some of the biggest stages in the business with his band, the Pat Metheny Group, and has stood next to some of jazz's most celebrated artists, from Herbie Hancock to Ornette Coleman, from Chick Corea to Jaco Pastorius. This book by jazz musician and lover Bob Gluck is a loving exploration of Metheny's long and fruitful career, helping readers understand his musical evolution. Gluck is an erudite connoisseur...

"A bestselling music historian follows Jelly Roll Morton on a journey through the hidden worlds and forbidden songs of early blues and jazz. In Jelly Roll Blues: Censored Songs and Hidden Histories, Elijah Wald takes readers on a journey into the hidden and censored world of early blues and jazz, guided by the legendary New Orleans pianist Jelly Roll Morton. Morton became nationally famous as a composer and bandleader in the 1920s, but got his start...

"Harlem, 1936. Clyde "The Viper" Morton boards a train from Alabama to Harlem to chase his dreams of being a jazz musician. When his talent fails him, he becomes caught up in the dangerous underbelly of Harlem's drug trade. In this heartbreaking novel, one man must decide what he is willing to give up and what he wants to fight for. Viper's Dream is a fast-paced story that is charged with suspense. A snappy, provocative voice and a stark look at Viper's...

Brings viewers along from the music that shaped America.

"What does the perfect song sound like? Normally, Malcolm Kid wouldn't give this type of question the time of day. As a straight B-student with a heart of copper, he is far more concerned with overcoming mediocrity than he is with achieving perfection. But that all changes when he stumbles across the LK-2000--a strange keyboard cursed with the soul of an old jazz musician. Malcolm soon learns that the only way to free this musician's soul is by performing...

The concept album starts Batiste as interstellar traveling griot DJ Billy Bob Bo Bob, who examines popular music from around the globe on a radio broadcast to the rest of the universe, asking the question: isn't all music world music?