Mingus Speaks
John Goodman
Goodman shares intimate conversations with Mingus and his associates covering a wide range of topics including technology in music, American racism, and the behind-the-scenes process of recording Let My Children Hear Music. A true page-turner, Mingus Speaks peels back some of the layers of the complicated man behind his groundbreaking music.
Mister Jelly Roll
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax and his father John Lomax were at the forefront of ethnomusicology, field recordings, and preserving the oral music history of the United States. Alan’s legendary Library of Congress sessions with Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton serve as the basis of Mister Jelly Roll. Supplemented with interviews from family, friends, lovers, and musical associates the book brings new depth to the story of a one of America’s most consequential artists.
The Man That Got Away
Walter Rilmer
Harold Arlen’s name is not as widely known as his music. “Over the Rainbow,” “Stormy Weather,” and “Blues In The Night,” are just a few of his hit songs. Rimler gives us a rare glimpse into the life of one the more private contributors to the Great American Songbook.
Dead Man Blues: Jelly Roll Morton Way Out West
Phil Pastras
An excellent follow-up to Mister Jelly Roll, Patras pieces together a previously under-documented portion of Jelly’s life –his two stints of the west coast. Using interviews, Lomax’s work, and newly discovered primary documents, Pastras takes the reader along for a journey to restore the history behind some of Jelly’s most artistically productive years.
Sam Spear Music 