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The Blues: A Very Short Introduction Elijah Wald (teaches blues history, teaches blues history, UCLA)

The Blues: A Very Short Introduction By Elijah Wald (teaches blues history, teaches blues history, UCLA)

The Blues: A Very Short Introduction by Elijah Wald (teaches blues history, teaches blues history, UCLA)


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The Blues: A Very Short Introduction Summary

The Blues: A Very Short Introduction by Elijah Wald (teaches blues history, teaches blues history, UCLA)

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.

The Blues: A Very Short Introduction Reviews

A history needn't be long to be both thorough and illuminating. Mr. Wald's no-nonsense 152-page study of the blues deromanticizes a musical genre about which vast amounts of fuzzy-minded nonsense have been written. It would be impossible to pack more critical wisdom-or common sense-into a smaller, shapelier package. * Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal *

About Elijah Wald (teaches blues history, teaches blues history, UCLA)

Elijah Wald is a musician who teaches blues history at UCLA. His books include How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll, Global Minstrels, and Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues.

Table of Contents

List of IllustrationsIntroduction: What is Blues?Section 1: A Short History of BluesChapter One: Roots of the Blues Chapter Two: Pre-War BluesChapter Three: Modern BluesSection Two: Blues in American CultureChapter Four: Blues and JazzChapter Five: Blues and Country MusicChapter Six: The Language and the Poetry of the BluesReferencesFurther readingIndex

Additional information

CIN0195398939VG
9780195398939
0195398939
The Blues: A Very Short Introduction by Elijah Wald (teaches blues history, teaches blues history, UCLA)
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Oxford University Press Inc
20100624
152
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - The Blues: A Very Short Introduction