Paul Bley was barely into his twenties when he left Montreal for New York City, yet he had already played with Charlie Parker and subbed for Oscar Peterson at the Alberta Lounge. The piano prodigy had been leading his own bands in Montreal clubs since he was thirteen. Stopping Time is the story of a unique Canadian artist and his odyssey through the most turbulent years in modern jazz. Paul Bley was one of the subjects of Ron Mann's award-winning feature documentary "Imagine the Sound." No...

The comedian and former late-night host discusses his life, career, struggles with drugs & alcohol, and his love of the United States in this memoir.In American on Purpose, Craig Ferguson delivers a moving and achingly funny memoir of living the American dream as he journeys from the mean streets of Glasgow, Scotland, to the comedic promised land of Hollywood. Along the way he stumbles through several attempts to make his mark—as a punk rock musician, a con...

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes the second Above the Line novel, set in the world of the Baxter family. Hollywood is calling--but will the price of fame be worth the cost?Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison have completed their first feature film, and Hollywood is buzzing with the news. In the wake of that excitement, the producers acquire rights to a novel that has all the ingredients they want for their next project. A...

From Grammy-winning musical icon and legendary bassist Victor L. Wooten comes an inspiring parable of music, life, and the difference between playing all the right notes…and feeling them.The Music Lesson is the story of a struggling young musician who wanted music to be his life, and who wanted his life to be great. Then, from nowhere it seemed, a teacher arrived. Part musical genius, part philosopher, part eccentric wise man, the teacher would guide the y...

From the industrial Black Country to the dazzling clubs of New York City, what fate awaits her?1936, young cellist Maxine Kite is thankful for the chance given to her by Birmingham’s esteemed orchestra. Plucked from obscurity she is destined for stardom. Music has always been her passion but her dreams are too big for a girl from a simple family.Leaving the safety of home behind, Maxime travels to New York City where the jazz clubs beckon, along with the su...

The New York Times bestselling true story that inspired the major motion picture—an “unforgettable tale of hope, heart and humanity”(People).Journalist Steve Lopez discovered of Nathaniel Ayers, a former classical bass student at Julliard, playing his heart out on a two-string violin on Los Angeles’s Skid Row. Deeply affected by the beauty of Ayers’s music, Lopez took it upon himself to change the prodigy's life—only to find that their relationshi...

'An exquisite portrait' MOJO'A riveting account of the golden-boy genius' EVENING STANDARDNick Drake was barely twenty-six years old when he died in 1974, but in his short lifetime he recorded three albums that are now recognised as classics: Five Leaves Left, Bryter Later and Pink Moon.Several decades after his death, he has amassed a huge following; his haunting songs cast a pervasive influence over the contempor...

Stuart Hamilton is a well-known Canadian musician who has been in the forefront of music in Canada for more than 60 years. Here, in this memoir, he recounts his sometimes hectic assault on the Canadian music world. Along the way, Hamilton encountered, as a vocal coach and accompanist, most of the great Canadian singers of the last half of the 20th century and some international ones, as well.For 27 years Hamilton was an erudite and funny personality on CBC's Saturday Afternoon ...

(P/V/G Composer Collection). This thick collection includes 43 favorites penned by legendary singer-songwriter, poet, novelist and iconoclast Leonard Cohen. Includes: Ain't No Cure for Love * Avalanche * Bird on a Wire * Chelsea Hotel #2 * (No) Diamonds in the Mine * Famous Blue Raincoat * The Guests * I'm Your Man * Jazz Police * Joan of Arc * Lady Midnight * A Singer Must Die * Sisters of Mercy * So Long, Marianne * Suzanne * Take This Longing * Tower of Song * You Know Who I Am * and mo...

Louise Shaffer brings to life three generations of Italian American women in this stunning novel of surprises, secrets, and serendipity.A child of theatrical royalty, Carrie Manning is having a hard time getting her own act together. Thirty-seven, aimless, and having just buried a famous mother she never understood, she is desperate to uncover her family’s mysterious past in the hopes that it will help her understand herself.Carrie’s search reveals the fascinating life stor...

If not for a stint in reform school, young Louis Armstrong might never have become a musician. It was a teacher at the Colored Waifs Home who gave him a cornet, promoted him to band leader, and saw talent in the tough kid from the even tougher New Orleans neighborhood called Storyville. But it was Louis Armstrong's own passion and genius that pushed jazz into new and exciting realms with his amazing, improvisational trumpet playing. His seventy-year life spanned a critical time in American...

This is the true story of Louis Bannet a Jewish jazz musician known throughout Europe in the 1930's and 40's as The Dutch Louis Armstrong. The story travels from the nightclubs of Amsterdam to the nightmares of Auschwitz where Louis Bannet's trumpet rang out amidst happiness and horror alike. Jazz Survivor gives strong testimony to both the indisputable power of music and the indefatigable strength of the human spirit.