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jazzy_daveR. Crumb "R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country" (Harry N. Abrams)
This is one of those books that you just have to dip into occasionally for its interesting history of music of a certain period.
R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country is an illustrated compendium of America's early 20th musicians. R. Crumb started to draw and paint the musicians and bands for trading cards that would be included with LP recordings reissued (from pre-WWII 78s) by Yazoo Records. Eventually they were boxed into a set sold by record stores. This book reproduces the paintings along with biographical sketches of the artists and bands. While I appreciate the music of this era, I am certainly not an expert, or even a student, of the music. That said, I found the text fascinating (especially the highly descriptive information on Country String bands of which I knew little about except for the articles in the excellent Wire magazine), and Crumb's illustrations evoke the period and whets your appetite for more. The text is by Stephen Calt, David Jasen and Richard Nevins.
While flipping through the pictures you may be surprised at how many of the bands had women guitarists. Read the entry on Fiddlin' Powers and Family to learn that the guitar was originally "scorned by most rural performers" and "stigmatized in its early days as a polite parlor instrument" that was fit for young girls to play. Now that's a cool little bit of cultural history that I didn't expect to learn from a book of drawings of musicians--and it's emblematic of what you get with this book, and why I loved it.
The book is accompanied by a 21 song CD with recordings from 1927-1931, which has an excellent selection of music from the period. Well Recommended.
This is one of those books that you just have to dip into occasionally for its interesting history of music of a certain period.
R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country is an illustrated compendium of America's early 20th musicians. R. Crumb started to draw and paint the musicians and bands for trading cards that would be included with LP recordings reissued (from pre-WWII 78s) by Yazoo Records. Eventually they were boxed into a set sold by record stores. This book reproduces the paintings along with biographical sketches of the artists and bands. While I appreciate the music of this era, I am certainly not an expert, or even a student, of the music. That said, I found the text fascinating (especially the highly descriptive information on Country String bands of which I knew little about except for the articles in the excellent Wire magazine), and Crumb's illustrations evoke the period and whets your appetite for more. The text is by Stephen Calt, David Jasen and Richard Nevins.
While flipping through the pictures you may be surprised at how many of the bands had women guitarists. Read the entry on Fiddlin' Powers and Family to learn that the guitar was originally "scorned by most rural performers" and "stigmatized in its early days as a polite parlor instrument" that was fit for young girls to play. Now that's a cool little bit of cultural history that I didn't expect to learn from a book of drawings of musicians--and it's emblematic of what you get with this book, and why I loved it.
The book is accompanied by a 21 song CD with recordings from 1927-1931, which has an excellent selection of music from the period. Well Recommended.
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Date: 2016-04-18 01:44 am (UTC)Hugs, Jon
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Date: 2016-04-18 07:24 am (UTC)looks very interesting. never seen before.
so who are crumb's biggest heroes?
?
Cannon's Jug Stompers – Minglewood Blues
there is a cd as well http://ouvirfazbem.blogspot.ca
R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz and Country
01 - Memphis Jug Band – On The Road Again
02 - Blind Willie McTell – Dark Night Blues
03 - Cannon's Jug Stompers – Minglewood Blues
04 - Skip James – Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues
05 - Jaybird Coleman – I'm Gonna Cross The River Jordan - Some O' These Days
06 - Charley Patton – High Water Everywhere
07 - Frank Stokes – I Got Mine
08 - "Dock" Boggs – Sugar Baby
09 - Shelor Family – Big Bend Gal
10 - Hayes Shepherd – The Peddler And His Wife
11 - Crockett's Country Mountaineers – Little Rabbit
12 - Burnett & Rutherford – All Night Long Blues
13 - East Texas Serenaders – Mineola Rag
14 - Weems String Band – Greenback Dollar
15 - Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra – Kater Street Rag
16 - "King" Oliver's Creole Jazz Band* – Sobbin' Blues
17 - Parham-Picket Apollo Syncopaters – Mojo Strut
18 - Frankie Franko & His Louisianians – Somebody Stole My Gal
19 - Clarence Williams' Blue Five – Wild Cat Blues
20 - "Jelly Roll" Morton's Red Hot Peppers – Kansas City Stomps
21 - Jimmy Noone – King Joe
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Date: 2016-04-18 09:51 am (UTC)I love this book but don't have the CD. Thanks a bunch.