San Mateo County Library - We Recommend - JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH

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JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH - APRIL 2008

Each April, Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) shines the spotlight on the extraordinary history of jazz and its importance in American culture. JAM encourages people of all ages to read books about jazz, study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, and support institutional jazz programs.

The San Mateo County Library invites you to join us in this important effort. Please take the opportunity to explore some of the featured events and suggested titles below.

Featured Events

Marcus Shelby Live Acclaimed jazz musician and his quintet give a lecture/live performance illustrating the history of jazz.
Wednesday, April 23 at 7:00 PM – Millbrae Library April 30 at 7:00 PM – East Palo Alto Library

	Kat Parra Ensemble Award-winning singer/songwriter Kat Parra belts out an expressive soprano that can float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Her program, which encompasses Afro-Cuban, Salsa, Cha Cha, Samba, Charanga - some with a Middle Eastern flavoring – sets her apart from other contemporary jazz musicians.
Friday, April 25 at 9:00 PM – Sanchez Concert Hall in partnership with the San Mateo County Library Sunday, May 4 at 2:00 PM – Belmont Library Thursday, May 8 at 7:00 PM – East Palo Alto Library Friday, May 9 at 7:00 PM – Half Moon Bay Library

Darren Johnston Quintet Listed last June by Downbeat Magazine as one of “25 Trumpeters of the Future,” Johnston has performed with guitarist Fred Frith, clarinetist Don Byron, bassist Marcus Shelby, bassist Herbie Lewis, the ROVA Saxophone Quartet, clarinetist Ben Goldberg, and others.
Sunday, April 27 at 2:00 pm - Historic Schoolhouse at Portola Valley Town Center, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028

Children

TOP

	Piano Starts Here : the Young Art Tatum by Robert Andrew Parker
Parker uses simple, lyrical storytelling and colorful and energetic ink-and-wash illustrations to tell the story of Tatum's passion and virtuosity for the piano.

	Jazz by Walter Dean Myers
This talented father and son writer/illustrator team have produced new poetry and paintings to explore a wider repertoire of jazz forms.

	Stompin' at the Savoy by Bebe Moore Campbell
Author Campbell and water colorist Richard create an exuberant sense of the legendary ballroom that hosted such jazz greats as Chick Webb, Benny Goodman, and Ella Fitzgerald.

	This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt
Using a lively version of the children's song This Old Man, this book introduces famous African-American jazz musicians as it counts to nine.

	Ruby Sings the Blues by Niki Daly
Ruby's voice is so loud that the kids at school won't play with her. She gets depressed until her concerned, jazz musician neighbors teach her to harness her amazing vocal chords.

	Jazz A-B-Z by Wynton Marsalis
An insider's A to Z guide through the greats of jazz that shares the famous authors passion for jazz.

	Louis Armstrong by Kindle Fahlenkamp-Merrell
A biography of African-American jazz musician Louis Armstrong.fame.

	Ella Fitzgerald : the Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa by Andrea Pinkney
A beautifully rendered tribute to Fitzgerald's life.

	John Coltrane's Giant Steps by Christopher Raschka
This innovative visual analysis of one of jazz saxophonist Coltrane's most famous compositions offers a clever introduction to this wildly creative musical genre.

	Duke Ellington : the piano prince and his orchestra by Andrea Pinkney
Highlights the musician's childhood, early ragtime days, and stellar rise to popularity, playing at the Cotton Club and, later, Carnegie Hall.

	Richard Scarry's Chuckle with Huckle by Jane Gerver
In a collection of new silly stories, simple rhyming text presents the various activities of the animals of Richard Scarry's Busytown

	A kick in the head by Paul B. Janeczko
Presents a selection of children's poetry which illustrates the different forms of poetry, including sonnet, couplet, ballad, elegy, and ode.

Young Adult

TOP

	Sky : a novel in three sets and an encore by Rod Townley
The story of a teen with a passion for jazz and his struggle for self determination that leads him to 1959 Greenwich Village beat poet and jazz scene.

	Hot nights cool dragons by Matt Zurbo
Sassy Piero and brother Bobby hear jazz music and decide to sneak out of their house to investigate the source.

	Dizzy Gillespie by Tony Gentry
Delves into Gillespie's background and examines the impact he had on society.

	Here in Harlem by Walter Dean Myers
Celebrates the diverse and colorful community of Harlem through a poetic review of its many residents, from the jazz artist and veterans to the nannies and mail carriers and more.

Adult

TOP

	Swing : a mystery by Rupert Holmes
Music and mystery go hand in hand; the excellent swing music on the included CD contains clues to the solution. Holmes's second novel will delight mystery readers of any sort.

	Jass by David Fulmer
Brimming with penetrating photos that illustrate the history of jazz.

	Coltrane : the Story of a Sound by Ben Ratliff
The jazz critic for the New York Times analyzes how the saxophone player came to be regarded as the last major figure in the evolution of jazz.

	Louis Armstrong's New Orleans by Thomas Brothers
A many-fasceted chronicle of Armstrong's early life in early 20th-century New Orleans which was uniquely suited to nurture both jazz and Armstrong's exceptional musical talents.

	Considering Genius : Writings on Jazz by Stanley Crouch
Fifteen of the contraversial jazz critic's most influential, and most controversial pieces

	Harlem of the West : the San Francisco Fillmore Jazz Era by Elizabeth Pepin
A look back at an exuberant way of life in San Francisco's Fillmore District during the 1940s and '50s, when dozens of blues, R&B and jazz joints flourished.

	Song for My Fathers : a New Orleans Story in Black and White by Tommy Sancton
A former Time Paris bureau chief takes a heartfelt look at his childhood, brimming with music, during the 1950s and '60s

	Django : the Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend by Michael Dregni
A splendid history of early French, jazz spotlighting the characters behind the Hot Club of Paris.

	Blue Note Records : the Biography by Richard Cook
A landmark book, jazz writer Cook presents a history of the label, from its 1939 start producing hot jazz and swing records to the release of Norah Jones's top-selling Come Away With Me.

	The House that Trane Built : the Story of Impulse Records by Ashley Kahn
Noted jazz writer Kahn's history of Impulse is also the story of the genesis of an American art form and the evolution of the record industry through the tumultuous 1960s.masterful albums.

CDs

Lush Life by John Coltrane
A classic jazz album that illustrates Coltane's searching nature.
Genius Loves Company by Ray Charles
Charles' final album - an inspired collection of duets.
My Foolish Heart by Keith Jarrett
Jazz's greatest piano trio records live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2001.
The Very Best of Diana Krall by Diana Krall
Sultry jazz ballads.
Live in London by Diane Schuur
Master jazz vocalist at her apex.
Swing de Paris by Django Reinhardt
Spanning 1934-1952 and including legendary sessions with Coleman Hawkins' all star jam band, Bill Coleman and his orchestra, his involvement with The Glenn Miller.
Remixed & Reimagined by Billie Holiday
Holiday's masterful and mourning vocals of 1935 to 1958 .
Vintage Grappelli by Stéphane Grappelli
The greatest hits of the master jazz violinist.
Art Tatum : 20th Century Piano Genius by Art Tatum
All of the trademark Tatum elements are here.humor.
Not Too Late by Norah Jones
A seasoning os jazz for the Blue Note

Selected by Kathleen Beasley, Millbrae Library, 4.2008

WEB RESOURCES

•	European Jazz Network
•	American Jazz Museum
•	Jazz History Timeline
•	Jazz Greats Biographies
•	Smooth Jazz Radio Stations

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