Winner ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for Outstanding Book on Music - a must for music fans and language nuts!"What a great resource; as fascinating as it is informative. Debra's passion for the blues shines through." Bonnie Raitt"Debra's book will teach you what you really need to know about blues history and where the blues are coming from." Joe BonamassaPacked with wild and insightful stories from blues artists; Reuters calls The Language of the Blues "one of the wittiest; bawdiest; most fascinating dictionaries ever." Wall Street Journal critic Nat Hentoff says it's "invaluable;" and producer Hal Willner agrees: "It's an invaluable reference book. And it's also great fun to read." The Language of the Blues explores over 150 terms like buffet flat; killing floor; and mojo with fresh insights from Huffington Post blogger Debra Devi's interviews with blues legends like Hubert Sumlin; Robert Jr. Lockwood; Henry Gray; Bob Margolin; Robben Ford; Jimmie Vaughan and more. "As a musician myself; not a scholar;" Devi explains; "I thought I could best make a contribution by talking directly to blues artists about what the words in blues songs mean to them."The result is a lively read Blues Revue deems "an essential purchase for scholars and fans." New York Times columnist Shelton Ivany adds; "If you have any questions about songs; lyrics; musicians or events; chances are you will find your answers in this unparalleled publication."The Language of the Blues opens with a remarkable foreword by Dr. John. It includes 40+ stunning photos of blues legends (17 in color).
#384299 in Books 2012-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 6.00 x 6.00l; 1.25 #File Name: 1620871033352 pages
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Very Detailed!By Rick SpellIf you want to know every detail of being a Top Gun pilot this is the book for you. Dave "Bio" Baranek describes in detail what it is like to be a rear seat radar officer in an F14 and other planes. But rather than just describe life as a pilot he also backs it up with a crash that is downplayed as both pilots survive when the ending could have been much different; his experience as a Top Gun student and instructor and also what it was like during the filming of Top Gun the movie on which he had significant technical and flying involvement. The book specializes in highlighting the redundancy that is required for safety. And probably its highest point is describing in detail the technical nature of the task of a Top Gun instructor and student. But this book is not for everyone and frankly; I'm not sure I would have kept reading if one of his fellow instructors wasn't also a close friend of mine. That's not meant as a negative. I read for entertainment. This book is about detail and those really wanting to know about flying high performance planes for the Navy and it does an exceptional job of this. Just make sure you are ready for a technical book of mundane tasks involved like passing your "murder boards" to be able to instruct your first class and the time necessary to write an upgrade of a class.These guys are real heroes and incredibly talented and this book demonstrates the talent and commitment necessary to be a top pilot. But it doesn't read as a fast action book but rather a summation of the job of the pilot/instructor.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. At least 4 out of 5 starsBy SRGI thought it was a great read. The use of anology really separated the protagonist from the antagonist. It kept you riveted from start to finish to see the plot develop until it hit the crecendo in Chapter 320 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent but will be less entertaining to non-pilotsBy T. J. KELLEYExcellent but will be less entertaining to non-pilots; especially non-military pilots. As a retired USAF pilot; this day to day narrative of Topgun and Naval aviation inside operations made many instances of compare and contrast never lost it's appeal. Still; the connection to the Top Gun movie was fascinating. I would have appreciated an addendum of how the author's Naval career finished would have been welcomed. Maybe that will be the subject of a sequel.
