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If you’re looking for a good non-fiction book this summer, look here
first. Boston Beats contributing editor Matt Robinson has picked out nine
great summer titles on the topic of music, with a broad enough selection
that you’re certain to find something that piques your interest. And if
not, there’s always next summer…
 Icons
of Jazz: A History in Photographs 1900-2000
Dave Gally
Thunder Bay Press
176 pages
Though it is the most expressive and complex of American art forms, Jazz
can often be just as beautifully and affectingly expressed and
communicated through absolute silence. In this millennial collection,
artist/critic Dave Gelly compiles a set of visual blue notes that bend and
color the world of jazz through still black and white. From Louis
Armstrong and Chet Baker to Sarah Vaughan and Lester Williams, Icons of
Jazz offers windows into the lives and musical souls of some of the
greatest voices of the Jazz Age itself. While most are caught in the act,
even the shots taken away from the stage demonstrate the greater lifestyle
that is Jazz. Whether an interested neophyte or an educated aficionado,
Icons acts as encyclopedia, storybook and coffee table-worthy reminder of
a Golden Age that is greatly of the past.
 Temples
of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios
By Jim Cogan and William Clark
Chronicle Books
224 pages
$24.95
United Western. Sunset Sound. Sigma Sound. These were (and, in some cases,
still are) the places where the magic happened. Created from renovated gas
stations and refrigerator warehouses, or brick by brick according to some
sonic mastermind, these legendary rooms spawned the sounds that shaped
generations. In this book, engineer Cogan and songwriter Clark travel
across the country – from Columbia’s Manhattan rooms and Rudy Van Gelder’s
Jersey Jazz joint to the central centers of Stax and Motown to LA’s
legendary Capitol building (which has often been thought to resemble a
stack of records itself) – in search of the mysterious elements that made
the music possible. Through discussions with the folks on either side of
the studio glass, Cogan and Clark try to give a sense of what these
renowned rooms were like. Unfortunately, with only a few brief details of
the actual dimensions and descriptions that tend to get a bit technical,
this book may leave readers more questions than answers. Even so, the
profiles of the men and women who made the music happen are informative
and empassioned, making Temples of Sound an interesting reference for even
the casual fan.
 Sex,
Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs
Chuck Klosterman
Scribner
244 pages
$23
In his funny follow up to Fargo Rock City, Spin-meister Chuck Klosterman
takes a look at life through the eyes of…well…Chuck Klosterman.
Championing opinions few others even consider (e.g., that Coldplay songs
“deliver an amorphous, irrefutable interpretation of how being in love is
supposed to feel,” that the Dixie Chicks are “the new Van Halen,” and that
most men “want women to think like Aimee Mann”), Klosterman brings his
insightful (and at times inciteful) eye to the worlds of emo, Techno and
other musical and non-musical forums. Pitting Toby (as in Keith) v. Moby
(as in --) and putting Lisa Loeb on the ice planet Hoth, this
self-proclaimed “Rock Chump” and admitted Punk Rock hater interjects
inter-chapter “interludes” on topics ranging from Johnny Cask to the
Monkees, adding even more musical madness to the literary mix. In so
doing, Klosterman defends the age-old triumvirate of “low culture” while
enhancing each part thereof with his pithy perspectives.
 The
Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music
General Editor: Paul Du Noyer
Billboard Books/Watson
Guptill Publications
450 pages
$45
From Classical to Young Country, Blues to Trip-Hop, and Alternative to
Zydeco, The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music lays it all out as
only Billboard could. Though the categories are not alphabetical, the book
is easy to navigate with its broad chapters and comprehensive entries,
many of which include not only descriptions of the given genre, but also
lists of sub-genres and their "leading exponents," artist quotations,
representative musical charts, and even seminal album covers (among its
thousands of illustrations). Each section also includes its own index to
help readers find out more about their favorite bands or less familiar
artists. With a foreword by Sir George Martin, this almost all-in-one
guide to the wonderfully diverse world of music puts it all in perspective
and all in one edifying and enjoyable volume.
 Giants
of Jazz
Studs Terkel
The New Press
203 pages
$22.95
Jazz is a complicated phenomenon. Over 100 years after its inception,
nobody can tell you exactly when or where that magic event actually took
place. In his latest collection of oral history, Pulitzer Prize-winning
author Studs Terkl (Working) takes a shot and, though it may not include
every detail, it is a strong first step. Instead of trying to ascertain
exactly where and when Jazz began, Terkl introduces his readers to a
baker’s dozen of some of the genre’s most prominent characters, depicting
the lives and contributions of each through historical data, personal
anecdotes, spare illustrations and a selective discography. From the
tragic tales of Bix Beiderbeck, Billie Holiday, and Charlie Parker to the
triumphs of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman, Terkl
investigates the story of Jazz through the stories of some of the people
who helped shape it. While some may debate about who others who might have
been included in this collection, Terkl admits to being one of them.
"Thirteen lives do not tell the whole story," he says in the final
chapter. "Jazz is the music of multitudes." And with the help of
Terkl’swell-researched and lyrically written book, even greater multitudes
can now be introduced to its timeless magic.
 The
Song Reader
Lisa Tucker
Downtown Press/Pocket
Books
312 pages
$12
Ever get a song stuck in your head? Find yourself singing the same refrain
over and over, but you don’t know why? Don’t you wish there were someone
to help you figure it out? Well now there is- Sort of. In her debut novel,
journalist/waitress/computer programmer/professor and tour groupie Lisa
Tucker presents Mary Beth Norris, a young woman who turns her small town
on its ear by figuring out the meaning of the music it hears every day.
Though she is kept plenty busy raising her adopted son and taking care of
her younger sister, Mary Beth always has time for music. She spends hours
each day going over the lyrics of favorite songs. Soon, she begins to
offer her sonorous services to neighbors, as a way of helping them deal
with issues they may not even consciously realize they have. As word of
Mary Beth’s special talents spreads, more and more people become
inextricably linked to this sympathetic musical entrepreneur. Eventually,
Mary Beth’s odd calling turns on her, and it is up to those she has tried
to help to return the favor, even if they do not fully understand it.
Along the way, the town rediscovers many of its members, seeing them what
they are, often for the first time. Whether Mary Beth can afford to
continue to provide her services, however, remains to be seen. Written
with vivid imagery and characters that all can recognize, The Song Reader
is a unique vision that many may hope will come to pass. At turns shocking
and inspiring, it is sure to stick with you and make you rethink your
"favorite" songs.
 Lennon
Legend: An illustrated life of John Lennon
James Henke
Chronicle Books
63 pages
$ 40
You know the music. But do you know the man? Now, with the help of Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame administrator and long-time music journalist James
Henke, you can come to have a better and deeper appreciation of the man
who inspired a generation. From his earliest days on Men love Avenue in
Liverpool to his days of milk and honey in Manhattan, Henke takes readers
on a guided tour of one of the most beloved lives in musical history.
Along the way, he introduces many of the people and places that made John
Lennon the man and the musician he was. Filled with scores of original
artwork, photos and special surprises such as copies of original lyric
sheets, removable concert tickets (including a ticket to The Ed Sullivan
Show on August 14, 1965) and promotional fliers, and an hour-long
interview CD that features a live version of the timeless classic
"Imagine," the handsomely slip-cased Lennon Legend makes for a great
introduction for the curious or a treasured chronicling for one of
Lennon’s millions of devoted fans.
 According
to the Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood
(edited by Cora Lowenstein and Philip Dodd)
Chronicle Books
360 pages
$40
They are one of the most enduring and written-about bands in the history
of music. And now, for the first time, fans can hear their story told in
their own words! Filled with informative interviews and pictures (many
never before seen in print), this handsome coffee table book chronicles
the band’s 50-plus year journey. In addition to the band members
themselves, the book also includes commentary from the legendary likes of
Chuck Berry (from whom Keith admits to "lifting every riff") award winning
journalist Carl Hiassen, playwright Tim Rice, and Atlantic Records Ahmet
Ertegun, who brought the Stones to America almost 40 years ago. With a
comprehensive chronology of the band’s personal and professional stories,
a discography covering every album (including personnel and producers),
and a "Who’s Who" of the people who made the band and its members who they
were and are (from Jeff Beck to Muddy Waters), According to the Rolling
Stones is the definitive history of the definitive band of the Rock era.
 Guitar:
A Complete Guide for the Player
Dave Hunter (editor)
Thunder Bay Press
312 pages
$11.99
Don’t know an F-hole from an F- chord? Unsure about how many Farads your
axe can handle? Can’t tell ebony from ebonol? Don’t fret (guitar pun).
This book has got you covered. From Fender and Gibson to Martin and
Parker, Acoustic and Classical to Rock and Metal, and John Abercrombie to
Frédéric Zigante, this well-toned tome will help you figure out where to
take your musical inclinations and learn about many (though not all) of
the past masters you may meet along the way. Whether you want to know how
a guitar is made, maintained and played or how to modify and amplify it to
get the sounds of your favorite six-stringed heroes, this well-titled
guide is complete indeed. In addition to an extensive illustrated
glossary, it includes chord and fingering exercises, and even fingerboard
radius and scale length charts to help get you on your way or to take your
playing to the next level. Though not exactly portable, this substantial
reference book will be a great go-to guide for almost any player or
aficionado.
c. 2004, M. S. Robinson, ARR
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