The
Jazz and Blues Lover's Guide to the U.S. : With More Than 900 Hot
Clubs, Cool Joints, Landmarks and Legends, from Boogie-Woogie to
Bop and Beyond by Christiane Bird
This guide to more than 900 "hot clubs,
cool joints, landmarks and legends, from Boogie-Woogie to Bop and
Beyond" offers a lot in a small package-an important slice of
musical history; a travel guide; interesting social commentary,
particularly about race relations in this country; and
entertaining anecdotes. Christiane Bird bemoans the fate of blues
and jazz, which as America's most original art form, has never
attained the kind of sustained attention it deserves. Her book
really is a celebration-an inside look at all the places where
jazz and blues live-national clubs that pull in talent from all
over the country, the little hole-in-the-wall places that feature
local talent and the yuppie in-betweeners. Splitting the country
into regions, and within each, larger cities, chapters briefly
outline a particular city's jazz and blues history, mention
locations of musical landmarks, and then cover the music scene as
it is now (including record stores, radio shows, etc.). Specific
entries on clubs include address, description and ambience, who
plays there regularly, and other pertinent data. Written in an
easygoing, intelligent style, this is a top notch guide for
finding your way to the best of the best blues and jazz spots
across the country. -- From
The
WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the
Community for Women; review by PH
There's
No Business Like Show Business (1954)
An Irving Berlin musical about a
"show-biz" family. Tunes include the famous title song
as well as "Remember," "Heat Wave," "Play
a Simple Melody."
Starring: Ethel Merman, Donald
O'Connor, et al.
Director: Walter Lang
Choreographed by Jack Cole
Academy Award Nominations: Best Motion
Picture Story, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, Best (Color)
Costume Design.
Gentlemen
Prefer Blondes (1953)
Anita Loos's old story from the 1920s about a
pair of single women in search of husbands gets a makeover in
Howard Hawks's 1953 musical, starring Jane Russell and Marilyn
Monroe as friends who go to Paris looking for mates. The film is
charged by Hawks's stylish snap, a famous set piece or two (Monroe
descending that staircase while singing "Diamonds Are a
Girl's Best Friend"), Russell's wit, and songs by Leo Robin
and Jule Styne. The film may largely be a fluff project best
remembered as a showcase for its leading actresses, but then
Monroe and Russell rarely got such extended opportunities to prove
that they were more than cinematic icons. --Tom Keogh
Starring: Jane Russell, Marilyn
Monroe, et al.
Director: Howard Hawks
Choreographed by Jack Cole
