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      • Biography & True Stories
        January 2021

        The Lady Swings

        Memoirs of a Jazz Drummer

        by Dottie Dodgion and Wayne Enstice

        Dottie Dodgion is a jazz drummer who played with the best. A survivor, she lived an entire lifetime before she was seventeen. Undeterred by hardships, she defied the odds and earned a seat as a woman in the exclusive men’s club of jazz. Her dues-paying path as a musician took her from early work with Charles Mingus to being hired by Benny Goodman at Basin Street East on her first day in New York. From there she broke new ground as a woman who played a “man’s instrument” in first-string, all-male New York City jazz bands. Her inspiring memoir talks frankly about her music and the challenges she faced, and shines a light into the jazz world of the 1960s and 1970s.

      • Chemistry
        October 2013

        Forensic drug analysis

        by Olaf Drummer, Dimitri Gerostamoulos

        Forensic drug testing brings together multiple related disciplines toward the detection and identification of drugs and poisons, together with interpretation of the findings, for medico-legal purposes. Laboratories conducting such testing should have certification or accreditation and the forensic drug analysts require a high degree of competency. This ten chapter book provides a thorough overview of the field, addressing issues such as collection of evidence, pre-analytical issues, types of substances, strategies and techniques in analysis and interpretation of data.

      • Music

        Postcards From a Rock and Roll Tour

        by Gordy Marshall

        Postcards From a Rock & Roll Tour is drummer Gordy Marshall's witty and wry take on life on the road touring with legendary rock band The Moody Blues. Part memoir, part travelogue, it's a candid, unexpected and often hilarious account of just what it's like to travel around the world playing to sell-out audiences, living out of a suitcase and spending days and days on a tour bus. If you thought being in a rock band was all sex, drugs and rock and roll, then think again. Postcards From a Rock & Roll Tour gives a rare insight into the reality of life as a travelling musician. Includes a foreword by the legendary Graeme Edge of The Moody Blues.

      • Music

        The View from the Back of the Band

        The Life and Music of Mel Lewis

        by Chris Smith

        Mel Lewis (1929-1990) was born Melvin Sokoloff to Jewish Russian immigrants in Buffalo, New York. He first picked up his father's drumsticks at the age of two and at 17 he was a full-time professional musician. The View from the Back of the Band is the first biography of this legendary jazz drummer. For over fifty years, Lewis provided the blueprint for how a drummer could subtly support any musical situation. While he made his name with Stan Kenton and Thad Jones, and with his band at the Village Vanguard, it was the hundreds of recordings that he made as a sideman and his ability to mentor young musicians that truly defined his career.  Away from the drums, Lewis's passionate and outspoken personality made him one of jazz music's greatest characters. It is often through Lewis's own anecdotes, as well as many from the musicians who knew him best, that this book traces the career of one of the world's greatest drummers.  Previously unpublished interviews, personal memoirs, photos, musical transcriptions, and a selected discography add to this comprehensive biography.

      • Fiction
        October 2021

        Yumi and her Band. Vermin Superstar

        by J. Olloqui

        My name is Yumi and I am ten years old. When I grow up I'm going to be a drummer in a rock band, because it's a profession with a great future and I'm sure I'll become rich and famous.The incredible story I'm going to tell you started because we wanted to record a video clip. And then my friend Vermin decided that he was going to be a rock star. Then I got in trouble, and my father made me promise to always tell the truth, but because of that I got in even more trouble. Meanwhile, my sister Alex and I put a border in the middle of our room, and neither could enter the other's territory. And my mother, who goes her own way, forced my brother Tetete and me to accompany her to the premiere of the new movie of her favorite star saga. In the end we filmed the video clip, but the school made a three-dimensional fuss. Of course, we were not to blame, for the record.Here I will explain all these things to you, and some more that I can't remember now. Real truly truth. Second volume of the children's book saga of Yumi and her Band.(ISBN 978-84-949237-9-1) This book won the November 2021 Spanish National Pop Eye Award in the category of children's and young adult literature. Yumi and her Band is one of the 9 children's titles selected by the panel of German experts for the "Buchtipps unserer Experten" section as being the most suitable for translation and marketing in German-speaking countries on the www.newspanishbooks.de portal in 2021. New Spanish Books ist ein Projekt des spanischen Außenhandelsinstituts ICEX in Kooperation mit dem spanischen Verlegerverband FGEE. Es soll Verlagen aus dem deutschen Sprachraum den Zugang zu neuen Büchern aus Spanien erleichtern und ihnen eine Entscheidungshilfe bei der Auswahl übersetzungswerter Titel geben. New Spanish Books is a project of the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute ICEX in cooperation with the Spanish publishers' association FGEE. It is intended to make it easier for publishers from the German-speaking world to gain access to new books from Spain and to help them decide which titles are worth translating.

      • January 2018

        What If

        by Anna Russell

        Josh Baker isn't sure why his brain tells him to do things that other people don't need to do: checking his locker again and again, counting cracks in ceilings, and always needing to finish a song, for starters. He is a talented drummer, a math genius, and he knows everything about rock and roll. Yet, he knows his problems have the power to hurt his family and make him fail at school. When Josh is diagnosed with OCD, it's a blessing and a curse. Can he overcome his thoughts, or will they break him?

      • The Arts: General Issues
        November 2020

        The Seekers

        Meetings with Remarkable Musicians

        by John Densmore

        The iconic drummer of The Doors investigates his own relationship with creativity and explores the meaning of artistry with other artists and performers in this compelling and spellbinding memoir.   Whether it's the curiosity that blossoms after we listen to our favorite band's newest record, or the sheer admiration we feel after watching a knockout performance, many of us have experienced art so pure-so innovative-that we can't help but wonder afterwards: "How did they do that?" And yet, few of us are in a position to be able to ask those memorable legends where their inspiration comes from and how they translated it into something fresh and new. Fortunately for us, this book is here to offer us a bridge. In The Seekers, John Densmore-the iconic drummer of The Doors and author of the New York Times bestseller Riders on the Storm-digs deep into his own process and draws upon his privileged access to his fellow artists and performers in order to explore the origins of creativity itself. Weaving together anecdotes from the author's personal notebooks and experiences over the past fifty years, this book takes readers on a rich, thought-provoking journey into the soul of the artist. By understanding creativity's roots, Densmore ultimately introduces us to the realm of everyday inspirations that imbue our lives with meaning. Inspired by the classic spiritual memoir Meetings with Remarkable Men, this book is fueled by Densmore's abundant collection of transformative experiences-both personal and professional-with everyone from Ravi Shankar to Patti Smith, Jim Morrison to Janis Joplin, Bob Marley to Gustavo Dudamel, Lou Reed to Van Morrison, Jerry Lee Lewis to his own dear, late Doors bandmate Ray Manzarek. Ultimately, the result is not only a look into the hearts and minds of some of the most important artists of the past century-but a way for readers to identify and ignite their own creative spark, and light their own fire.

      • Literature & Literary Studies
        August 2020

        Mississippi

        by Jochen Markhorst

        MISSISSIPPI“I know of two versions of Mississippi. We thought we were done with “Love And Theft”, and then afriend of Bob’s passed him a note, and he said, oh, yeah, I forgot about this: Mississippi,” drummerDavid Kemper tells in 2008.For any other artist it would be a career highlight, but Dylan "forgets" he still has a masterpiece likeMississippi shelved in a drawer. The song has been in that drawer for almost five years. During the runupto and the recordings for Time Out Of Mind, in 1996 and 1997, Dylan made a few attempts, but inthe end, out of dissatisfaction with Daniel Lanois's approach, he rejects the recordings. The release ofthose rejected recordings, on The Bootleg Series: Tell Tale Signs (2008), doesn't really reveal what mayhave dissatisfied the master. Beautiful versions of an extraordinary song. The sound, perhaps - thathard to grasp quality to which Dylan attaches so much importance. In any case, this umpteenth attempt,in 2001, for "Love And Theft" is apparently satisfactory to his ears. Textually there are small differences,an intro has been added, but decisive - presumably - is that sound.Markhorst dives into the grandiose lyrics, the irresistible musical accompaniment, the rich musichistorical roots and the literary brilliance of one of Dylan's majestic masterpieces - and demonstrateswhy the song belongs in the outside category of songs like Desolation Row, Like A Rolling Stone andWhere Are You Tonight.

      • Poetry by individual poets
        January 1986

        A Different Drummer

        Poems

        by Jack Clemo

        The mellow outlook of Jack Clemo's work in later life is evident in this selecton, arranged in five parts, of poems inspired by his own circumstances, other writers and artists, music and places, biography and spirituality, and more places and people.

      • Adventure
        April 2020

        Yumi and her Band

        by J. Olloqui

        Yumi is ten years old. She wants to be a drummer in a rock band to be rich and famous. Now I play drums in a band with my friends. We're not famous yet, and I don't understand why, because we're so cool. Apart from my band, I have Alimaña, who's my best friend, although he's pretty dumb. Besides, my parents spend their lives scolding me, my older sister has a disease called adolescence, and my little brother is a criminal mind locked up in the body of a two-year-old. A children's book similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This book won the November 2021 Spanish National Pop Eye Award in the category of children's and young adult literature.This title is one of the 9 children's titles selected by the panel of German experts for the "Buchtipps unserer Experten" section as being the most suitable for translation and marketing in German-speaking countries on the www.newspanishbooks.de portal in 2021. New Spanish Books ist ein Projekt des spanischen Außenhandelsinstituts ICEX in Kooperation mit dem spanischen Verlegerverband FGEE. Es soll Verlagen aus dem deutschen Sprachraum den Zugang zu neuen Büchern aus Spanien erleichtern und ihnen eine Entscheidungshilfe bei der Auswahl übersetzungswerter Titel geben. New Spanish Books is a project of the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute ICEX in cooperation with the Spanish publishers' association FGEE. It is intended to make it easier for publishers from the German-speaking world to gain access to new books from Spain and to help them decide which titles are worth translating. A second volume entitled "Yumi and her Band. Vermin Superstar" has also been published (ISBN: 978-84-121692-7-0).

      • The Arts

        Rise Up

        Voices of Today's Indigenous Music

        by Craig Harris

        The heartbeat of powwow/round dance drums and the melodies of wooden end-blown flutes have woven into a magnificent tapestry that includes Indigenous rock, blues, pop. jazz, country music, punk, classical, opera, hip-hop, rap, and electronica music. Picking up where my book, Heartbeat, Warble, and the Electronic Powwow (University of Oklahoma Press, 2014) left off, Rise Up brings together the autobiographical reflections of Native American Music Awards (NAMMY), Juno, Grammy, and Polaris Prize winners between 2015 and 2020. The genre’s top artists not only discuss their music but also their memories, heritage, day-to-day lives, and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The very first volume about Native artists working commercially today, Rise Up presents artists speaking for themselves without being filtered through a stereotypical lens. Indigenous communities have been calling for self‐determination in self‐representation in their craft.  Rise Up answers that call.

      • Fiction
        November 2014

        Just Two Weeks

        A Psychological Thriller

        by Amanda Sington-Williams

        After being made redundant from a seemingly secure job Jolene Carr takes a two week break in the sun. On the first day she meets Raquel, another hotel guest. Little does she realise how this apparently innocent acquaintance will lead to terrible and lasting consequences. After a frightening incident she hits a conspiracy of silence from the locals and over the rest of the holiday she feels herself slipping into a vortex of fear. Back home, the nightmare continues and she realises that Raquel is stalking her. Her hippie mother and her partner Mark tell her she is imagining it all. All certainties, even about relationships, become fluid and treacherous as her past begins to unravel. If it wasn't for Rob, her ex-lover who Jolene thinks has his own agenda, she would be left to cope on her own. How much fear and betrayal can one person take?

      • The Arts

        Unstrung

        Rants and Stories of a Noise Guitarist

        by Marc Ribot

        Throughout his genre-defying career as one of the most innovative musicians of our time, iconoclastic guitar player Marc Ribot has consistently defied expectation at every turn. Here, in his first collection of writing, we see that same uncompromising sensibility at work as he playfully interrogates our assumptions about music, life, and death. Through essays, short stories, and the occasional unfilmable film “mistreatment” that showcase the sheer range of his voice, Unstrung captures an artist whose versatility on the page rivals his dexterity onstage. In the first section of the book, “Lies and Distortion,” Ribot turns his attention to his instrument—“my relation to the guitar is one of struggle; I’m constantly forcing it to be something else”—and reflects on his influences (and friends) like Robert Quine (The Voidoids) and producer Hal Willner (Saturday Night Live), while delivering an impassioned plea on behalf of artists’ rights. Elsewhere, we glimpse fragments of Ribot’s life as a traveling musician—he captures both the monotony of touring as well as small moments of beauty and despair on the road. In the heart of the collection, “Sorry, We’re Experiencing Technical Difficulties,” Ribot offers wickedly humorous short stories that synthesize the best elements of the Russian absurdist tradition with the imaginative heft of George Saunders. Taken together, these stories and essays cement Ribot’s position as one of the most dynamic and creative voices of our time.

      • Humour

        More Ketchup than Salsa

        Confessions of a Tenerife Barman

        by Joe Cawley

        Childhood sweethearts, Joe and Joy are broke and bored. They’re also tired of smelling of fish.When offered the chance to escape from the dreary market stalls of England to run a bar on a sub-tropical island, they recklessly jump at the opportunity - despite their spectacular lack of experience.In Tenerife, dreams of a better life overseas are soon crushed by mini-mafias, East European prostitutes and biblical-grade cockroach infestations.Joe and Joy's foreign fantasy turns into a nightmare as they find themselves trapped with a failing bar in a foreign land, pandering to a bar full of oddball expats while trying to stop their relationship crashing into the rocks.Can they save their business, their dreams, and their relationship before it's too late..."If you've ever wondered if the grass really is greener on the other side, you need to read this hilarious and heartwarming memoir now!""A book full of humor, laughter and tears.""Loved the story, the humour, the characters - found it hard to put down.""Thank you for hours of true entertainment...""I've read a lot of travel-abroad memoirs and enjoyed many of them. This is my favorite... by a long way."

      • Fiction
        June 2011

        Songs of Bliss

        by Clive Gilson

        Songs of Bliss is a Dancing Pig Original publication - showcasing work by author Clive Gilson. Songs was Clive's first published novel. Just how far will a father go to protect his daughter, especially when his 'protection' is so fundamentally flawed?Billy Whitlow, one time "Don of Doo Wop", has survived his days of drink, drugs and groupies, settling now into a more peaceful life centred on his blossoming seventeen year old daughter Bex. Revising for her 'A' Levels, Bex visits Billy one Easter but the longed-for simplicity of father-daughter happiness is shattered one night in a local club.Billy's world becomes one of questions; Why is his daughter in a drug induced coma? Who put her in that state? How in the name of Hell is he going to make them pay?

      • The Dancer

        by Ahmad Tohari

        The spirit of Hamlet Paruk back stretched since Srintil was crowned a new ronggeng, replacing the last ronggeng that died twelve years ago. For the small, poor, remote and modest population, ronggeng is a symbol. Without it, the shaman feels lost his identity. Srintil soon became a very famous and loved figure. Beautiful and seductive. Everyone wants to be with that ronggeng From ordinary subjects to village and district officials. But the political catastrophe in 1965 made the hamlet destroyed, both physically and mentally. Because of their ignorance, they are carried away and convicted as human beings who have shaken this country. The hamlet was burned. Ronggeng and his drummers were arrested. It was only because of her beauty that Srintil was not treated arbitrarily by the authorities in the prison. But his bitter experience as a political prisoner made Srintil aware of his human dignity.

      • Fiction

        El rencor vino del frío (The rancour came from the cold)

        by Óscar Barrientos Bradasic

        In distant waters, exploring a toothed pedestal, Captain Drummer encounters an anthropomorphic mutant with tentacles. His face, however, is human, too human: “He looks a little like my uncle Victor.” This is the story of how Victor Colitis fits into society despite his anomaly. But that ugliness is moral, his resentment comes from the cold that incubated him and Victor cannot help becoming a poet who betrays the just causes. In these ten tales the renowned Magellanic author Óscar Barrientos Bradasic plays in contrast with an elegant and careful writing, which raises stories of dark or pedestrian origin. Undefined creatures full of revolutionary ideologies, big or ridiculous scams, disguises of mythical animals or characters of Tolkien, adventures of corporeos and contaminated rivers that engender, bars that are refuge for the climate or fantastic sect of maritime worship; the southern end of the world is mysterious and trembling but also magical and full of tenderness.

      • The Arts
        October 2020

        The Art of Jazz

        A Visual History

        by Alyn Shipton; foreword by John Edward Hasse

        The Art of Jazz celebrates the ways in which the expressionism and spontaneity of jazz – the twentieth century’s most influential of musical art forms – spilled onto its album art, posters, and promotional photography, and even inspired standalone works of art. As John Edward Hasse, curator at the Smithsonian Institution Museum of American History, writes in the introduction: “Jazz appears most directly to the ear but also engages the eye. Yet the visual dimension of jazz is often overlooked.” Internationally renowned broadcaster and writer Alyn Shipton explores how graphic designers, photographers, artists, and illustrators crafted a fresh visual language for the new music. Arranged chronologically, each chapter covers a key period in jazz history, from the earliest days of the twentieth century right up to postmodern jazz and the twenty-first century. Lavishly produced and with over 350 photos and illustrations, The Art of Jazz is both a timely and significant contribution to the literature of this intrepid art form.

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