Music & Movies

This book presents a selection of more than 150 superb Color & B&W images. Where previous jazz photographers captured their subjects in the dark, smoky environs of nightclubs, Claxton capitalized on the sun and surf of southern California, posing artists...

An unprecedented insider's look at one of cinema's landmark works and the lasting effect it still has on our culture, this oral and visual history of "Do the Right Thing"--celebrating the movie's 20th anniversary--is told entirely by those who starred in...

This biography on reggae legend Bob Marley reflects the growing popularity and legacy that continues to grow more than 27 years after the singer's death from cancer at age 36. Steckles has been writing about the reggae music scene for many years, and he...

Alice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author with a "lively, engaging, and often wise" (The New York Times Book Review) voice, offers a lyrical, introspective, and unforgettable account of her past and her search for the first family of...

Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) possessed one of the twentieth century's most astonishing voices. In this first major biography since Fitzgerald's death, historian Judith Tick offers a sublime portrait of this ambitious risk-taker whose exceptional musical...

Celebrate the music that has shaped the culture and given us some of the greatest hits of all time with this vibrantly illustrated anthology, featuring 50 of the most lauded, controversial, and iconic hip-hop albums! From underground roots to mainstream...

The first and only estate-authorized biography of the legendary artist, Tupac Shakur, a moving exploration of his life and powerful legacy, fully illustrated with photos, mementos, handwritten poetry, musings, and more Artist, poet, actor, revolutionary,...

What is the essence of black dance in America? To answer that question, Brenda Dixon Gottschild maps an unorthodox 'geography', the geography of the black dancing body, to show the central place black dance has in American culture. From the feet to the...

* 2018 "12 best books to give this holiday season" --TODAY (Elizabeth Acevedo)* A "Best Book of 2017" --Rolling Stone (2018), NPR, Buzzfeed, Paste Magazine, Esquire, Chicago Tribune, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, CBC, Stereogum, National Post, Entropy, Heavy, Book...

Do you have a ride or die chick in your life? A ride or die chick is a Black woman who holds down her family and community. She's that friend or family member that you can call up in the middle of the night to bail you out of jail, if ever needed, and...

The triumphant story of how an all-Black Broadway cast and crew changed musical theatre--and the world--forever. This musical introduced Black excellence to the Great White Way. Broadway was forever changed and we, who stand on the shoulders of our...

New York Times Book Review Editor's Pick: The untold story of 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Sister Rosetta Tharpe, America's first rock guitar diva Long before women in rock became a media catchphrase, African American guitar virtuoso Rosetta...

Casual listeners and die-hard purists, test your hip-hop knowledge in this 300-card trivia spinoff from the live game show, The Questions--just in time for hip-hop's 50th birthday! Which Judd Apatow film stars Eminem as himself? Which Broadway Musical...

(Piano Solo Songbook). A collection of the original sheet music for 39 classic standards, featuring the arrangements of 'Fats' Waller, Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, James P. Johnson, Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, Count Basie, Clarence Williams, Jay McShann,...

For practitioners and fans, jazz expresses the deepest meanings of life. Its rich history and its distinctive elements like improvisation and syncopation unite to create an unrepeatable and inexpressible aesthetic experience. But for others, jazz is an...

Considered the foremost exponent of Afrofuturism, Sun Ra mastered a wide array of styles that spanned jazz, R&B, exotica, Afro-hybrids, electronic, big band, solo piano, orchestral, experimental, and chamber works. In his 45-year recording career, he...