Leslie Gourse's Books

Sassy

The Life Of Sarah Vaughan

By: Leslie Gourse

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Sassy

The Life Of Sarah Vaughan

By: Leslie Gourse

Sarah Vaughan possessed the most spectacular voice in jazz history. In Sassy, Leslie Gourse, the acclaimed biographer of Nat King Cole and Joe Williams, defines and celebrates Vaughan’s vital musical legacy and offers a detailed portrait of the woman as well as the singer. Revealed here is ”The Divine One” as only her closest friends and musical associates knew her. By her early twenties Sarah Vaughan was singining with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Billy Eckstine, helping them invent bebop. For forty-five years thereafter, she reigned supreme in both pop and jazz, with several million-selling hits (among them ”Broken Hearted Melody,” ”Make Yourself Comfortable,” and ”Misty”).But life offstage was never smooth for Sarah Vaughan. Her voluptuous voice was matched by her exuberant appetite for excess: three failed marriages, financial difficulties through many changes in management, late-night jam sessions, liquor, and cocaine. In Sassy, though, we also see the feisty and unpretentious woman who worked hard all her life to support her parents and adopted daughter, and who came to savor the hard-won independence and worldwide acclaim she achieved as the greatest jazz singer of her generation.

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Page Count

330

Publisher

Da Capo Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0786751142

ISBN 13

9780786751143

Madame Jazz

Contemporary Women Instrumentalists

By: Leslie Gourse

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Madame Jazz

Contemporary Women Instrumentalists

By: Leslie Gourse

Nadine Jansen, a flugelhornist and pianist, remembers a night in the 1940s when a man came out of the audience as she was playing both instruments. "I hate to see a woman do that," he explained as he hit the end of her horn, nearly chipping her tooth. Half a century later, a big band named Diva made its debut in New York on March 30, 1993, with Melissa Slocum on bass, Sue Terry on alto sax, Lolly Bienenfeld on trombone, Sherrie Maricle on drums, and a host of other first rate instrumentalists. The band made such a good impression that it was immediately booked to play at Carnegie Hall the following year. For those who had yet to notice, Diva signaled the emergence of women musicians as a significant force in jazz. Madame Jazz is a fascinating invitation to the inside world of women in jazz. Ranging primarily from the late 1970s to today's vanguard of performance jazz in New York City and on the West Coast, it chronicles a crucial time of transition as women make the leap from novelty acts regarded as second class citizens to sought-out professionals admired and hired for their consummate musicianship. Author Leslie Gourse surveys the scene in the jazz clubs, the concert halls, the festivals, and the recording studios from the musicians' point of view. She finds exciting progress on all fronts, but also lingering discrimination. The growing success of women instrumentalists has been a long time in coming, she writes. Long after women became accepted as writers and, to a lesser extent, as visual artists, women in music--classical, pop, or jazz--faced the nearly insuperable barrier of chauvinism and the still insidious force of tradition and habit that keeps most men performing with the musicians they have always worked with, other men. Gourse provides dozens of captivating no-holds-barred interviews with both rising stars and seasoned veterans. Here are up-and-coming pianists Renee Rosnes and Rachel Z., trumpeter Rebecca Coupe Frank, saxophonist Virginia Mayhew, bassist Tracy Wormworth, and drummer Terri Lynne Carrington, and enduring legends Dorothy Donegan, Marian McParland and Shirley Horne. Here, as well, are conversations with three pioneering business women: agent and producer Helen Keane, manager Linda Goldstein, and festival and concert producer Cobi Narita. All of the women speak insightfully about their inspiration and their commitment to pursuing the music they love. They are also frank about the realities of life on the road, and the extra dues women musicians pay in a tough and competitive field where everybody pays dues. A separate chapter offers a closer look at women musicians and the continual stress confronting those who would combine love, marriage, and/or motherhood with a life in music. Madame Jazz is about the history that women jazz instrumentalists are making now, as well as an inspiring preview of the even brighter days ahead. It concludes with Frankie Nemko's lively evaluation of the West Coast jazz scene, and appends the most comprehensive list ever assembled of women currently playing instruments professionally.

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Page Count

304

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195355555

ISBN 13

9780195355550

Jim Henson

By: Leslie Gourse

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Jim Henson

By: Leslie Gourse

A biography of Jim Henson, the famous puppeteer and creator of the Muppets.

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Page Count

164

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

0689833989

ISBN 13

9780689833984

Pocahontas

Young Peacemaker

By: Leslie Gourse

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Pocahontas

Young Peacemaker

By: Leslie Gourse

Examines the life of the Indian princess Pocahontas and her contact with English settlers, especially John Smith.

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Page Count

182

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

0689808089

ISBN 13

9780689808081

Sassy

The Life Of Sarah Vaughan

By: Leslie Gourse

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Sassy

The Life Of Sarah Vaughan

By: Leslie Gourse

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Page Count

330

Publisher

Da Capo Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0786751142

ISBN 13

9780786751143

Teaching Literacy Through the Arts

By: Nan Leslie McDonald,Douglas Fisher

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Teaching Literacy Through the Arts

By: Nan Leslie McDonald,Douglas Fisher

Accessible and hands-on yet grounded in research, this book addresses the "whats," "whys," and "how-tos" of integrating literacy instruction and the arts in grades K-8. Even teachers without any arts background will gain the skills they need to bring music, drama, visual arts, and dance into their classrooms. Provided are a wealth of specific resources and activities that other teachers have successfully used to build students' oral language, concepts of print, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing, while also promoting creativity and self-expression. Special features include reproducible worksheets and checklists for developing, evaluating, and implementing arts-related lesson plans.

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Page Count

209

Publisher

Guilford Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1593852800

ISBN 13

9781593852801

Jazz Books in the 1990s

An Annotated Bibliography

By: Janice Leslie Hochstat Greenberg

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Jazz Books in the 1990s

An Annotated Bibliography

By: Janice Leslie Hochstat Greenberg

This annotated bibliography contains over 700 entries covering adult non-fiction books on jazz published from 1990 through 1999. Entries are organized by category, including biographies, history, individual instruments, essays and criticism, musicology, regional studies, discographies, and reference works. Three indexes—by title, author, and subject—are included.

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Page Count

232

Publisher

Scarecrow Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0810869861

ISBN 13

9780810869868

The Best Guided Walking Tours of New York City for Residents and Tourists

By: Leslie Gourse

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The Best Guided Walking Tours of New York City for Residents and Tourists

By: Leslie Gourse

Among a sea of guidebooks on one of the most visited cities in the world, only this one recommends and describes the established guided walking tours of New York City's varied neighborhoods. The only guide of its kind. Maps.

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Page Count

244

Published Date

ISBN 10

0871066378

ISBN 13

9780871066374

Wynton Marsalis

Skain's Domain a Biography

By: Leslie Gourse

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Wynton Marsalis

Skain's Domain a Biography

By: Leslie Gourse

New softcover edition. In the first, full-length biography of this masterful trumpeter, composer, and founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Leslie Gourse reveals the private side of one of the most talented and controversial figures in music today. Written with the full participation of Wynton Marsalis, and based on hours of interviews.

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Page Count

320

Publisher

Schirmer Trade Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0825672880

ISBN 13

9780825672880

Madame Jazz

Contemporary Women Instrumentalists

By: Leslie Gourse

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Madame Jazz

Contemporary Women Instrumentalists

By: Leslie Gourse

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Page Count

304

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195355555

ISBN 13

9780195355550

Pocahontas

Young Peacemaker

By: Leslie Gourse

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Pocahontas

Young Peacemaker

By: Leslie Gourse

Examines the life of the Indian princess Pocahontas and her contact with English settlers, especially John Smith.

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Page Count

182

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

0689808089

ISBN 13

9780689808081

Jim Henson

By: Leslie Gourse

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Jim Henson

By: Leslie Gourse

A biography of Jim Henson, the famous puppeteer and creator of the Muppets.

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Page Count

164

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

0689833989

ISBN 13

9780689833984

Billie Holiday

The Tragedy and Triumph of Lady Day

By: Leslie Gourse

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Billie Holiday

The Tragedy and Triumph of Lady Day

By: Leslie Gourse

Relates the story of the Afro-American woman who, despite a turbulent life, became one of the most famous singers in the history of jazz.

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Page Count

127

Publisher

Orchard Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0531157539

ISBN 13

9780531157534

Swingers and Crooners

The Art of Jazz Singing

By: Leslie Gourse

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Swingers and Crooners

The Art of Jazz Singing

By: Leslie Gourse

Describes the lives of notable jazz singers, traces their influence on one another, and investigates the impact of different innovators on the development of jazz music.

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Page Count

144

Published Date

ISBN 10

0531113213

ISBN 13

9780531113219

Blowing on the Changes

The Art of the Jazz Horn Players

By: Leslie Gourse

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Blowing on the Changes

The Art of the Jazz Horn Players

By: Leslie Gourse

Describes the lives and artistry of some of the best-known jazz horn players, traces their influence on one another, and investigates the impact of different innovators on the development of jazz music

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Page Count

144

Published Date

ISBN 10

0531113574

ISBN 13

9780531113578

Wynton Marsalis

Trumpet Genius

By: Leslie Gourse

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Wynton Marsalis

Trumpet Genius

By: Leslie Gourse

Discusses the life and musical career of the African American trumpet player known for his performances of popular, jazz, and classical music.

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Page Count

112

Publisher

Franklin Watts

Published Date

ISBN 10

0531164071

ISBN 13

9780531164075

Unforgettable

The Life and Mystique of Nat King Cole

By: Leslie Gourse

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Unforgettable

The Life and Mystique of Nat King Cole

By: Leslie Gourse

Discusses Nat King Cole, whose satin voice belied his rough life, detailing his Alabama boyhood, his marriages, his revolutionary jazz piano style, and his struggles with prejudice and hatred

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Page Count

309

Publisher

New York : St. Martin's Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0312059825

ISBN 13

9780312059828

Deep Down in Music

The Art of the Great Jazz Bassists

By: Leslie Gourse

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Deep Down in Music

The Art of the Great Jazz Bassists

By: Leslie Gourse

Presents the lives and artistry of notable jazz bassists, traces their influence on one another, and investigates the impact of various innovations on the development of jazz music.

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Page Count

144

Published Date

ISBN 10

0531114104

ISBN 13

9780531114100

Gloria Estefan

Pop Sensation

By: Leslie Gourse

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Gloria Estefan

Pop Sensation

By: Leslie Gourse

Presents a biography of the Cuban-born singer and composer.

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Page Count

116

Published Date

ISBN 10

0516238396

ISBN 13

9780516238395

Aretha Franklin

Lady Soul

By: Leslie Gourse

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Aretha Franklin

Lady Soul

By: Leslie Gourse

Traces the singer's musical roots, describes her accomplishments in soul, gospel, jazz, and other types of music, and recounts the ups and downs of her singing career and her personal life

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Page Count

160

Publisher

Franklin Watts

Published Date

ISBN 10

0531157504

ISBN 13

9780531157503

Timekeepers

The Great Jazz Drummers

By: Leslie Gourse

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Timekeepers

The Great Jazz Drummers

By: Leslie Gourse

Discusses the role of drumming in jazz and surveys some of the greatest jazz drummers in history, from Warren Baby Dodds and Arthur Zutty Singleton to Tony Williams and Elvin Jones.

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