What I didn’t know [when starting to research and write this book]: I would become full-on, hopelessly obsessed with finding out every arcane detail about the artists gathered in these pages, whether they are living or long gone. Those myriad facts are puzzle pieces that—even though some pieces are missing—form portraits of extraordinary people with a hunger for jazz and other creative artforms, a determination to overcome struggles, and a deep joy for creating profound expression. —Chris Wong, from the Preface and Introduction to Journeys to the Bandstand. Journeys to the Bandstand: Thirty Jazz Lives in Vancouver chronicles the creative lives and musical journeys of thirty extraordinary artists who have helped shape the jazz scene in the west coast Canadian city, and further afield. Each chapter focuses on one remarkable artist, or a small group of impactful musicians, mostly based in Vancouver (Al Neil, Dave Quarin, Brad Turner, Cory Weeds, Jodi Proznick, Natasha D’Agostino, and others). The book also highlights some American musicians (Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Dr. Lonnie Smith, George Coleman, and others) who have made an indelible impression on the city’s jazz community. Weaving a first-person perspective—through the author’s experiences hearing the musicians perform and documenting oral history from in-depth interviews—with extensive written and audio-visual history gathered from articles, letters, recordings, films, and more, Journeys to the Bandstand is a compelling collection of long-form portraits. The unique life stories of each subject include challenges—addictions, anxiety and self-doubt, racism, abuse, and other hard realities—and triumphs when they succeeded in making expressive and memorable music. Each individual path forms a complex and fascinating passage—the journey to the bandstand.

John Norseman looks back at the incredible journey that led him to become the CEO of four major companies, travel throughout the world, and eventually become a shaman. The story begins with his traumatic childhood, which taught him the importance of learning to forgive others and close doors to move forward with confidence. As you read his story, you’ll learn valuable lessons, such as following your heart instead of your head, the importance of walking away from all negativity, and realizing that the only thing stopping you from achieving what you want are the own blocks in your own mind. Norseman learned from many spiritual healers, teachers, and guides on his journey, and he overcame abuse, rebuilt self-esteem, turned personal weaknesses into strengths, developed right-brain spiritual awareness, and discovered the meaning of love in its spiritual sense. Join a shaman on a life-changing journey, and discover how dreams and determination can help you achieve the impossible.

Journey to the Inner Light: The Life and Musical Voyage of Jay Chattaway, Star Trek, Jazz, and Film Composer is the story of the twentieth-century Emmy Award-winning American composer behind the scores of hundreds of beloved Star Trek television episodes. Jay rose from humble beginnings in southwestern Pennsylvania, where he grew up along the banks of the Monongahela River, simultaneously discovering his talent for music and his love of the open water. This passion for the aquatic—seen in his naval career and his adventures sailing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans—blends seamlessly with his passion for composing original compositions and film scores. In Journey to the Inner Light, the author celebrates Jay’s successes and, at the same time, reveals some of the challenges he faces as he moves through five decades of the music industry. She also opens a window into his private life for a three-dimensional portrait. Additionally, Journey to the Inner Light explores the creative process as Jay attempts to answer the question most asked of him: “Where does the music come from?”

Brad Evans has been an entertainer for over 50 years. Brad and his group, the Encores made a unique sound that crossed racial, ethnic and cultural lines. Starting with Brad's humble beginnings growing up in a small coal mining town in Pitt Gas, PA to rolling with the famous "Rat Pack" as a musician, sideman. Brad lived in an adult Disneyland a wold where partying, booze, super fine ladies and big money was the norm in the raucous 50,s, 60's and 70's. He crossed paths with the mob and rubbed shoulders and became friends with some of America's biggest stars like Elvis, The Rat Pack, Nat King Cole, Frankie Laine, Phyllis Diller and many other celebrities of the day. He was popular, in demand and was asked to perform with with headliners. Brad and his groups on-stage presence made him something of a Vegas nightclub staple. Brad also has a number of colorful relationships. This book is an interesting tale of a musicians life of ambition, heartache -- and a life with few regrets.

August 1961 was a month to remember for Jim Pike. That was the month his song "The Way You Look Tonight" hit the charts at number thirteen in the nation. From that moment on, Jim Pike and The Lettermen would be known around the world. Jim had everything going for him. Then, in 1975 and at the height of his fame, he lost his golden voice. For the next decade, he spoke only in whispers. He had to give up The Lettermen. For the next ten years, he struggled with the fear that he may never be able to sing again. But when, miraculously, he was reunited with his voice, he took it as a sign. Reunion, his new group, was born. After suffering for a decade, he overcame one of the biggest tragedies of his life. Losing his voice cost him much more than just his career, but when he got it back, he also regained a greater appreciation for his family, his life, and his music. Through it all, Jim realized that what seemed like a tragedy was really a blessing. In the process of finding his voice again, what he really found was himself.

Includes a new foreword by Rob Rinder 'Filled with short, well-informed and often heart-rending accounts of the fate of the Jews' TLS 'HOLOCAUST JOURNEY travels along the tracks of a history we would rather forget to the sites of wartime horror, and is also a moving excavation of the past' INDEPENDENT In June 1996 Martin Gilbert took a group of students on a two-week journey across middle-Europe which encompassed all the major places in the Holocaust - from Wannsee where the extermination of the Jews was decreed, to the camps themselves, via deserted Jewish communities and synagogues as well as the sites of the ghettos and deportation. 'The achievement of Gilbert's HOLOCAUST JOURNEY is to reduce to comprehensible, human terms of the scale of the genocide that to many is still unimaginable' LITERARY REVIEW

Spanning forty years, the second book in John Nichols's New Mexico trilogy, The Magic Journey, tells the tale of how relentless progress transformed a rural backwater into a boomtown. Boom times came to the forgotten little southwestern town of Chamisaville just as the rest of America was in the Great Depression. They came when a rattletrap bus loaded with stolen dynamite blew sky-high, leaving behind a giant gushing hot spring. Within minutes, the town's wheeler-dealers had organized, and within a year, Chamisaville was flooded with tourists and pilgrims, and the wheeler-dealers were rich. At first, it was a magic time for Chamisaville—almost as if every day were a holiday. But the euphoria gradually dissipated, and the land-hungry developers, speculators, and interlopers moved in. Finally, the day came when Chamisaville's people found themselves all but displaced, their children no longer heirs to their land or their tradition. With mounting intensity, The Magic Journey reaches a climax that is tragically foreordained. A sensitive, vital, and honest chronicle of life in America's Southwest, it is also an incisive commentary on what America has become on its road to progress. The Magic Journey is part of John Nichols's New Mexico trilogy, which includes The Milagro Beanfield War and The Nirvana Blues.

Home - one of the most emotive words in any language. But it can mean different things to different people and, based on extensive interviews, Jennifer Kavanagh explores our outer and inner identities and asks: ‘What does home mean to you?’ Home is not just four walls or the country in which we were born. It is not a locked door, an investment, a legal address, or a nation with rigid borders. Home is where the heart is: a yearning for a precious past, a dream of something that has never been, or a present reality. In relationship – with our families, in community, and with the whole of creation. In this compelling and immensely readable book, Kavanagh suggests that we will never be at home unless we are at home to ourselves. Home is where we all want to be. ,

December 9, 2003, is a day Mary Ann Sheveland will never forget. With the sun just coming up and a fresh pot of coffee perking in the kitchen, she walked into the bedroom she shared with her husband that early December morning and found him dead. Death had come quickly and silently; he was gone. In Mary Anns memoir, Journey of My Heart, she shares a story written with love, humility, and a great amount of faith. It is an account of emotional courage, determination, and the desire to have the best quality of life in our allotted time. She chronicles the challenges faced when caring for a terminally ill spouse and the love that she and her husband shared during the good and the bad times of their crisis. Journey of My Heart also tells how Mary Ann overcame grief using the tools of music, journaling, travel, and the various social activities she depended upon to put her in a positive frame of mind. She hopes to help illuminate the steps along the slippery road of a progressively worsening medical condition. Gradually, with every day, she became stronger, more independent, and at peace with her new life. She emerged from grief a completely different person; she is a survivor.

Brad Evans has been an entertainer for over 50 years. Brad and his group, "The Encores," made a unique sound that crossed all racial, ethnic and cultural lines. Starting with Brad's humble beginnings growing up in a small coal mining town in Pitt Gas, Pennsylvania, to rolling with the famous "Rat Pack", as a musician, sideman and studio musician. Brad lived in an adult Disneyland, a world where partying, booze, superfine ladies and big money was the norm in the raucous 50s, 60s and 70s. He crossed paths with the mob an rubbed shoulders and became friends with some of America's biggest stars like: Elvis, The Rat Pack, Nat King Cole and daughter Natalie, Frankie Laine, Phyliss Diller, Burt Reynolds and many other celebrities of the day. He was popular, in demand, an was asked to perform with headliners. Brad was a shy and polite person who accepted the entertainment business in stride. Brad and his groups on-stage presence made him somewhat of a Vegas nightclub staple. Brad became involved with numerous women during his music career and had many colorful relationships. This book is an interesting tale of a musicians life of ambition, heartaches - -and a life with few regrets.