Sweet and Lowdown, Woody Allen's film from 1999, starred Sean Penn as the legendary, but fictitious jazz guitarist of the '30s, Emmett Ray. Emmett considered himself to be the second greatest jazz guitarist in the world next to Django Reinhardt. the versatile Howard Alden played all of the solo acoustic guitar parts for the movie, as well as coaching Mr. Penn to play guitar for his role (for which he received an Oscar nomination, best actor). This book contains note-for-note transcriptions in both standard notation and tab of Howard's Django-esque interpretations and improvisations of classic standards of the 1930s, as well as original solo guitar pieces written by Woody's longtime musical director, jazz pianist Dick Hyman. Sweet and Lowdown contributed greatly to the recent renewal of interest in and revival of swing and gypsy jazz guitar. Howard's guitar work is a warm and personal example of the timeless musical vocabulary of swing guitar.

Brief biographies of songwriters, with lists of songs and of the shows or films in which the songs were first presented.

Thoroughly revised and updated for 2005! Includes a new chapter on the best special edition DVDs and a new chapter on finding hidden easter egg features.

The culture clash that permanently changed American theater

This comprehensive guide covers all of the music used in Woody Allen's films from Take the Money and Run (1969) to Match Point (2005). Each film receives scene-by-scene analysis with a focus on how Allen utilized music.

Jazz stories have been entwined with cinema since the inception of jazz film genre in the 1920s, giving us origin tales and biopics, spectacles and low-budget quickies, comedies, musicals, and dramas, and stories of improvisers and composers at work. And the jazz film has seen a resurgence in recent years--from biopics like Miles Ahead and HBO's Bessie, to dramas Whiplash and La La Land. In Play the Way You Feel, author and jazz critic Kevin Whitehead offers a comprehensive guide to these films and other media from the perspective of the music itself. Spanning 93 years of film history, the book looks closely at movies, cartoons, and a few TV shows that tell jazz stories, from early talkies to modern times, with an eye to narrative conventions and common story points. Examining the ways historical films have painted a clear picture of the past or overtly distorted history, Play the Way You Feel serves up capsule discussions of sundry topics including Duke Ellington's social life at the Cotton Club, avant-garde musical practices in 1930s vaudeville, and Martin Scorsese's improvisatory method on the set of New York, New York. Throughout the book, Whitehead brings the same analytical bent and concise, witty language listeners know from his jazz segments on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. He investigates well-known songs, traces the development of the stock jazz film ending, and offers fresh, often revisionist takes on works by such directors as Howard Hawks, John Cassavetes, Shirley Clarke, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Spike Lee, Robert Altman, Woody Allen and Damien Chazelle. In all, Play the Way You Feel is a feast for film-genre fanatics and movie-watching jazz enthusiasts.

Krin Gabbard explores the often hidden & unacknowledged contribution of African American culture to Hollywood movies. Although relying heavily on African American music, language & street culture, the old racial hierarchies often seem preserved.

A complete collection of annotated lyrics by the prolific rock band, featuring literary, historical, and cultural references for every original song.