"An illuminating selection of writings on a wide variety of topics-everything from technique, music theory, and daily routine to spirituality and systemic racism-from the personal journals of Sonny Rollins, master of the tenor saxophone and "jazz's greatest living improviser" (The New York Times). Sonny Rollins is one of the towering masters of American music, a virtuoso of the saxophone and an unequaled improviser whose live performances are legendary...

"When fifteen-year-old Ella Fitzgerald's mother dies at the height of the Depression in 1932, the teenager goes to work for the mob to support herself and her family. When the law finally catches up, the "ungovernable" adolescent is incarcerated in the New York Training School for Girls in upstate New York--a wicked prison infamous for its harsh treatment of inmates, especially Black ones. Determined to be free, Ella escapes and makes her way back...

"From the author of the definitive biography of Frank Sinatra, the story of how jazz arrived at the pinnacle of American culture in 1959, told through the journey of three towering artists-Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans-who came together to create the most famous and bestselling jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue The myth of the 60s depends on the 1950s being the before times of conformity, segregation, straightness-The Lonely Crowd...

"What does the perfect song sound like? Normally, Malcolm Kid wouldn't give this type of question the time of day. As a straight B-student with a heart of copper, he is far more concerned with overcoming mediocrity than he is with achieving perfection. But that all changes when he stumbles across the LK-2000--a strange keyboard cursed with the soul of an old jazz musician. Malcolm soon learns that the only way to free this musician's soul is by performing...

"The Newport Jazz Festival had always brought the best out of Nina Simone. On July 2, 1966, the audience was treated to the full range of her artistry-from the opener, a breathtaking version of You've Got To Learn to a swinging take on Mississippi Goddam. After a sustained standing ovation, her fans were rewarded with the show-stopping encore, Music For Lovers. This previously unreleased recording makes it clear why hearing Nina Simone in concert...