Other books that might interest you

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  Satchmo Blows Up the World -...

  Penny M. Von Eschen

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  At the height of the ideological antagonism of the Cold War, the U.S. State Department unleashed an unexpected tool in its battle against Communism: jazz. From 1956 through the late 1970s, America dispatched its finest jazz musicians to the far corners of the earth, from Iraq to India, from the Congo to the Soviet Union, in order to win the hearts and minds of the Third World and to counter perceptions of American racism. 
  Penny Von Eschen escorts us across the globe, backstage and onstage, as Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and other jazz luminaries spread their music and their ideas further than the State Department anticipated. Both in concert and after hours, through political statements and romantic liaisons, these musicians broke through the government's official narrative and gave their audiences an unprecedented vision of the black American experience. In the process, new collaborations developed between Americans and the formerly colonized peoples of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East—collaborations that fostered greater racial pride and solidarity. 
  Though intended as a color-blind promotion of democracy, this unique Cold War strategy unintentionally demonstrated the essential role of African Americans in U.S. national culture. Through the tales of these tours, Von Eschen captures the fascinating interplay between the efforts of the State Department and the progressive agendas of the artists themselves, as all struggled to redefine a more inclusive and integrated American nation on the world stage.

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  Discovering Classical Music:...

  Ian Christians

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  "I recommend this book wholeheartedly to new music lovers"  Sir Charles Groves CBE      Thanks to Nigel Kennedy and Pavarotti, millions of people have recently discovered that classical music is a highly enjoyable experience, perhaps contrary to their expectations. But the world of classical music can be highly intimidating and confusing. Ian Christians, for many years a passionate believer in broadening the interest in classical music, has developed a unique approach, designed to make it as easy as possible for both newcomers to classical music and those who have started down the path to explore with confidence. Discovering Classical Music concentrates on the greatest composers. The author takes you step-by-step into their most approachable music and, in some cases, boldly into some of the greatest works traditionally considered too difficult for newcomers. Rarely does a book offer such potential for continued enjoyment.This volume concentrates on the life, personality and music of Edward William Elgar.

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  Mozart's The Magic Flute - A...

  Michael Steen

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  Even Salieri, the notorious villain of Peter Shaffer's drama Amadeus, admired Mozart's comic opera Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), which was premièred in Vienna a few weeks before Mozart's death in December 1791. Though sometimes enjoyed as a children's opera, this is not a pantomime: rooted in Freemasonry, the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason, it promotes the ideals of progress, virtue, self-betterment, truth and justice. Tamino, an Egyptian Prince, has a magic flute to take him and his beloved Pamina through trials of constancy and endurance, before they can attain ultimate bliss.
  
  Critics have long been confounded as to how Mozart could present such a light-hearted yet deep masterpiece, with such wonderful music, while being in deep financial trouble.
  
  There is great stylistic diversity. The sensationally difficult part of the Queen of the Night comes from the Italian opera tradition, while the comical bird catcher Papageno (originally performed by the librettist Schikaneder) sings in the popular style of the Viennese suburbs. Such is the beauty of the music that Bernard Shaw thought that the O Isis and Osiris, of Sarastro, the High Priest, was fit to emerge from the mouth of a god.
  
  Written by Michael Steen, author of the acclaimed The Lives and Times of the Great Composers, 'Short Guides to Great Operas' are concise, entertaining and easy to read. They are packed with useful information and informed opinion, helping to make you a truly knowledgeable opera-goer, and so maximising your enjoyment of a great musical experience.
  
  Other 'Short Guides to Great Operas' that you may enjoy include Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte.

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  Between Violence Vulnerability...

  Rand El Zein

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  How are the structures of power and the notion of agency among Syrian women during the recent Syrian conflict connected? To explore this matter, Rand El Zein investigates gender politics around displacement, conflict, the body, and the nation. In doing so, she outstandingly reconciles critical media theory as myriad and productive with the theoretical concepts on subjectivity, power, performativity, neoliberalism, and humanitarian governance. The book examines how the Arab television news discursively represented the experiences of Syrian women during the conflict in relation to the four main concepts: violence, vulnerability, resilience, and resistance.

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  Greatest Mystery Shows Volume 2...

  Various Various

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  OASIS AUDIO CLASSIC RADIO SHOWCASE SERIES   Oasis Audio has gone into the vaults and dusted off the very earliest form of audio book, old time radio shows, for our listeners. Introduced episode by episode by Jim Engel, old time radio authority and board member of the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, this series of classic radio shows is sure to have something for everyone. Celebrity casts and top-notch writers made the 1920s through the early 1950s, the golden era of radio. The series features seven exciting themes with 100 episodes in each. That is 700 classic radio programs in all.   Greatest Mystery Shows   Before TV’s The Twilight Zone, there was radio’s The Inner Sanctum Mystery, Lights Out!, The Weird Circle, and so many other great mysteries starring Orson Welles, Jane Wyman, Dana Andrews, Edmond O’Brien, James Cagney and more. 100 great Mystery classics in ten volumes. Volume 2 The Black Museum 1950s The Canvas Bag with Orson WellesThe Black Museum 1950s The Gas Receipt with Orson WellesThe Black Museum 1950s The Notes with Orson WellesThe Black Museum 1950s The Old Wooden Mallet with Orson WellesThat Chase 2-8-53 Greedy Crockery with Arnold MossThe Chase 2-15-53 The Will with Ivor FrancisThe Chase 2-22-53 The Jailbreak with Larry HainesThe Chase 3-1-53 Framed for Murder with Paul McGrathCrime Classics 10-28-53 John Hayes, His Head, And How They Parted with Lou MerrillCrime Classics 11-11-53 Blackbeard’s 14th Wife and Why She Was No Good for Him with Lou Merrill

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  The Art of Product Design -...

  Hardi Meybaum

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  Embrace Open Engineering, and accelerate the design and manufacturing processesProduct development is a team sport, but most companies don't practice it that way. Organizations should be drawing on the creativity of engaged customers and outsiders, but instead they rely on the same small group of internal "experts" for new ideas. Designers and engineers should be connecting with marketing, sales, customer support, suppliers, and, most importantly, customers.The Art of Product Design explains the rise of "Open Engineering", a way of breaking down barriers and taking advantage of web-based communities, knowledge, and tools to accelerate the design and manufacturing processes. It explains how to establish open flows of information inside and outside an organization, increasing the quality and frequency of input from different groups and stakeholders.Open Engineering is crowdsourcing, it's collaborating, it's sharing and connecting. And it's helping a growing number of companies create better products faster than they ever imagined. The Art of Product Design reveals how to harness its power for your company.Hardi Meybaum is the founder and CEO of GrabCad, the largest community of mechanical engineers and designers in the world.

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