Things to check out: premiere edition.

One of the fun parts of my job is that I get to see every new item that comes into the library, whether it's a new acquisition, or a gift from someone's personal collection. I've also been here a while and have seen some neat things that people may not know are available to them. My blogs, therefore, will primarily highlight some of these interesting items. Sometimes there will be a theme, sometimes it will be a little of everything, but I hope it will inspire you to come use the resources here, because that's why they're here, after all.

Most of what I'm highlighting today is fairly new to the collection. Disclaimer: I have not read or viewed all of these-- these are not reviews, just pointing out some new things and why they may be interesting to you, the patrons of the Allen Memorial Library. Call numbers are in red, and clicking on them will take you to the item in the catalog.

1. Alex, Ross. The rest is noise. New York: Picador, 2007. Print. ML197 R82 R47 2007

This book we've had for a while, but we recently got a second copy because it has been very popular. Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, writes about music and the 20th century.

2. Chapman Nyaho, William, perf. Asa. 2008. CD. MD21 C436 A8

Chapman Nyaho, William, perf. Senku. CD. (Coming Soon.)
Nyaho, William H. Chapman. Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora. New York: Oxford UP Inc, USA, 2008. Print. Volume 4: M21 A378 V4 Volume 5: M21 A373 V5

These all go together. William Chapman Nyaho has been compiling a series of scores by composers of African heritage, and has also recorded many of these works. We have two volumes in the series Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, and the two compact discs contain much of the material in those two volumes. I've given the discs a listen and there's some interesting music here. If you want something different to play on a recital, check these out.

3. Cursive II . Perf. Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan. Opus Arte: Kultur. DVD. MO GV1783 L55 C2

Modern dance set to the music of John Cage.

4. Edgard Varese Composer, Sound Sculptor, Visionary. New York: Boydell, 2006. Print. [REF] ML410 V29
This is an astoundingly beautiful book. It has excellent scans of Varese's manuscripts, photographs, well-thought out layout, and interesting scholarly content. It's reference, so you can't take it out of the library, but the articles are relatively short.

5. Henderson, Clayton W. The Charles Ives Tunebook. New York: Indiana University Press, 2008. Print. [REF] ML134 I95 H64 2008

This is a new edition of an old favorite. It traces the tunes Ives used in various works and their sources. Great if you're researching Ives or just curious about what you're hearing when you're listening to a particular work.

6. Valerio, John. Post-Bop Jazz Piano - The Complete Guide with CD! Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series (Hal Leonard Keyboard Style). New York: Hal Leonard Corporation, 2005. Print. MT239 V35 P6
Recommended by Prof. Peter Woodard, Chair of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz and jazz pianist. Technique book with accompanying CD.