Título: The Blues: A Very Short Introduction
Autor: Elijah Wald
Sinopse: Praised as "suave, soulful, ebullient" (Tom Waits) and "a meticulous researcher, a graceful writer, and a committed contrarian" (New York Times Book Review), Elijah Wald is one of the leading popular music critics of his generation. In The Blues, Wald surveys a genre at the heart of American culture. It is not an easy thing to pin down. As Howlin' Wolf once described it, "When you ain't got no money and can't pay your house rent and can't buy you no food, you've damn sure got the blues." It has been defined by lyrical structure, or as a progression of chords, or as a set of practices reflecting West African "tonal and rhythmic approaches," using a five-note "blues scale." Wald sees blues less as a style than as a broad musical tradition within a constantly evolving pop culture. He traces its roots in work and praise songs, and shows how it was transformed by such professional performers as W. C. Handy, who first popularized the blues a century ago. He follows its evolution from Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith through Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix; identifies the impact of rural field recordings of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton and others; explores the role of blues in the development of both country music and jazz; and looks at the popular rhythm and blues trends of the 1940s and 1950s, from the uptown West Coast style of T-Bone Walker to the "down home" Chicago sound of Muddy Waters. Wald brings the story up to the present, touching on the effects of blues on American poetry, and its connection to modern styles such as rap. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Contexto da obra
Quando a classificação é mais ampla, o contexto do livro costuma depender ainda mais de autoria, tema e edição. “The Blues: A Very Short Introduction”, de Elijah Wald, publicado pela editora OUP USA, em 2010 e com 152 páginas, integra a categoria Livros Variados. Por isso, autoria, edição e tema acabam tendo ainda mais peso na forma de apresentar o livro.
Editora: OUP USA
Páginas: 152
Ano: 2010
Edição:
Linguagem: pt_BR
ISBN:
ISBN13: 9780195398939
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora OUP USA convidam o leitor a uma imersão em temas densos e variados, que transitam entre a análise política contemporânea, a história detalhada e o estudo científico rigoroso. A experiência de leitura frequentemente exige atenção a narrativas que combinam clareza e profundidade, como no exame de conflitos históricos, debates sociais e avanços científicos. O catálogo revela uma preferência por obras que oferecem tanto relatos narrativos envolventes quanto textos com linguagem técnica e didática, voltados para públicos acadêmicos e leitores interessados em temas sociais, culturais e científicos. A diversidade editorial sugere um equilíbrio entre obras mais narrativas e outras mais informativas, com ênfase em análises contextuais e fundamentadas.
