War in Iran
The headlines are built on long histories and debates.
Posted on in Hot Topic
The Spectacle of Popular Music
As Taylor Swift's $2 billion Eras tour wraps, some books on the performance and impact of pop music.
Posted on December 12, 2024 in Hot Topic
Auslander, Philip. In concert: performing musical persona. Michigan, 2021. 304p bibl index ISBN 9780472074716, $90.00; ISBN 9780472054718 pbk, $39.95; ISBN 9780472128396 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE December 2021
To be clear, In Concert lives wholly in the performance studies domain and not in the music domain. It covers some of the same theoretical ground as the author’s well-known Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture (CH, Aug’08, 45-6582). Liveness deals with theater; In Concert concerns musicians and their performing personae. Many pop music performers are mentioned, but most of the performers discussed in detail are star rock musicians of earlier times (although Miles Davis appears, too). Auslander (Georgia Institute of Technology) presents his axioms in the first third of the book, providing rather more nuance than he did in Liveness. Perhaps he is responding, a bit, to those who have taken issue with his views (e.g., performance as text); the first chapter is even subtitled “A Manifesto.” Regardless, Auslander is a most engaging writer, and many of his specific observations are compelling and convincing. There are copious endnotes, a vast bibliography, and an excellent index. Anyone doing serious work in performance studies knows Auslander’s work already and likely will read In Concert. A valuable resource for those interested in performance studies. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. —B. J. Murray, Miami University
Chevigny, Paul. Gigs: jazz and the cabaret laws in New York City. Routledge, 1991. 215p ISBN 0415904005, $22.50.
Reviewed in CHOICE May 1992
From 1926 until 1990 various city regulations known as “cabaret laws” restricted the performance of music in New York City’s restaurants and clubs by dictating where live music could be played, the number and type of instruments allowed, and even who could play. Ostensibly intended to protect neighborhoods from the noise, traffic, and undesirable elements assumed to be associated with certain kinds of nightlife, the laws had the effect of preventing reputable small jazz clubs from offering the music their patrons wanted and of keeping highly regarded musicians like Billie Holiday, who was denied a cabaret card after a narcotics conviction, from performing in their natural environment. This book is an account of the eventually successful effort to have the regulations overturned. Chevigny (law, New York University) is author of two previous books on civil liberties as well as a jazz enthusiast; he was himself a pivotal figure in the overturning process, having helped lead the legal battle. Still, his account is objective and thorough and places the issue in the broader contexts of New York’s zoning policies and the stifling of artistic expression. As the issues are complex and difficult, Chevigny’s discussion of them is appropriately serious and erudite. Summing Up: This is a stimulating work for both general and academic readers at all levels who are interested in jazz, the law, or urban social policy.—A. D. Franklin, Winthrop College
Gorzelany-Mostak, Dana. Tracks on the trail: popular music, race, and the US presidency. Michigan, 2023. 226p bibl index ISBN 9780472076161, $85.00; ISBN 9780472056163 pbk, $29.95; ISBN 9780472903504 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE July 2024
Music has been important to every political campaign strategy in the US since the 1800s. In Tracks on the Trail Gorzelany-Mostak (Georgia College and State Univ.) makes the case that music has become an indispensablepart of these strategies since Bill Clinton’s campaign in the 1990s. Taking a critical look at the musical choices and genres used by candidates, Gorzelany-Mostak has surveyed the election trail from 1990 to 2020, examining materials ranging from popular songs, both pre-existing and newly composed, to multimedia materials and candidate literature that share information about playlists. Tracks on the Trail focuses on digital ethnography and interdisciplinary discussions surrounding this material. Candidates included in the discussion are Barack Obama, Ben Carson, Kamala Harris, and Donald Trump, and the author also looks at music surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement and, as she defines it, “internet troll culture” (p. 114). Tracks on the Trail does not include scores to analyze, so the book is approachable for the public. Still, it is a critical evaluation of the music in these election campaigns and of how using a particular genre or lyric can shape public perceptions of a candidate. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates to faculty; professionals —J. K. Matthews, Rowan University
The history of live music in Britain: v.1: 1950-1967: from dance hall to the 100 Club, by Simon Frith et al. Ashgate, 2013. 221p ISBN 9781409422808, $99.95; ISBN 9781409422815 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE December 2013
This volume, the first of a three-volume set, focuses primarily on popular music during the period from 1950 onward. The set is intended to fill a gap in the literature. Though much has been written about the history and influence of the recording industry and famous groups such as the Beatles, little has been written about the impact of live music on British society. Frith (Univ. of Edinburgh) and three other Scotland-based scholars (Matt Brennan, Martin Cloonan, Emma Webster) did in-depth research on topics such as music venues and how they changed over the years, concert promoters, influence of the state, activities of unions, and careers of professional performers. Their findings and insights are sometimes surprising. For example, union protectionist policies excluded US musicians from performing in Britain for many years. If American stars had not been kept out during rock’s formative years, the history of that genre and what the British achieved in it might have been profoundly different. This engagingly written, carefully documented study should interest scholars and students of popular music history and cultural history and might well provide fruitful avenues for further research. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. —D. Arnold, University of North Texas
Pittman, Menzie. The new musician: the art of entrepreneurship in today’s music business. Rowman & Littlefield, 2024. 402p bibl index ISBN 9781538194867, $99.00; ISBN 9781538194874 pbk, $38.00; ISBN 9781538194881 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE November 2024
Musicians are inherently creative individuals, but only in recent years has the necessity of entrepreneurial skills in business and promotion been recognized as crucial to success. Pittman’s volume brings together a collection of interviews with people who are directly involved in various aspects of the music industry: performers, producers, and educators. The result is very helpful advice from individuals on what they have learned in their diverse music careers. Some of the interviewees’ names will be immediately recognized (like Mike Curb), while others will be known only from their work with particular artists, such as Taylor Swift. Many of the contributors are closely associated with the Nashville music scene. The author also includes very useful but brief motivational chapters on vision, imagination, rejection, procrastination, tenacity, and similar topics. Though much of what is learned in the volume should be familiar to musicians, the range and organization of the 34 chapters provide a convenient way of aiding musicians in developing a creative and entrepreneurial strategy for a successful career. Working musicians today must be business savvy; they will find this book well worth their time. Summing Up: Recommended. Practitioners only. —R. J. Phillips, emeritus, Colorado State University
Rojek, Chris. Pop music, pop culture. Polity, 2011. 237p ISBN 9780745642642, $69.95; ISBN 9780745642635 pbk, $24.95.
Reviewed in CHOICE December 2011
Researchers outside the musicological realm have been important in discussions of popular music since the mid-20th century. This group includes Theodor Adorno, Jacques Attali, Lawrence Grossberg, and Donna Gaines, among many others. Rojek (Brunel Univ., UK) continues that tradition in a remarkable fashion. His well-organized and well-written book takes a sweeping look at various approaches to the study of popular music, including a musicological one. Rojek clearly identifies the importance of discussing the “popular” of popular music, and he provides a keen look at the works of the giants in the field, including the industry’s current important recording companies–both major and independent. This book is an excellent learning tool, as Rojek is on solid ground in his discussions of artists, managers, audiences, technology, and media. This is a fantastic contribution to the literature, and its audience includes those beginning their studies in popular music, regardless of their musical background. Summing Up: Highly Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. —T. R. Harrison, Jacksonville University
Smith, Peter. Rock concert performance from ABBA to ZZ Top, by Peter Smith with Laura Smith. Lexington Books, 2022. 228p bibl index ISBN 9781793618566, $95.00; ISBN 9781793618573 ebook, $45.00.
Reviewed in CHOICE January 2023
With this volume, Peter Smith (emer., Univ. of Sunderland, UK), assisted by his daughter Laura Smith (a sociologist and musician) sets out to determine “what makes a truly great rock performance” (p. iv). To do this, he tapped into his encyclopedic knowledge, gleaned from decades of concert-going experience (2,000-plus shows), to rate monumental live performances spanning the period from the 1970s to the 2020s. He employs his own methodology, which encompasses ten key themes: icons, persona, energy, fandom, venues, communities, politics, art-rock, authenticity, and maturity. Overall, the book is an interesting read, and the author readily recognizes a personal bias, which is inherent in any “top 100”–type list. Though the performances Smith discusses are compelling, the concerts all took place in the UK. Even so, the data set Smith created with his post-show blogging gives readers insight into concert experiences that could not otherwise be accessed. The book is a solid addition to the “For the Record: Lexington Studies in Rock and Popular Music ” series. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. —D. V. Moskowitz, University of South Dakota
Waksman, Steve. Live music in America: a history from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé. Oxford, 2022. 677p index ISBN 9780197570531, $175.00; ISBN 9780197570548 pbk, $35.00; ISBN 9780197570555 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE October 2023
Waksman (Smith College) surveys 150 years of live music performances and the support mechanisms that allowed them to take place. Swedish Nightingale Jenny Lind’s American tour from 1850 to 1852, which was promoted by P. T. Barnum and drew audiences often ranging from six to eight thousand, served as a model for national tours of later artists. Near the end of the century, vaudeville emerged with artists such as Tony Pastor, B. F. Keith, Ernest Hogan, and others. Jazz followed in the early 20th century with the Creole Band, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, and other groups, supported by recordings and radio broadcasts. Continuing through the 20th century with rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, rock, rap, and hip-hop, the journey ends with Beyoncé’s powerful 2018 Coachella performance. Along the way, one encounters many other music festivals, along with concert tours in arenas, stadiums, and smaller venues and recent live-streaming performances due to COVID-19. In addition to looking at the intense, collective experience concertgoers share, this history recognizes the significant roles of those who work behind the scenes choosing performance venues, promoting concerts, designing stage and sound elements, and otherwise supporting live performances. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. —P. D. Sanders, The Ohio State University at Newark