The Swing Era
by Gunther Schuller | 
Respect Yourself
by Robert Gordon | 
Do Not Sell At Any Price
by Amanda Petrusich | 
Nowhere To Run The Story Of Soul Music
by Gerri Hirshey | 
Chasing the Rising Sun
by Ted Anthony | 
The Devil's Music
by Giles Oakley | 
Mystery Train
by Greil Marcus | 
The History Of The Blues
by Francis Davis | 
Talking 'Bout Your Mama
by Elijah Wald | 
The History Of Rock 'N' Roll In Ten Songs
by Greil Marcus | 
Blues People
by Leroi Jones | 
Sweet Soul Music
by Peter Guralnick | 
Can't Stop Won't Stop
by Jeff Chang | 
The History of Jazz
by Ted Gioia | 
Please Kill Me
by Legs McNeil | 
Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta
by Robert Palmer | 
Chronicles, Vol. 1
by Bob Dylan | 
Rip it Up and Start Again
by Simon Reynolds | 
Last Night a DJ Saved My Life
by Bill Brewster | 
Bass Culture
by Lloyd Bradley |
This entertaining history of Cuba and its music begins with the collision of Spain and Africa and continues through the era of Miguelito Valdes, Arsenio Rodriguez, Benny More, and Perez Prado. It offers a behind-the-scenes examination of music from a Cuban point of view, unearthing surprising, provocative connections and making the case that Cuba was fundamental to the evolution of music in the New World. The ways in which the music of black slaves transformed 16th-century Europe, how the claves appeared, and how Cuban music influenced ragtime, jazz, and rhythm and blues are revealed. Music lovers will follow this journey from Andalucia, the Congo, the Calabar, Dahomey, and Yorubaland via Cuba to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saint-Domingue, New Orleans, New York, and Miami. The music is placed in a historical context that considers the complexities of the slave trade; Cuba's relationship to the United States; its revolutionary political traditions; the music of Santeria, Palo, Abakua, and Vodu; and much more.