John Coltrane left an indelible mark on the world, but what was the essence of his achievement that makes him so prized forty years after his death? This book examines the life of Coltrane, the acclaimed band leader and deeply spiritual man who changed the face of jazz music.

"Sonny Rollins has long been considered an enigma. Known as the "Saxophone Colossus," he is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz improvisers of all time, winning Grammys, the Austrian Cross of Honor, Sweden's Polar Music Prize and a National Medal of Arts. A bridge from bebop to the avant-garde, he is a lasting link to the golden age of jazz, pictured in the iconic "Great Day in Harlem" portrait. His seven-decade career has been well documented,...

"A devoted father and husband for nearly forty years, Rivera's recollections in Sideman demonstrate that while he struggled to balance the two worlds-a rock 'n' roller circling the globe and a regular guy worried about putting food on the table-his body's compulsion to always be playing music kept him in constant pursuit of "the next gig.""--

"An autobiography of one of the towering figures of contemporary American music and a powerful meditation on history, race, capitalism and art"--

"Sonny Rollins is one of the most prolific sax players in the history of jazz, but in 1959, at the height of his career, he vanished from the scene. His return to music was an interesting journey - with a long detour on the Williamsburg Bridge. Too loud to practice in his apartment, Rollins played on the New York City landmark for two years among the cacophony of the traffic and the stares of bystanders. Then in 1962, Rollins went back to the studio...

"'About this Book' In the tornado that was downtown New York in the 1980s, John Lurie stood in its vortex. After founding the band The Lounge Lizards with his brother in 1979, Lurie quickly became a centrifugal figure in the world of outsider artists, cutting-edge filmmakers, and cultural rebels. In the book, Lurie vibrantly brings to life the whole wash of 1980s New York as he develops his artistic soul over the course of the decade and comes into...