Short life for a great artist: Charlie Christian
587574
I bought in these days in Amazon many CDs of Charlie Christian stimulated by my remainders about this musician. I remember some pieces played by Charlie with the sextet of Benny Goodman as  "Boy meets goy" and I remember too a radio broadcast of many years before where the leader attended a list of long playing by Charlie Christian. In that time I stayed astonish hearing that kind of Jazz characterised by the rhythm, the freshness, the elegance, the extremely cleaness of the music: Benny Goodman created something of unique. That time was called "The swing era" and the 52th street in New York was the simbol of that era characterised by a  strong rhythm that liked very much the dancers (lindy hop was one of the preferred) and people coming out from the great depression from 1929. This CD is the best one of those made up to date containing the Charlie Christian&Benny Goodman music. On it you can find all the main pieces played by the Goodman's sextet in 4 concerts in USA from 1939 to 1941 and the musicians played in a perfect way: the presence of people gave them a strong impulse to perform the best concerts ever. The Charlie's music is characterised by the continous improvvisations, chorus after chorus, he reached some peaks of beauty, of splendid music never overcome. This music changed the jazz and opened the way for the incoming modern Jazz: the Be bop. Unfortunataly Charlie Christian died for tuberculosis only 26 old. I am sure this CD is recommended every body who likes the excellent music and Amazon is the only online shop able to give these emotions, thanks to it.
3879964
A terrific look at the art of Charles M. Schulz from his own personal sketchbooks and original comic artwork. Many, many early Lil' Folks and Peanuts strips (including a rare 1954 strip with adults that Schulz never permitted to be reprinted), alongside some interesting commentary from Schulz himself and others. Also includes some memorabilia (1950s dolls, books, comic books). Beautifully produced and a delight to pore over again and again.
853129
Anyone who is familiar with R.Cuumb's art is in for a surprise with this collection of his drawings.
 In this book we are treated to a lot of portraits of his family as well as others. We are also familiar with his drawings of,who must be his greatest love and favorite subject,Aline,and we are not disappointed with what is included here.
 But for a real change of pace,we get wonderful landscape drawings from Southern France. Then, there are the still life drawings "Broken Teapot"and "Pizzeria".Crumb also shows his understanding and compassion of the terrible injustice in his "Failure in Sudan".Music fans will be surprised with portraits of several artists including Country Music greats,"Uncle Dave Macon" and "Charlie Poole".And how about the illustration for a tale from the late 1300's in England. One of my favorites in the collection is an untitled drawing of a Woodcutter surrounded by a very concerned group of "Little Folk" trying to decide what is the meaning of all the "pitchfork' shaped trees in the enchanted forest. This drawing begs the question,"Is there a story or legend that Crumb ie working on here?"
 And just to show us that Crumb is facing the ravishes of time that is the lot of all of us,we get a self portrait from August 26,'05.
 A wonderful,but different addition for your Crumb collection.
430732
Charles Vess is just such a treasure.  Not only is he a stunning artist whose 30+ year career has produced huge body of visual narrative work in at least four mediums (painting, illustration, sculpture, and, of course, comics) he is... one of those bright souls spilling out all over, with warmth, sincerity and art like candles, lighting up the world.  Maybe that sounds over-the-top, but you only have to have one conversation with Charles to know that it's true!  Or you can read one -- the interview contained here is an excellent example of what I'm talking about.

Vess gives us a backstage peek into his career, including his humble beginnings as a lonely young comics fan in 1950s Virginia, his experiences as a struggling artist in New York City, his breakthrough work with DC Comics and his latest work on the STARDUST movie. It's an absolute hoot to read, with Charles' kindness shining from every page. As one of those sensitive writer types, I tend to stockpile interviews such as this one - they're the amulets I reach for when the demons are messing with my creative spirit. Charles has always been one of those pick-me-up artists for me -- he reminds me why I love this stuff so much, why I do the creative work that I do even when it's fighting me.

Art-wise, this 120-page book concentrates on Vess' work in the comics field, with lots of art samples from Heavy Metal, Epic Illustrated, Spider-man, Swamp thing, The Books of Magic and, of course, Sandman and Stardust. In addition to the generous selection of the work we know and love, there are some delightful, offbeat Vess rarities here, including a Transformers cover and a commissioned sketch of Spiderman in a kilt (!). I always get a kick out of checking out my favorite artists' earliest works, and there are a few of those as well. The depth and true diversity of Vess' talents are truly striking in this presentation.

If you're a fan of Vess' work, this is not to be missed.  If you love fantasy art, this is not to be missed.  And the price is right!
3216715
This book will almost certainly be compared to mine so I want to be among the first to come out with a strong endorsement of it. Alfonso covers a wide variety of artists in short compass, including all of Christian music's current stars and the most important acts from its thirty year history. A wide variety of styles are represented and Alfonso traverses the varied landscape like a seasoned pro, introducing us to critics' favorites, industry darlings, edgy cult artists, and mainstream Dove Award winners.
The heart of the book is it's A - Z listing of over 100 artists. These entries are well-researched and accurate, written in a lively style that never fails to capture the unique appeal of each performer. Christian music fans can review career summaries of their favorite artists and then browse around in the book to discover new performers they might have missed. Or, the book could easily be read from cover-to-cover to gain a good overview of all that the Christian music scene has to offer. It is organized in a reader-friendly format with photos and discographies that make it fun and accessible.
Note that the book also contains an introductory history of contemporary Christian music, interviews with several artists, and a helpful index. What more could you want? This is a wonderful book! I can't imagine any fan of Christian music not wanting a copy.
(The writer of this review is author of the book Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, published by Hendrickson in 2002).
3766054
The art work here is good. I really like it. I debated about sending thid back. Some painting subjects never age or show a time period. This artist made me feel like these guys in the paintings were eternal like the angels.
3549872
Keith Green was a pioneer in the field of Christian rock, and I have loved every album he did.  This one is particularly sweet as he was just coming into his own as a premier music writer and performer when it was published.  His loss was a terrible blow for millions of his fans.
100315
A Summer with Charlie captures an era. This book speaks directly to those who came of age in the 50's and 60's. It is "rough around the edges", but in this case doesn't take away from its appeal; it was a time and place that was rough around the edges; of leather jackets, hanging around on the corner leaning against a street light, puffing on Lucky Strikes or Camel cigarettes. The author keeps the focus on Charlie, resisting the temptation to turn it into his memoir. I think the book should find a large audience amongst that generation. It is a quick and enjoyable read. Although the author states his contempt for organized religion numerous times, perhaps even for faith itself, the reader gets the impression there is some unfinished business. I think the questions he wrestles with torment many of us and the reader may identify with some or all. This was a great honor for Charlie to be memorized in such a way, and I believe he would be grateful.
1385130
This is a great book of short bios and examples of the artists' work in a pocket-sized companion. It would be a great item to tuck into a purse or backpack and read when you only have little snippets of time and want to enrich your life.
3439120
I love this book!  I first saw Christian's work from a single postcard he was giving out at a convention, and I was blown away!  I always knew his work should be out there and accessible to everyone.  This book makes that even more of a reality.  I love the format, and insight into how he works.  There is a really nice section that shows his work step by step that any art student should study over and over.

If you can't get to one of the conventions he appears at, and collect his prints, this is a great alternative. Though I would say that the prints are even better and have more impact because they are larger, but it is hard to compare the two. you'll just have to see for yourself!

You won't regret it if you get this book!
3521893
COOl history of an awesome artist. I have a barn painting he gave me a BUNCH of years ago....with a "Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco" sing and all.
3463425
This is a good Christian compilation by a great Chrstian singer, but it's not "The" definitive collection without songs like: "Love Resurrection" and some of her CD in Spanish "Por Fe" (translation of her "By Faith" CD).
4516162
Im a new comer to ray's music but have stumbled on what I believe is one of the most talented christian perfomers in the world, his caring and humanity side focuses into his music and carries out his feelings all to  well. He will be around forever......
295910
This is a brief overview of the artist's life and works. A good book to start with as you explore this unique figure from recent history.
3652224
DC Talk's "Jesus Freak" is probably one of the most influential albums to come out of Christian music.  By crossing over and reaching out to audiences who haven't been blessed by Christian music, "Jesus Freak" mixes hip-hop, pop and alternative flavors to bring us an album that makes it cool to be Christian or better yet a "Jesus Freak."  Perhaps one of the best reasons to buy this album is for their rendition of Charlie Peacock's "In the Light."  It sure to have you singing along at the top of your lungs.  An added bonus - Charlie joins the guys on the end of the song.  This is a great album to buy for any teen struggling with their relationship wtih God or those who need to know God.  The music alone with capture them and the lyrics will change them.
2967966
I am a huge Peanuts fan, and I have nothing but respect for Charles Schulz. That said, the comics written at the end of this life weren't quite as amusing/poignant/heartwarming as the ones he wrote back in the 60s and 70s. The comic strips in this book are the ones written in the last few months of his life, just prior to retirement. They are a nice thing for a die hard collector to have, as they are Schultz' goodbye pieces. But if you are just a casual fan, he had better stuff.
3069110
Charlie Rich was a great performer. He performed 3 songs ("Nice N' Easy," "Big Boss Man," and his mega-hit "Behind Closed Doors") and an instrumental, which proves Charlie's ability in this field. It's all jazzier here, but that's not half-bad. In fact, he loved jazz & blues. This was recorded during his semi-retirement, in his fifties, but he sounded great here, as always. After the performance, we get a little bonus: learning about the origins of country music, long before Charlie made significant impact in a short amount of time in the 70s country. Great for some history. So why am I rating this only 4 stars? It's because the performance wasn't long enough! There should've been more on there! I loved it so much! Highly recommended, even if only for a little heads up on what he was doing in the 80s when he wasn't relaxing back home!