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DOWN AT JAZZ JUNCTION

A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK | A Most Anticipated Book from Today, Real Simple, Time, Los Angeles Times, and BookPage “The book we all need to revive our souls” (Nicole Dennis-Benn): A sweeping family saga about the complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the disappearance of a father, and the long-hidden history of a declining New England mill town. “A powerful novel about how our family history shapes us. Swift River broke my heart, and then offered me hope.” —Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful It’s the summer of 1987 in Swift River, and Diamond Newberry is learning how to drive. Ever since her Pop disappeared seven years ago, she and her mother hitchhike everywhere they go. But that’s not the only reason Diamond stands out: she’s teased relentlessly about her weight, and since Pop’s been gone, she is the only Black person in all of Swift River. This summer, Ma is determined to declare Pop legally dead so that they can collect his life insurance money, get their house back from the bank, and finally move on. But when Diamond receives a letter from a relative she’s never met, key elements of Pop’s life are uncovered, and she is introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women, whose lives span the 20th century and reveal a much larger picture of prejudice and abandonment, of love and devotion. As pieces of their shared past become clearer, Diamond gains a sense of her place in the world and in her family. But how will what she’s learned of the past change her future? A story of first friendships, family secrets, and finding the courage to let go, Swift River is a sensational debut about how history shapes us and heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.
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2010  MUSIC BY NORTH-WEST COMPOSERS

This was the first time that Rochdale’s ancient Parish Church of St. Chad had been used as a venue for an RMS concert.
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CYNDI LAUPER FAREWELL TOUR

I last saw Cyndy Lauper on Sky Arts in a programme called Legend, hosted by Brian Johnson and Mark Knopfler (see cover photo)
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BRITISH POP CULTURE LIVES THERE

The British Pop Archive (BPA), is a ground-breaking national collection dedicated to the preservation and research of popular culture, counter-culture, and youth culture.
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BOOKING BING CROSBY

book 1 The first biography we bought was Bing Crosby by Jerry Andrade that carries the strap-line ´Unveiling the Legacy, controversies and enduring influence of the iconic entertainer´. The author says of Bing Crosby that he was ´a true legend´. Throughout the text the author reminds us that Crosby effectively the country's first superstar, much acclaimed both domestically and abroad. Crosby was a celebrity both on and off stage because of his catchy songs, memorable name, and easy-going, endearing nature. When Bing Crosby first came to California as a young man with little, he quickly rose to fame. Even though these words may appear exaggerated, they aren't. Over the course of his lengthy career, he appeared in over 70 films and cut almost 1,600 songs. Bing Crosby could be heard at stations as far away as India, according to soldiers who returned from World War II; his music had a magnetic effect on just about everyone who heard it. The life that is detailed in this book is examined in great detail.
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JAZZ JUNCTION of Freedom, Justice and Hope

On the occasion of Juneteenth, Blue Engine will release Freedom, Justice, and Hope, a live recording of the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s multidisciplinary concert contextualizing jazz within Black Americans’ pursuit of equality.
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2011:  NORTHERN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA with MARTYN JACKSON (Violin)

Sidetracks & Detours are so pleased that Rochdale Music Society are streamlining and archiving their existing reviews, stretching back fifteen years and more, that they invited me to select some favourites from these archives for us to publish occasionally in in our Monday to Friday daily blogs. Today´s review was written in 2011 by Shirley Mitchell who, over several decades, served RMS in a number of capacities.
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THE DOLLY PARTON EXPERIENCE

When Dollywood decided to modernize Chasing Rainbows, they realized a single building wouldn’t do Dolly justice.
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MEMORIES OF JOHN HARTFORD

MEMORIES OF JOHN HARTFORD by Bob Carlin (Author) (American Made Music Series) Paperback photo 1 hartford My Memories Of John Hartford is a memoir about author Bob Carlin's years working alongside singer, songwriter, banjoist, and fiddler John Hartford (1937-2001) (left). Throughout his short life, Hartford was a hit tunesmith, festival headliner, and godfather of newgrass music. He also made contributions to the film and television industry as a star in The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour and helped create the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou? photo 2 Bob Carlin (right) and Hartford first met when Carlin interviewed the entertainer for Fresh Air with Terry Gross. From this first meeting over microphones developed a sixteen-year affiliation. Six years into their friendship, a working collaboration grew between the two. Carlin first accompanied John Hartford on several albums, eventually becoming his project manager for audio and video recordings. Finally, Carlin was recruited into John Hartford's last Stringband, for which he also served as the de facto road manager and right-hand guy. we´re gonna need a bigger bookshelf photo 3 book My Memories Of John Hartford opens with an overview of the years before Hartford and Carlin's friendship, then details the last fifteen years of John Hartford's life. Included are in-depth descriptions of Hartford's lifestyle, as well as his philosophies about music, performing, recording, and living as he expressed them to the author or to those around him, with some road stories thrown in for good measure. And, those last fifteen years of his short life, while tempered by available information, are viewed here through the impressionist lenses of the author's own experience There are plenty of books on these musicians and others like them at Amazon.com cover