The NLS Music Section has recently acquired another new title by popular and prolific contributor, Bill Irwin. Patrons of the Music Section, and followers of this blog, may already be aware of Mr. Irwin’s background. If you wish to read more about Bill Irwin, please check out our blog post from June of last year, which talks about his background and how he got involved making books for the NLS Music Section.
Our most recent acquisition from Mr. Irwin centers around a topic near and dear to his heart: piano jazz. Not only does
A Light History of Piano Jazz and a Short History of the Piano (DBM 03681) cover this topic, but it also goes into a detailed history of the piano itself. Mr. Irwin had spent much of the past few years, researching, compiling and organizing this information into a massive 56 hour-long audiobook for our collection. The book is broken up into three main sections:
Part I
Discusses the history of the piano, and other topics as related to music, such as memory, improvisation, and music’s healing powers.
Part II
Discusses the history of jazz, and how jazz has evolved into its current form. Mr. Irwin explains and gives examples of syncopation, typical blues progressions, and other jazz-specific musical gestures. Also included is a conversation on the publishing industry and how jazz musicians make a living off of their music.
Part III
This is the longest and most audio-centric portion of the Talking Book. In this section, Mr. Irwin plays hundreds of recordings of jazz pianists, and other notable jazz performers, to give examples about what he had been talking about in the first two sections.
For anyone who is interested in piano jazz–whether a novice, professional, or simply a music supporter–Bill Irwin’s
Light History of Piano Jazz and a Short History of the Piano is an interesting, fun, and informative book about the topic.
Mr. Irwin has contributed over 15 other titles to the NLS music collection. Below are some of his other titles, in case you wish to explore his books a bit more. These books are available in digital audio or braille for patrons of NLS (linked books are available on BARD — NLS’s Braille and Audio Reading Download program):
Digital Talking Books:
- A Dictated Fakebook of Popular Songs, Part I (DBM 03011)
- Advanced Keyboard Harmonies (DBM 03010)
- A Dictated Fakebook of Popular Songs, Part II (DBM03460)
- Fills (DBM 03012)
- How to Play the Blues (DBM 03013)
- Modern Harmony Course (DBM 00701)
- Popular Organ Instruction (DBM 00702)
- The Versatility of the Diminished Chord Progression (DBM 03014)
Braille Books:
- Ad lib Magic! (DBM 34175)
- Adventures in Registration (BRM 34173)
- Bass Pedal Magic (BRM 30441)
- Chord Construction Magic (BRM 12793)
- Diminished Chord Magic (BRM 35244)
- Keyboard Harmony Magic for the Popular Organist (BRM 34177)
- The Magic Sounds of Bill Irwin (BRM 33045)
- Modern Melody Magic (BRM 12968)
- Rhythm Accompaniment Magic for the Popular Organist (BRM 30445)
If you would like to check out any of Mr. Irwin’s titles, or any other titles about jazz, please contact the NLS Music Section!