This year marks the golden anniversary of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the flagship band of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. Formed in 1966 and flourishing until 2010, the Art Ensemble distinguished itself by its unique performance practices members played hundreds of instruments on stage, recited poetry, performed theatrical sketches, and wore face paint, masks, lab coats, and traditional African and Asian dress. The group, which built a global audience and toured across six continents, presented their work as experimental performance art, in opposition to the jazz industry's traditionalist aesthetics. In Message to Our Folks, Paul Steinbeck combines musical analysis and historical inquiry to give us the definitive study of the Art Ensemble. In the book, he proposes a new theory of group improvisation that explains how the band members were able to improvise together in so many different styles while also drawing on an extensive repertoire of notated compositions. Steinbeck examines the multimedia dimensions of the Art Ensemble's performances and the ways in which their distinctive model of social relations kept the group performing together for four decades. Message to Our Folks is a striking and valuable contribution to our understanding of one of the world's premier musical groups. 

    People also bought

    Brazilian JiveFrom Samba to Bossa and RapReaktion Books
    £7.50 OFF!!! That's 50% OFF!!! UK PAPERBACKIn Brazilian Jive, David Treece uncovers the genius of Brazilian song, both as a sophisticated, articulate...
      Eddie JeffersonCome Along With Me (1969)Prestige
      Rare jazz vocals w/ groovy version of Son of a Preacher Man! Classic Prestige soul jazz Original = Original USA (green label Prestige) Vinyl LP VG+ /Sleeve...
      • – Son Of The Preacher Man
      BacharachMaestro! The Life of a Pop GeniusChrome Dreams
      Covering the well-known and public areas of Burt Bacharach's life, as well as those aspects that have previously been hidden from the media, this book...
        • Book (600g) 97823564406015£12.99 £7.00
          In stockAdd to Bag
        Young, Gifted & BlackThe Story of Trojan RecordsOmnibus Press
        The inside story - gossipy and addictive!
          • Original Book (500g) 9781787601178£10.00
            Original Pre-Owned UK paperback in good condition
          BensonThe AutobiographyDa Capo
          USA IMPORT HARDBACK BOOK - 60% OFF!!!!Benson: The Autobiography follows George's remarkable rise from the ghettos of Pittsburgh to the stages of South...
            Gregory IsaacsOver The BridgeDee Jay Music
            Produced by Clive HuntOriginal Jamaican Vinyl VG+ /Sleeve VG+100% Guarantee on this and all Original Vinyl at Sounds Of The Universe - 'if you're not happy...
              Trouble Man: The Life and Death of Marvin Gayeby Steve TurnerMichael Joseph
                • Original Book (500g) 9780140271027£10.00
                  Secondhand out of print paperback in good condition
                Music Is The Weapon Of The FutureFifty Years Of African Popular MusicLawrence Hill Books
                Secondhand book in good condition, stickers on cover, insides cleanFrom the unique voice of Salif Keita and the hard funk of Fela Kuti to the poignant...
                  Cookin'Hard Bop and Soul Jazz 1954-1965Canongate
                  Cookin' examines the birth and development of two of the key jazz styles of the post-war era, hard bop and its related offshoot, soul jazz. Hard bop was...
                    • Book (500g) 9780857866202£16.00
                      In stockAdd to Bag
                    Oliver De Coque And His Expo'76Oliver De Coque And His Expo'76 (1978)Olumo Records
                    Highlife master. Original Nigerian vinyl. Vinyl G+ ONLY, sleeve G- (tape spine, some writing, watermarks, edge of opening wear) +High-end Audio Desk...
                    • – Ife Chi Kwulu Geme
                    Point From Which Creation Begins (2004)The Black Artist's Group Of St. LouisMissouri Historical Society Press
                    From 1968 to 1972, St. Louis was home to the Black Artists' Group (BAG), a seminal arts collective that nurtured African American experimentalists involved...
                      Love Saves The DayA History Of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979Duke University Press
                      Essential, thorough book on the underground New York Disco scene of the 1970s written by Tim Lawrence (who also wrote the sleevenotes for Soul Jazz Records'...
                        • Book (800g) 9780822331988£24.00
                          In stockAdd to Bag
                        From Jazz Funk & Fusion To Acid JazzThe History Of The UK Jazz Dance Scene By SnowboyAuthorHouse
                        This is the first time the history of the uniquely British 'Jazz Dance' scene has been documented in such depth, written over a period of 10 years by Mark...
                          • Book (700g) 9781438973609£19.99
                            In stockAdd to Bag
                          Mavis StaplesOh What A Feeling (1979)Warner Bros. Records
                          Quality soul/disco era Mavis Staples Original = USA Vinyl VG+ /Sleeve VG+ ( cutout)100% Guarantee on this and all Original Vinyl at Sounds Of The Universe...
                          • – Tonight I Feel Like Dancing
                          Spanish Harlem's Musical Legacy 1930-80By Silvio H. Alvava
                          A collection of photographs of the Latino musicians from 1930 - 1980's primarily in El Barrio, NY but features several from Los Angeles, CA and other parts...
                            Lion SongsThomas Mapfumo and the Music That Made Zimbabwe
                            Like Fela Kuti and Bob Marley, singer, composer, and bandleader Thomas Mapfumo and his music came to represent his native country's anticolonial struggle...
                              Dark MagusThe Jekyll and Hyde Life of Miles DavisBackbeat
                              USA HARDBACK IMPORT 60% OFF - essential book!"Dark Magus" is a warts-and-all look at the real Miles Davis. As told by his son, this book strips away the...
                                Herbie MannMemphis Two-Step (1971)Embryo
                                Super heavyweight funky jazz recorded in Memphis and featuring Roy Ayers.
                                • – Memphis Two-Step
                                • Original LP£15.00
                                  Vinyl condition: VG+Sleeve condition: VG+Original Pre-Owned Out-of-Print USA Vinyl
                                Lee 'Scratch' Perry - Kiss Me NeckThe Scratch Story In Words, Pictures And RecordsCherry Red Books
                                With more than 1,000 releases to Lee "Scratch" Perry's name in some form or other, there is a wealth of material for fans and collectors to immerse themselves...
                                  Wild DayzPhotos by BeezerTangent Books
                                  As a photographer Beezer was in a unique position in Bristol in the 1980s. Close friends with the Wild Bunch (later to become Massive Attack) and other...
                                    Afro-Brazilian Percussion Guide CandombleBy Kirk Brundage
                                    Out-of-print - as new Salvador, Bahia, Brazil is an important cradle of Afro-Brazilian culture, and home to musical styles that form the bedrock of much...
                                      Miles DavisMiles Davis At Fillmore (1970)Columbia
                                      Seminal electric Miles. USA original 2XLP gatefold vinyl.Original = Original USA Vinyl VG+ /Sleeve VG (some wear) 100% Guarantee on this and all Original...
                                      • – Wednesday Miles
                                      Nile Rodgers Le FreakNile RodgersOrion
                                      Nile Rodgers is a founding member of Chic, and one of the world's most successful music producers. He wrote 'We are Family' for Sister Sledge and 'I'm...
                                        Beats to the RhymeA Collection of Instrumental Hip-Hop Records for the Beat ConnoisseurGingko Press
                                        £10 off this wicked book! Cheaper than Amazon! USA IMPORT DIE CUT, SHRINK-WRAPPED COVER HARDBACK BOOK 40% OFF Original price! COMES WITH FREE CD! THE...
                                          The BerimbauSoul Of Brazilian MusicUniversity Press Of Mississippi
                                          The berimbau, a musical bow, is most commonly associated with the energetic martial art/dance/game of capoeira. This study explores the berimbau's stature...