composers

". . . chronicles the rise of David Bowie's career from obscurity to fame, as well as the rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust, Bowie's historic alter ego. Ziggy accompanies Bowie on his rocky ride to the top, but when the Spiders from Mars finally implode and Bowie leaves London for a nomadic life abroad, he must lay the Ziggy persona to rest for good. The end of Ziggy eventually changes not only Bowie but the world itself"--Provided by publisher.

Gives readers an inside look at "In the Heights", a breakthrough Broadway debut, soon to be a Hollywood blockbuster.

"Ludwig van Beethoven created music that moves and inspires us to this day; his very name sparks a melody in the ear. But are you born a genius? This graphic biography asks: "Who was Beethoven before he became 'Beethoven?'" Master cartoonist Mikael Ross (The Thud) tells the story of Beethoven from 1778 to his first major public appearance in Vienna in 1795. It begins when the family is living a difficult life in Bonn. Father Johann battles with alcoholism and is deep in debt. Only young Ludwig and his talent at the piano offer any hope for the future - if only he would stop composing his own pieces and just play what's expected of him. Author Ross was asked to do a small comic for the Beethoven Society. Through this opportunity, he discovered the diaries of the baker's son that lived downstairs from Beethoven's family, the content of which inspired Golden Boy. As in his previous book, The Thud, Ross skillfully mixes humor with empathy and pure social drama, crafting a coming-of-age story that transcends its biographical subject matter. His colorful, expressive style and mastery of the language of comics are perfectly suited to the tall task of capturing Beethoven's timeless music visually. Full-color illustrations throughout"--Provided by publisher.

Provides a brief account of the life of Ludwig van Beethoven from his contemporary, Johann Aloys Schlosser, describing his childhood, musical accomplishments, and related topics, and providing an assessment of Beethoven's work.

Looks at ragtime composer Scott Joplin.

"A pivotal fixture of the Harlem Renaissance, Duke Ellington was the bandleader of the historic Cotton Club and a master composer--writing close to 3,000 songs in his lifetime and capturing the spirit of the Black experience in the Unites States. Over a 50-year career, Ellington became one of the biggest names in jazz as we know it"--Provided by publisher.

"A biography of Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the Broadway blockbuster Hamilton"--Provided by publisher.

Looks at the life of composer, bandleader and trumpet player Miles Davis.

"'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 orbit with all the prominent artists of that time and place, like Andy Warhol, Debbie Harry, Boris Policeband, and especially Jean-Michel Basquiat, the enigmatic artistic prodigy who spent a year sleeping on Lurie's floor on East 3rd Street. It may feel like Disney World now, but in Bones Are on the Outside, the East Village, through Lurie's clear-eyed reminiscence, comes to teeming, gritty life. The book is full of grime and frank humor--Lurie pulls no punches and bars no holds in his descriptions of the frothy whirlpool of the East Village at that time. His story is a journey back to one of the most significant moments in our cultural history, one whose reverberations are still strongly felt today"--.

Describes how Juan Garcia Esquivel, a Mexican composer popular in the 1950s and 1960s, developed his experimental style of music, based on mariachi and other Mexican music, jazz, the human voice, and the use of unusual instruments.