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  Reeling Backwards (eBook, ePUB)

  'Raymond writes of all he has loved in a backwards-travelling anthology that brings together the great events of Brisbane history and the small events of daily life. He writes about wars and extermination and convicts on the triangle in Queen Street. He writes about a possum like a "friendly lout" and boiled eggs and honey on the breakfast table. Old, wild love affairs begin and end in these poems. We meet Bob Dylan and remember Enid Blyton and creaming soda and afternoon matinees with Danny Kaye. It is a mixture of joy, sadness, rage, laughter and passion, celebrating a life that has been full of surprises. Give yourself a treat and read Reeling Backwards slowly.' - Sandra Hogan, author of With My Little Eye 'With the mind of a historian and the soul of an artist, Evans turns his gaze back over a life lived large and fierce - determined to resist the hidebound milieu and humid statis of his home city, Brisbane. Reeling Backwards plays at the knotty edges of nostalgia, bending and folding time around place, while pausing to catch all the fleeting, sensory moments that make up an abundant life. Each poem is a skipping stone, a gentle disturbance, nicking the surface and rippling outwards.' - Melanie Myers, award-winning author of Meet Me at Lennons'Careful readers of Raymond Evans's histories always sensed he was a poet at heart. In this collection, he demonstrates this truth. The poems, which "arrived out of the blue", are personal and historical - a moving lesson in how to understand who we are and where we come from - individually and collectively. Read and savour.' - Julianne Schultz, author and former editor of Griffith Review'Raymond Evans writes of history, home and heart with wisdom and warmth. From an empty house to a childhood home filled with love. Travelling backwards through time across a life portrayed in sensuous images. So lovely to read - highly recommended.' - Edwina Shaw, author and editor of Bjelke Blues'A rollicking ride...and fun! Piercing in its emotional description of intangible realities we can all relate to. Such powerful, astute observations about secrets of the heart, granting permission to own and acknowledge one's often discarded sensibilities - written with intellect and artistry. Bravo! Contemporary and enthralling!' - Sue Smithers, international model, actress and jazz chanteuse

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  • Price: 6.99 EUR excl. shipping
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  Lies Damned Lies and Statistics

  Lies Damned Lies and Statistics - How Obsolete Stats Hidebound Thinking and Human Bias Create College Football Controversies: ab 10.49 €

  • Shop: ebook.de
  • Price: 10.49 EUR excl. shipping
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  Rock My Soul

  Digipack. Vivian Vance Kelly was born into music - a grandfather sang Rhythm & Blues and gospel, a grandmother was a member of powerhouse gospel group The McCauley Singers, her father is the noted blues singer and guitarist Vance Kelly, and she herself was singing in church by the age of 4. She may have been interested in hip-hop as a youngster but soon she was working with her father. When he felt she was ready, she honed her talents with him in the blues clubs of her native Chicago and then refined them on the international stages of Europe. So, not only does she have a firm grounding in the music - and the slightly unconventional blues story means she can easily add individual, distinctive touches - but she also has a good understanding of what the blues is about: as she says, "what the blues means to me, it is the soulful tale of one's own experience, to which many people can relate. When someone can relate to a certain blues song, it makes a person get a certain joy as if the artist wrote it just for them. Blues is the mother of many types of music in America and is today still much alive." Certainly it is whilst Vivian is around. But Vivian is no hidebound traditionalist - maybe the audacious blues reworking of Hank Williams' country staple 'You Win Again' reveals that from the outset! - and here she displays all the influences of the confident, young, modern African-American blueswoman: "I chose the materials for my CD because they are situations that have been turning points in my life. What I mean by that, I have lived these songs, and after the experience, I've tried not to repeat it again. That is how the songs have been the turning point in my life. I would say that all of the songs are my favourites". The song selections are indeed revealing. Let's look at a few: Bobby Bland's 'Further On Up The Road' was one of the earliest hits of this most influential of soul-bluesmen, and Vivian's rocking treatment is a genuine crowd-pleaser. Her wistful version of Tyrone Davis' 1969 soul classic, 'Baby Can I Change My Mind', reminds us that this has long been a Windy City blues club favourite, and also that in Tyrone's music - as with Vivian's - the blues and soul strands are inextricably intertwined. Betty Wright's 'Clean Up Woman' is a nice example of Vivian's funky side, whilst Al Green's 'Love And Happiness', besides being a superb example of both Vivian's vocal talents and the band's considerable musicianship, underlines the influence of Memphis soul on the modern blues, the same comments apply to Vivian's excellent take on George Jackson's 'Last Two Dollars', best known from Johnnie Taylor - in the 80s the twin successes of Robert Cray and ZZ Hill, both using this type of sound, rejuvenated the blues, whilst 'Breaking Up Somebody's Home' reaffirms the southern element and is also a prime example of just what a huge influence Albert King (and yes, I checked - Vivian did get this from Albert's version) has been on just about every subsequent blues guitarist of note - even reaching across to southern Europe and Tiziano 'Red Rooster' Galli! Which seems like a good point to bring in Vivian's comments on the musicians here: "the musicians were great to work with. I've enjoyed those guys. They are wonderful people. But more than that, they are terrific musicians. I would love to continue working with them in the future." To close, I asked Vivian to define her approach: "I describe my music as being more on a bluesy soul level. Importantly, I will give you the blues with a lot of soul." I'm not going to argue with the lady herself! Norman Darwen (contributor: Blues & Rhythm, R2 (Rock 'N' Reel), Blues In Britain, Blues Matters!, Blues In the South, and others)

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  • Price: 30.51 EUR excl. shipping

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