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Blues Journey

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

The opening line of this call and response style verse asks the question that forms the thread throughout – Blues, what you mean to me? In a magnificent collaboration of words, art, and song, a timeline of the blues is presented in a soulful reading and dramatic musical accompaniment that offers a compelling evocation of the blues experience.

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  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      By itself, BLUES JOURNEY is an enticing and provocative book. Once you've heard this recording, however, it will be impossible to consider it complete without the voice and music of Richard Allen. With the same articulation that Myers brings to his discussion of the evolution of the blues as a musical form, Allen brings depth to the poetry; he evokes the pain or joy of each poem through his deliberate, soulful reading and expressive musical accompaniment. This is a total experience, and the listener comes away wiser, richer, and uplifted. A.R. 2006 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 3, 2003
      This handsomely designed volume by the father-and-son creators of Harlem
      succeeds as an introduction to the blues genre but lacks a story line to unify the disparate verses. The author begins with a history of the blues, tracing its roots to Africa and describing its metamorphosis in America, as freed captives began to explore lyrics fully and white musicians became influenced by the musical form. He explains that the first two lines represent a call, and the third is the response. In one of the most effective spreads, Walter Dean Myers subtly alters the repetition of the call to chilling effect: "My landlord's cold, cold as a death row shave/ My landlord's so cold, cold as a death row shave/ Charged fifty cents for a washtub, three dollars for my grave." Opposite, Christopher Myers uses blue ink and white paint on brown bags to depict two boys looking out one side of a window, one peering fearfully around the corner, the other holding up his hand, perhaps in protection, perhaps in an attempt to escape. The sides of the window and a collage screen create a sense of imprisonment. But a few juxtapositions are jarring, such as a portrait of a boy reading with a stately, elderly woman appearing over his shoulder, while the verse seems to indicate a romantic sentiment ("I hollered to my woman, she was across the way/ I said I loved her truly, she said,/ 'It got to be that way' "). All ages.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 1, 2003
      This handsomely designed volume by the father-and-son creators of Harlem succeeds as an introduction to the blues genre but lacks a story line to unify the disparate verses. The author begins with a history of the blues, tracing its roots to Africa and describing its metamorphosis in America, as freed captives began to explore lyrics fully and white musicians became influenced by the musical form. He explains that the first two lines represent a call, and the third is the response. In one of the most effective spreads, Walter Dean Myers subtly alters the repetition of the call to chilling effect: "My landlord's cold, cold as a death row shave/ My landlord's so cold, cold as a death row shave/ Charged fifty cents for a washtub, three dollars for my grave." Opposite, Christopher Myers uses blue ink and white paint on brown bags to depict two boys looking out one side of a window, one peering fearfully around the corner, the other holding up his hand, perhaps in protection, perhaps in an attempt to escape. The sides of the window and a collage screen create a sense of imprisonment. But a few juxtapositions are jarring, such as a portrait of a boy reading with a stately, elderly woman appearing over his shoulder, while the verse seems to indicate a romantic sentiment ("I hollered to my woman, she was across the way/ I said I loved her truly, she said,/ `It got to be that way' "). All ages.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:5
  • Interest Level:K-3(LG)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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