Review by Booklist Review
Its spiral binding sends up a typical warning signal to selectors, but this collection of pop standards and jazz classics is a one-of-a-kind addition to libraries. The traditional legacy of piano ``fake'' books is murky, but here Sher Music Company takes the worry out of the legalities. Rights have been obtained for each of these approximately 250 numbers, ranging from straightforward piano arrangements of evergreens such as ``I'm Old Fashioned,'' ``Witchcraft,'' ``Skylark,'' ``Moonlight in Vermont,'' and ``Polkadots and Moonbeams,'' to instrumental transcriptions-- often right off the recordings-- of pieces made famous by the likes of McCoy Tyner, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, and Wes Montgomery. Representative tunes of the relatively modern jazz/fusion set are here (e.g., Donald Fagen, George Benson, Randy and Michael Brecker), as are songs made famous by vocalists (Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Al Jarreau) and a couple of characteristically whimsical pieces by jazz pianist Dave Frishberg. The selection is constantly surprising, as is the array of ever-changing rhythms (funk ballad, samba, jazz waltz, swing, bossa nova, et al.). Preliminary material catalogs songs alphabetically and by category and offers notes by the music editors and transcribers, general rules for using the book and reading the charts, and explanations of chord symbols. MAB.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
