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Alan Lomax: The Man Who Recorded the World Audiobook
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(3.11) - 111 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The remarkable life and times of the man who popularized American folk music and created the science of songFolklorist, archivist, anthropologist, singer, political activist, talent scout, ethnomusicologist, filmmaker, concert and record producer, Alan Lomax is best remembered as the man who introduced folk music to the masses. Lomax began his career making field recordings of rural music for the Library of Congress and by the late 1930s brought his discoveries to radio, including Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Burl Ives. By the 1940s he was producing concerts that brought white and black performers together, and in the 1950s he set out to record the whole world.Lomax was also a controversial figure. When he worked for the U. S. government he was tracked by the FBI, and when he worked in Britain, MI5 continued the surveillance. In his last years he turned to digital media and developed technology that anticipated today's breakthroughs. Featuring a cast of characters including Eleanor Roosevelt, Leadbelly, Carl Sandburg, Carl Sagan, Jelly Roll Morton, Muddy Waters, and Bob Dylan, Szwed's fascinating biography memorably captures Lomax and provides a definitive account of an era as seen through the life of one extraordinary man.
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"Great intro to Lomax, as well as many great musicians along the way: Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and too many others to count. Particularly good when coupled with listening at the Smithsonian archives. Had the fortune to read this while in D.C. for 3 weeks."
— Nathan (5 out of 5 stars)
Alan Lomax Listener Reviews
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" Fascinating for its discussion of Lomax's discovery/relationship with Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie and Jelly Roll Morton, but it's very obvious that the book was written by an academic - it's pedantic and, while jam packed with details, doesn't have a strong sense of storytelling narrative. "
— Herzog, 10/26/2013 -
" Fascinating life, I had trouble getting into the rhythm with this book though, and it read more like a series of facts. Definitely worth the read, mainly because Lomax is such an incredible figure in American history. "
— Douglas, 10/16/2013 -
" Definitive, yes, but maybe a little too definitive for me. This was fascinating in the early going, but bogged down in the middle. "
— Patrick, 8/12/2013 -
" really intense in depth record nerd type book. I loved it, i found myself taking alot of notes about things. There is alot of info in this book about what became modern music and where it came from and why. "
— Tom, 7/29/2012 -
" I listened to it as an audio book!! "
— Gardenojoy, 3/30/2012 -
" This is the official AudioBook of the new publication. While I have not listened, please note the mistake in description -- the Primary Language is not Hungarian... Maybe some day, but this CD is in English... "
— Leslie, 1/27/2012 -
" A fascinating book about a man who truly changed the world. "
— Phoef, 1/25/2012 -
" <br/> I listened to it as an audio book!! "
— Gardenojoy, 5/24/2011 -
" This is the official AudioBook of the new publication. While I have not listened, please note the mistake in description -- the Primary Language is not Hungarian... Maybe some day, but this CD is in English... "
— Leslie, 1/19/2011
About John Szwed
John Szwed is a professor of music and the director of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University. As a jazz musician, he played professionally for more than a decade. He is the author of over fifteen books, including So What: The Life of Miles Davis, Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra, and Alan Lomax: The Man Who Recorded the World.
About Scott Sowers
Scott Sowers is an actor and audiobook narrator. AudioFile magazine named him the 2008 Best Voice in Mystery and Suspense. He is the winner of seven Earphones Awards.