Flashman on the March
Summary
Harry Flashman: the unrepentant bully of Tom Brown's schooldays, now with a Victoria Cross, has three main talents - horsemanship, facility with foreign languages, and fornication. A reluctant military hero, Flashman plays a key part in most of the defining military campaigns of the 19th century, despite trying his utmost to escape them all. Many have marvelled at General Napier's daring 1868 expedition through the treacherous peaks and bottomless chasms of Abyssinia to rescue a small group of British citizens held captive by the mad tyrant Emperor Theodore. But the vital role of Sir Harry Flashman, V. C., in the success of this campaign has hitherto gone unrecorded. Flashman's undeserved reputation for heroism renders him the British army's candidate of choice when it comes to skulking behind enemy lines in Ali Baba attire. After all, who but the great amorist could contemplate navigating a land populated by hostile tribes and the loveliest (and most savage) women in Africa, from leather-clad nymphs with a penchant for torture to a voluptuous barbarian queen with a reputation for throwing disobliging guests to her pet lions?
©2015 George MacDonald Fraser (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
The Art of Skill
Summary
Learn from a true jazz master about what it takes to achieve musical excellence. "The Art of Skill chronicles and showcases Dave Liebmanâs pursuit and attainment of living life as art. Lieb harnesses the mystery of the creative life-force and rides it to the truth that we all have something to say." (Peter Erskine) This is a candid and fascinating look at the mental, psychological, and spiritual aspects of musical mastery for any musician playing jazz and other styles. It's about listening and following one's muse in order to attain excellence. Lieb has much to say about the critically important stage of discovering one's unique musical voice with some of the challenges that players experience in attaining this goal. The importance and various approaches toward practicing is a key topic examined in this book. Lieb shares his insights and recounts stories of how other master artists achieved excellence, ranging from Michael Brecker to Miles Davis. In particular, having been on stage and in the recording studio with Miles, Lieb shares his special insights into Davis as a performer and bandleader. Another topic rarely discussed is how artists are naturally sensitive to life-changing epiphanies, as happened to Lieb when he first heard John Coltrane at Birdland, a New York jazz club when Lieb was a teenager. There is also a very positive discussion of the commonalities of jazz musicians. As an add-on, Lieb lists his personal favorite albums and tracks. Become inspired by listening to this book, written by a decades-long leader and teacher who has pondered the many facets of what it takes to become a world-class artist.
©2021 Redlake, Inc. (P)2021 Redlake, Inc.