"Struggling musician Erik Dieter returns home for his mother's funeral and, under strange circumstances, finds a photograph of a late sixties jazz musician. The search for this musican's identity will soon become an obsession that will take Erik down the spiralling depths of his ambitions--a journey that will erode his faith in reality, forcing him to confront the horrors of his own great expectations."--Page [4] of cover.

Hailing from the Trem�ae neighborhood in New Orleans, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was high. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and today this Grammy-nominated artist headlines the legendary New Orleans Jazz Fest.

As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time-- and has massive shoes to fill. She's been labeled a hoodlum at school, and the fridge at home is empty after her mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral -- for all the wrong reasons. Portrayed by the media as a menace, Bri makes a choice-- and becomes the...

Also known as 'Satchmo,' Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. As a trumpet player and singer, Armstrong brought his musical talent to fans around the world. During his lifetime he broke down racial barriers and showed that people of all colors can work together to achieve great things. Celebrate Black History Month all year long! Our highly acclaimed Journey to Freedom series provides comprehensive information...

They're handsome, smart, and gifted. Brothers Camden and Blaine Drake have combined their talents and founded a gospel group. At first, their bishop father is against the idea -- until Blaine, his favorite, wows the congregation performing at a church revival. Sure enough, once the bishop witnesses their effect on the crowd he wants them there every Sunday. But he may have set the stage for trouble: as the group's popularity increases, so do the...

The author of City of Refuge returns with a startling and powerful novel of race, violence, and identity set on the eve of the Civil War. The year is 1855. Blackface minstrelsy is the most popular form of entertainment in a nation about to be torn apart by the battle over slavery. Henry Sims, a fugitive slave and a brilliant musician, has escaped to Philadelphia, where he earns money living by his wits and performing on the street. He is befriended...

Romeo Marshall is over six feet of cool, smooth, hot, southern seductiveness--just like the music at his popular Raleigh club, The Playground Jazz and Blues Bar. With his beloved mother gone and no father he's ever known, the business is Romeo's everything. It's a place where anything can happen--and the evening one gorgeous young woman and one intriguing old musician walk into the bar--and into Romeo's life--it does. There's something about high-powered,...

"For Reece and Qwess, being rap superstars was the dream, but in real life nothing moved without money. So they formed the Crescent Crew, and outfit of young, ruthless hustlers that locked the Southern drug trade in a stranglehold. They're at the height of their power when Qwess is offered a record deal from a major label. He accepts and makes plans for his whole crew to go legit, but Reece enjoys his position as king of the streets and has no desire...

"Distant lovers. Shady friends. Racist strangers. Estranged parents. Insufferable bosses. Who says your twenties are fun? Julian Strickland is seemingly the lone Black man in the hipster dreamland of Portland, Oregon. To his friends, he's the coolest member of the scene: the soulful drummer from Chicago in an indie rock band that's just about to break through. But to himself, he's a sheltered Christian homeschool kid who used to write book reports...

In 1904, twelve-year-old Orphelia follows her dream by running away from home to join an all-black minstrel show headed for the Saint Louis World's Fair, and learns about her family's troubled past in the process.