CHECK IT OUT

The shelves are alive with the sound and sense of American music, in the

Newport Beach Central Library’s new collection of “Timeless Treasures.”

For learning and listening pleasure, “American Music, Sound, Sight and

Words” features CDs, videos and books offering an overview of our tuneful

heritage.

If you’re a popular music fan, explore its evolution from the Civil War

to today with “And the Beat Goes On.” Intended as an introductory course

on what author Michael Campbell deems our most distinctive cultural

achievement, this one-volume survey traces popular music styles from

minstrel-era songs to contemporary funk.

Nineteenth-century politics are captured in song on “Tippecanoe and Tyler

Too,” a CD collection honoring such historical benchmarks as Lee’s

surrender and Lincoln’s assassination. Performed by The Chestnut Brass

Company and five vocalists, the pieces cover the gamut of political

expression in music, from exalting war heroes to ridiculing corrupt

bureaucrats.

For blues lovers and anyone interested in legends of the Old South,

“Mississippi Blues” is an easygoing documentary about the landscape,

customs and music of a distinctive American region.

“Amazing Grace,” another video collection, provides an entertaining look

at a song that’s been recorded by more popular artists than any other

hymn. Collection biographies concentrate on such celebrated musicians as

Irving Berlin, Charles Ives, B.B. King and Cole Porter. Check out “The

World Don’t Owe Me Nothing” for a fascinating narrative about Delta

bluesman Honeyboy Edwards.

Read “Aaron Copland” for insight about one of America’s most revered

composers, gleaned from letters, diaries and interviews. You’ll find

enlightening perspectives evaluating the music of an American original in

“The Gershwin Style.”

Make your own appraisal of the popular musician after listening to the

San Francisco Symphony perform selections from “Porgy and Bess” and other

tunes on “George Gershwin, The Birthday Celebration.”

You can enjoy stage favorites performed by one of today’s most talented

singers on “Barbra, Back to Broadway,” featuring tunes from “The Phantom

of the Opera,” “Sunset Boulevard” and “West Side Story.”

If you’re inclined to perform, check out “Broadway Belter’s Songbook,” a

collection for female singers, complete with music.

For jazz fans, “Striders to Beboppers and Beyond” explores the jazz piano

styles of such legends as Fats Waller, Eubie Blake and Thelonious Monk.

After reading about such masters, sample the sounds of another celebrated

pianist with “Decca Presents Art Tatum.”

Of all the events of contemporary music history, Woodstock is surely

among the most memorable. Revisit the legendary rock concert with

“Woodstock, The Summer of Our Lives,” a volume that recreates the 1969

love fest through the eyes of those touched by it. Round out the

experience with “Woodstock,” an Academy Award-winning documentary powered

by 13 onstage musical legends.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in collaboration with

Sara Barnicle.