Life Lessons from the Horn ― Essays on Jazz, Originality and Being a Working Musician

Life Lessons from the Horn is collection of compelling essays revealing saxophonist Sam Newsome's unique insights as an artist, educator, and jazz musician of the 21st Century. Mr. Newsome, who teaches jazz studies at LIU Brooklyn, brings to each chapter, decades of experience of as an important figure on the New York jazz scene as well as his numerous years as educator in the classroom. Mr. Newsome teamed up with acclaimed jazz writer Howard Mandel to turn what he describes as "rough cuts" from his blog, into "book-worthy" set of reads. Jazz writer Kevin Whitehead describes Life Lessons from the Horn as a book "that'll make you a better musician (and maybe even a better person)." If you are young musician serious about jazz, or if you're a seasoned professional looking for inspiration thoughts, this book has a little bit for everybody. "I wish that I had this book when I was much younger, as I'd probably be further along in my studies by now!" says Ethan Iverson, pianist and composer and writer of the blog Do the Math.

Sam Newsome is a soprano saxophonist and associate professor of jazz studies at Long Island University, Brooklyn, where he teaches classes on jazz improvisation, music and culture and directs the jazz ensemble. Mr. Newsome has released several critically acclaim CDs as leader and has appeared on more than 40 recordings as a side person. Since 2006, he has become a specialist in solo performance and has released five CDs showcasing the soprano in this unconventional format. Mr. Newsome began focusing on writing in 2010 upon starting his blog Soprano Sax Talk, http://sopranosaxtalk.blogspot.com/ where he posts about topics that range from extended saxophone techniques to finding one's own artistic voice. His writings have been mentioned in the Huffington Post, National Public Radio's A Blog Supreme and the blog Do the Math http://dothemath.typepad.com by pianist and composer Ethan Iverson.