"Blues- Philosophy for Everyone" at bookstores

THE PASSION. THE HUMOR.
THE SORROW. THE JOY.
THE CATHARSIS.

THE MUSIC.

BLUES
PHILOSOPHY FOR EVERYONE
THINKING DEEP ABOUT FEELING LOW


There is no easy way to define the blues.

The blues takes your breath away. The blues is reparative and transformative. It is anguished and cathartic. Life-affirming. Empowering. The blues is a way of feeling life, the world, and yourself. The blues is a cultural phenomenon. It is cultural expression. The blues is a legacy. The blues is eternal, wonderful magic. The blues is so many things to so many people, so it stands to reason that the blues and philosophy are close kin.

This month, Wiley-Blackwell offers its latest—and perhaps most soul-satisfying—addition to its extremely popular Philosophy for Everyone series. “BLUES—Philosophy for Everyone: Thinking Deep About Feeling Low”, Edited by Jesse R. Steinberg and Abrol Fairweather, Foreword by Bruce Iglauer (Wiley-Blackwell, December 12, 2011) provides reflections, ruminations, and dissections of the blues, as both a form of music and as a force for good.

The pitch-bending and finger-picking of Sam Lightnin’ Hopkins, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Robert Johnson transformed music and culture forever. They inspired fans and luminary rock musicians like Eric Clapton, Jimmie Page and Keith Richards. They provided the most powerful voices that we have that evoke the common experiences of oppression, emotional trauma, loss, adversity, tragedy, and the disappointments of living.

The blues represents the shared subtext of an afflicted people. The songs are the expressions of the common tribulations of the human condition. And the music ain’t so bad either.

BLUES also covers:
* The essential characteristics of a blues number
* The distinction between the blues as form and the blues as expression
* The blues as a platform to communicate to others for emotional release, comfort, and support.
* Live performance vs. written scores
* The relationship between black gospel and blues music.
* The complex response to contemporary blues.
* The female voices of the blues and where their place is in the genre.
* The catharsis of the Blues.
* Religion and the blues
* The acceptability of “white” blues
* The cultural exploitation of the Blues, by rock-and-roll and other entities.

The blues redefined genius and pushed the boundaries of what impact music could have on a people. BLUES—Philosophy for Everyone delves into the genre, examines every aspect, and thinks deep about feeling low.


“We invite you to engage your mind and your soul as you read the philosophical
investigations into the blues collected here. You can approach these essays
musically, culturally, historically, racially, emotionally, or religiously.”



ABOUT THE EDITORS
Jesse Steinberg is currently an assistant professor of philosophy and the director of the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. He has published articles on a range of topics including philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and moral philosophy. Jesse has played guitar in various blues bands over the years, has attended numerous blues festivals, and is an all-around blues fanatic.

Abrol Fairweather teaches philosophy in the Bay Area (University of San Francisco, San Francisco State, Las Positas College) and has published in the area of virtue epistemology. In addition to his interest in various intellectual excellences, he has published on more-popular topics including Facebook and philosophy, and Dexter and philosophy. A number of years ago, Willow told him to ‘check out Mississippi John Hurt’ and that was it; it was all over—he done sold his soul to the blues.



BLUES—Philosophy for Everyone: Thinking Deep Avout Feeling Low
Editor: Jesse R. Steinberg and Abrol Fairweather; Foreword by Bruce Iglauer
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Format: Paperback Original; 220 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-65680-8
Publication Date: December 2011