Behind the Mic: On Music by Ted Gioia, Read by Jamie Renell

Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens.

Jamie Renell’s narration of Ted Gioia’s sprawling work on music is confident and fast paced, which is just what this serious tome needs. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile contributor Brian Price discuss the author’s exploration into the many ways music touches our lives and culture. The author argues that for all of human history, the most important music starts out as subversive and only later is embraced by the establishment. The work crescendos as it moves from the Classical era into its discussion of twentieth-century jazz, blues, and rock musicians who have touched our own lives.

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Support for Behind the Mic comes from Blackstone Publishing, publisher of the audiobook of Richard Adams’ classic tale Watership Down. This May Blackstone is celebrating the centenary of the author’s birth. This is a great moment to reflect on the novel and experience it all over again, as well as introduce it to a new generation of listeners. Read by the actor Peter Capaldi, Watership Down is an exciting adventure story and an engaging allegory about freedom, ethics, and human nature. A stirring epic of courage and survival against the odds, the beloved classic continues to be discovered by readers of all ages. Watership Down from Blackstone Publishing is available wherever you get your audiobooks, including Downpour.com.