“Congratulations on a much needed book on the Big Band era, especially from the viewpoint of the ‘side man’. Having been one for about eight years before becoming a ‘leader’ I can really appreciate your approach. A bandleader is no better than the men behind him and I have had some great ones, including of course Drew Page.” —Freddy Martin Having lived behind the scenes during the Big Band era of the thirties and forties, Page invites us to share that era with him. An instrumentalist or sideman, in many touring bands, he recounts friendships with now-famous as well as unknown musicians who made American dance music. Like them, Drew Page loved his music and the road. He did not want to stay in one place and one job for thirty years, repeating one year or experience thirty times. He wanted to see things, to observe people and places. After a lifetime of traveling and music, “every town began to seem like home.” Page’s life was touched with humor, disappointment, triumph, and some tragedy. “ Perhaps it’s the variety of my experiences, none seeming to relate to the others, that has given my life its discontinuity.” Certainly, discontinuity characterized his daily life, but continuity–his music–characterized its essence. Brought together by their art, the traveling bandmembers were apt to encounter each other any place, any time, and so they avoided goodbyes. “I’ll be seeing you.’ That’s the way I left Harry James and the boys in the band,” recalls Page. In this well-illustrated autobiography, he tells us what it was like to travel in the days before paved roads, and how the Great Depression, the death of vaudeville, and World War II affected the music business. He gives us anecdotes about the famous musicians he worked with–Harry James, Red Nichols, Freddy Martin among others–and he talks about his fellow sidemen. His narrative unrolls like a scroll inscribed with the names of those who made American dance music and jazz famous. Every music lover, nostalgia seeker, and student of American culture will want to own this book.

German developers propose a Native theme park for the "Otter Lake Reserve." Cast of 3 women and 3 men.

In this Nancy Drew and the Clew Crew adventure, Nancy and her friends must track down a beautiful—and very rare—butterfly when it goes missing from the new butterfly museum. Nancy, Bess, and George can’t wait to check out Flutter House, an awesome new museum that’s all about butterflies! The girls are thrilled when they get to see the beautiful creatures up close and personal. But soon after their class leaves, the rarest butterfly, a Blue Morpho, goes missing! It’s up to the Clue Crew to get the valuable butterfly back safely. But with a long suspect list and not many clues, it’s going to be a tough case for Nancy and her friends.

"Journalist Sara Sinclair is still waiting for her big break. Until one night, she finds it--in the form of a little black book. A book containing X-rated details about an exclusive club where powerful political men play. It could be the story of the century--or it could be the last story Sara writes ... Sergeant Rafe Delgado has no use for journalists ... even one as hot as Sara. But once he realizes she's in danger, Rafe knows he's the only thing standing between Sara and a pair of cement shoes. Only now, there's nothing standing between them ... and Sara's about to learn that powerful politicos aren't the only ones with unbridled desires!"--Publisher.

OPERATION: Daddy Boot Camp SUBJECT: Three-year-old Blue, the daughter whom— until three days ago—U.S. Marine Curt Blackwell didn't know existed. MISSION: Fatherhood. Bedtime stories. Plaiting hair. Holding hands. COMPLICATIONS: Preschool teacher Jessie Moore. They had a past, but Curt avoided those waters. Unlike Blue's fear of monsters under the bed, a woman's emotions truly spelled danger. And he was growing defenseless against this woman's warmth and beauty.… MISSION SUCCESS: Uncertain. Curt would survive— but not necessarily with his heart intact!

A highly wrought farce of patrimony among fancy dancers" on the powwow trail. Cast of 3 women and 3 men.