300 pages, A4, black and white and colour. A fake book is a collection of musical lead sheets usually containing melody line, basic chords and words where appropriate - the minimal information in other words required to fake an impromptu arrangement of a song. This is Alvin’s, offering a lifetime’s work and experience in the form of useful fragments, instructions, graphic scores and compositions of a bewilderingly wide variety. That's for musicians and interested amateurs. Then, more importantly perhaps, it is also, as Alvin writes in the introduction ‘..an autobiography in notated sound…’ as well as pictures, recollections, diagrams, anecdotes, historic and domestic photographs, cartoons and wry asides of general, and documentary interest. That’s for everyone. It’s also charming and funny.. A Zelig of music, Curran has popped up in most conceivable contexts since co-founding of the legendary MEV in 1966.

Plus Postage: UK - £3.50: Europe - £10.20: R.O.W - £17.