WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
Music for the many not the few
PHIL HARGREAVES sings the praises of a unique annual music encounter
One of the many workshops
[Author supplied] 
JAMES CROSSLEY applauds a lucid biography of the German radical preacher who reemerged as a hero in the GDR
Prizes all round: the Bard hands plaudits to the Miners Gala, OT&JC, Joe Solo, Black Sabbath’s frontman and the Lionesses
Star cartoonist JAMIE BRITTON is in awe of a graphic novel of epic proportions that explores class, religion and globalisation via the strange cultivation of Ginseng in the US Midwest
GUILLERMO THOMAS is intrigued by a history of the Middle East that demonstrates how promising post colonial beginnings were snuffed out by Western imperialist interests
MARIA DUARTE recommends the intricate study of a high-performance and highly dysfuntional German family
MUSIC is possibly the most transformative of the arts, and since 1936 the Workers’ Music Association has been exploring the possibilities inherent in allying that with the transformative political project.
I am typing this still in the sparkly glow from the 2024 WMA Summer School, which finished last week — I am proud to be jazz tutor at the school, and a vice president of the association.
Most other summer schools focus on a particular style of music, or even a particular instrument. The WMA school, held at Ingestre Hall near Stafford, is far more ecumenical, offering various strands of classical music, folk, jazz and a wide range of opportunities for singers across the spectrum.
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