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Re: Jazz Reference

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I can recommend several books. For starters, there's Tony Gioia's aptly named "History of Jazz." A 400 page plus overview of jazz history, "History" bursts a few mythical bubbles -- such as jazz being born in bordellos -- while providing an intelligent introduction to the major player and movements. For greater depth, try Gary Giddons' "Visions of Jazz." In this fat collection of essays, Giddons brings an extraordinary amount of fresh insight to artists that have have already received a lot of ink; his essays on Armstrong, Ellington, Gillspie, Monk, Davis and Taylor are particular stand-outs. Giddons is a wonderful writer and demonstrates the value a true critic, as opposed to a mere reviewer, can bring to an art.

For the apex of jazz writing, there's Whitney Balliet's "American Musicians," a collection of the author's New Yorker profiles of famous and not-so-famous jazz artists. Balliet is the E.B. White of jazz journalism; his profiles not only conjure precise images of the musicians, but manage the near impossible -- the feel of jazz music in words.

Recommendations for recordings? I second the "All Music Guide to Jazz," especially since it recommends both current CD releases and, for those inclined to raid the used record stores, out-of-pring LPs . The AMG is comprehensive, but poorly edited, with annoying redundancies among the reviews for any given artist.

The "Music Hound Guide to Jazz" is also worth a peek. It's less comprehensive than the AMG, but it is often better written.

Finally, there's the famous and highly-regarded Penguin Guide. This is probably the most erudite and researched of the guides, but it only includes reviews of CDs in print, and it has an odd British slant that emphasizes UK and European musicians who may be of marginal interest to Americans.




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  • Re: Jazz Reference - Jonathan Kranz 06:26:53 03/13/00 (0)


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