The New York Times Essential Library: Jazz: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings
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Book Overview
A connoisseur's tour through the great American art form A Love Supreme. Miles Ahead. Brubeck Time. Yardbird Suite. The Sidewinder . For newcomers just beginning their library of recordings, and for longtime fans looking to deepen their understanding, New York Times jazz critic Ben Ratliff offers an assertive, deeply knowledgeable collector's guide, full of opinions and insights on the one hundred greatest recorded works of jazz. From the rare early recordings of Louis Armstrong, through Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman's seminal Carnegie Hall concert, and the lions of the bebop era, to the transformative Miles Davis and several less-canonized artists, such as Chano Pozo, Jimmy Giuffre, and Greg Osby, who have made equally significant contributions, Ratliff places each recording in the greater context and explains its importance in the development of the form. Taken together, these original essays add up to a brief history of jazz, highlighting milestone events, legendary players, critical trends, and artistic breakthroughs.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0805070680
ISBN13:9780805070682
Release Date:November 2002
Publisher:Times Books
Length:272 Pages
Weight:0.74 lbs.
Dimensions:10.4" x 0.7" x 5.4"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
Unfair
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
The reviews here have been too harsh to this book. This book is not meant by any strech to be a replacement for the Penguin Jazz on CD Guide, but as a list and analysis of 100 very good jazz CDs it isn't bad at all. The reviews are generally insightful and informative, and the book contains a fine balance of big band, be-bop, and post-bop, with all the colours in between. (His defense of Cecil Taylor is particularly refreshing.) I might quibble with the title, but no list of 100 CDs will satisfy every reader as including all the "essentials." The main list, combined with the additional 100 CDs listed in the appendix, would provide enough listening enjoyment for a lifetime.
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