Review by Booklist Review
Ratliff's essential jazz-records book separates itself from the herd at once by starting its chronological listing with The Creators of Jazz by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the white outfit that ever since it recorded jazz first has been tarred for crudely ripping off black music. Ratliff defends the ODJB's music making as well as its historic importance while granting that its leader may have been the worst racist in jazz history. Later, he includes, with warm appreciation, Latin jazz players Chano Pozo, Machito, Eddie Palmieri, and Moacir Santos, who aren't even listed in some huge jazz record guides. He has smart and persuasive essays on why underrated popular jazzmen John Kirby, Ahmad Jamal, and "Baby Face" Willette deserve places in the pantheon. He even gives the nod to difficult, dissonant experimenters Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler, Roscoe Mitchell, and Evan Parker, whom many jazz historians barely tolerate. All that, and Armstrong, Ellington, Holiday, Basie, Tatum, "Bird," Monk, Mingus, Miles, and the others everybody expects to be in on this jam, too. Damn good book. --Ray Olson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Ratliff, a music critic for the New York Times, presents essays on what he considers the 100 most important jazz recordings. In each, he discusses a recording's merits and shortcomings and includes a list of its performers. He seems to address the younger or potential jazz fan; otherwise, how could one explain his comparisons of mid-20th century jazz performances to those of Nirvana and Sonic Youth? Straight and to the point, Ratliff acts as an advocate for what he sees as a popular art form in need of an infusion of interest. This informative book is heavy on obvious albums by Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, and Charlie Parker, but the inclusion of Jeanne Lee, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, "Baby Face" Willette, and present-day phenomenon Jason Moran illustrates Ratliff's catholic view of the jazz genre. Also included is a list (title, main performer, date, and record label information only) of a second 100 recordings. This might not be a book that jazz fans will buy for their personal libraries-they have probably already formed their own tastes and list of favorites-but as a guide for the uninitiated it is essential for academic music libraries and public libraries large and small. It would also be most useful for collection development librarians building a well-rounded jazz CD collection.-James E. Perone, Mt. Union Coll., Alliance, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Library Journal Review
