This compilation of "shorts," written all by Richard Hadlock, are packed with little gems about the history of jazz. Each chapter, based on a different artist, contains a superb bibliography and discography. The writing style of this book is so smooth that you don't realize that you are experiencing a course in jazz history. You really feel like you are there. Hadlock also bases many of his comments on the recordings that he obviously has spent many hours with. What a shame that this book is out of print (but you can still get it from the used books on the B & N site), and that he hasn't written many more volumes. Hadlock is a former Sidney Bechet student from the 1950s.
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