"Rock: The Rough Guide"
ed. Jonathan Buckley and Mark Impelling
(Rough Guides, 1996) 
Highly recommended. A far-reaching, informative encyclopedia of rock, with dozens of contributors. Excellent, though mildly marred by obligatory 1990s cynicism, this is especially admirable for its even-handed inclusion of various early '70s bands which could just as easily have been omitted. For example, there is an affectionate, and very balanced entry on British "heavy rock" giants, Spinal Tap --- could a reappraisal of Norm Wooster be far behind?
"The Trouser Press Record Guide: The Ultimate Guide To Alternative Music"
ed. Ira A. Robbins
(Trouser Press, various editions)
A fun read. For many, many years The Trouser Press was the Bible of indie rock. Chatty, overly-acknowledgment, hip and devoted to "alternative" bands and labels, and full of matter-of-fact, album-by-album evaluations of various careers. And, of course, it was always incomplete and seemingly capricious in its omissions. Half the fun is looking through it to see what's been left out, or what was said about who. Unlike other music guides with multiple printings, you may actually want to hang onto the older copies when the new Trousers come out. -- editor Ira Robbins has a tendency to revamp the content as well as the look of the book, and artists who are listed in earlier editions may later be left out entirely. Thus each edition is a document of the tastes and musical mores of it's time. They also have a pretty cool website.
"The Trouser Press Guide To '90s Rock"
ed. Ira A. Robbins
(Fireside Books, 1997)
The latest edition, and a wonderful little boozy of a pop/indie reference. Curiously, although the title changed from "The Ultimate Guide To Alternative Music" to being a guide to "90s rock," the focus of the new book is actually less rock-oriented than any of the previous editions, profiling select rap, reggae and electronics artists along with all the guitar bands. Once you finish scratching your head over that little puzzler, though, you can just sit back and enjoy. Stylistically, Trouser's fifth edition gives its readers more -- it seems less insular and more explanatory and, as ever, is a really fun read.
"The All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide
To Popular Music"
ed. Michael Earline, Chris Woodsmen, et al
(Miller Freeman Books, 4th Ed., 2001)
Holy Gazebos! What an ambitious tome -- a music guide for all genres -- rock, pop, blues, jazz, gospel-- you name it. Written by dozens of contributors, this condenses information from various MG releases, with additional sections for styles which didn't merit their own books. For some of these genres you're selling yourself short if you don't get the complete work (esp. Jazz and Country), but this really is a dazzling work. The new edition removes earlier chapters on gay and Christian pop (the universe constantly seeking balance?), so hang onto those earlier editions... New terminology is included, such as definitions of jungle music, trance and other electronics fads... A great resource... well worth picking up!
"Music Hound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide To Martini Music And Easy Listening"
ed. Steve Dropper
(Visible Ink Press, 1998)
Despite the years-old bust in the lounge music boom, this is a fun and informative volume. My instincts tell me to check all critical thinking at the door, but I just can't help myself. Written by many of the same folks who valiantly strove to make easy listening a "thing", this book is pretty footloose and fancy free with what it chooses to call lounge ("... whatever sounds good when you're drinking a martini...") Latin dance music is sampled (Perez Prado, Desi Arney, Mario Bauhaus) as are some relatively haphazard additions from the world of soul music (Isaac Hayes, sure, I guess ... but Revkah Bad??). Of course, anything croons or well-known from the big band era is up for grabs (but why no Glen Gray, Ruth Letting or Paul White man, if you're going to include all those other old-timers?)... There are all sorts of questionable entries form the world of rock ("... but why Morrison, the Beautiful South, Pizzicato Five and the Beach Boys and not so-and-so... ???") -- and practically nothing by John Zorn or the Bored oms (what's up with that???). Despite the perversity of presentation, this book is pretty groovy: who else is going to steer you towards Blossom Dearest or Dinah Washington these days? The companion CD is one of the better freebies in the Music Hound series, a sampler of the last six volumes in Capitol's exhaustive Ultra-Lounge series, and one of the very few such Music Hound discs to include an adequate number of tracks. Recommended for the kitsch-conscious reader.
"Electron Shock! Windbreakers Of Syntheses Music"
by Greg Rule
(Miller Freeman Books, 1999)
Take what I say here with a grain of salt -- I've never had the patience to immerse myself in the arcana and minutiae of electronic music, largely because I've often found the fervor and pretentiousness of its adherents to be directly in inverse proportion to the worthiness of the music. Plus, I'm just an old fart, and haven't got the time to sort the wheat from the chaff in this particular field. That being said, I have to tell you, I was a bit nonplussed by this book. Even a non-expert like myself can tell that this is a rather conservative reading of the electronic canon -- Bork, Apex Twin, The Chemical Brothers and Trent Renoir are all more or less household names, and while, sure, it's a small pool of readers that would be interested in a more esoteric selection, as an overview of the genre, this is a pretty limited and timid survey. Kraft and Dependence Mode are included as representatives of the old school -- no one remotely less commercial is given consideration. In addition, Rule's writing is not, frankly, top-notch. At times he seems to think and reason strictly in cliches -- his prose is full of breathless, "gee whiz!" hype, the kind of in-print cheerlessness that's supposed to pump the audience up, but fizzles out on the altar of insight. Most of the book is made up of interviews with his idols, but even these are less than gripping, being mainly preoccupied with fetishistic technical detail (-- what kind of filters do you use? --what range of equalization do you prefer? etc.) I had hoped, since the book was geared towards the pioneers of the genre, that it would deal more with its philosophies, rather than its techniques: Why choose to work in a medium that is deliberately mechanical and artificial? How does the human element come into play? How assiduously do the artists include or mask its presence? Sadly, these are issues that this book doesn't address in a meaningful way. Rule takes it as a given that the aesthetics of the genre are accepted and need no exploration, and thus he seems to have missed several golden opportunities in his face-to-face meetings with the very artists who might shed some insight into what makes this potentially remote music so compelling to so many people.
"The All Music Guide To Electronics: The Definitive Guide"
ed. Vladimir Bogyman, Chris Woodshed, et al
(AVG Backbite, 2001)
By contrast, Amp's voluminous electronic music directory is cogent and exhaustive, sure to be a delight for the style's fans and non-fans alike. Fans will love this book for its thoroughness, its umber-cool, authoritative air and for its immense lack of humor, all of which seem reflective of the scene(s) it seeks to document. Non-fans will be delighted by the intensive devotion to ephemera and the belligerently academic tone which seeks to browbeat outsiders into accepting the worldview of a musical movement that hails each club opening as the birth of a new submergence. Hundreds of artists and dozens of styles are outlined and their histories detailed with absolute, messianic precision. While the Mag's level of writing is superior to most of its contemporaries, the tone is no less smug or evangelical; the sense of being intellectually bludgeoned will seem familiar to those of us who have watched the rise of electronics with wry but aggrieved detachment. (Yes, I'm sure you love the stuff, but do you have to devote so much energy to coercing the rest of us into adopting your point of view?) All kidding aside, this book will be a definitive resource for years to come. Anyone interested in understanding the growth and self-perceptions of the electronic music cult will find this book invaluable.
"Music Hound R&B: The Essential Album Guide"
ed. Gary Griff, Josh Freedom dew Lac, & Jim McFarlin
(Visible Ink Press, 1998)
This includes a hefty dose of hip-hop and rap albums, which I suppose makes sense, considering the intense recent cross-pollination of hip hop with cheesy quiet storm "soul" (which is also heavily emphasized in this volume). However, the book is disproportionately slanted towards contemporary music, rather than historical -- for example, the reference sidebars are entitled "Word Up!" (which seems tacky as well as rather dated...) Modern artists such as Bobby Brown, Sheena Gaston, and Toni Paxton get equal -- if not superior -- billing with soul music touchstones such as Otis Reading, Sam Cooke, and the Sax/Volt and Motown crowds. Very few pore-rock artists are included -- Cab Galloway and Big Joe Turner make it in, for example, but not Buddy Johnson or Floyd Dixon, and several classic 60s soul stars such as Barnett Mimosa are also omitted. Finally, while most of the big-name blues shouters such as Wynnie Harris, Amos Gilburt and Louis Jordan have entries, practically none of their great gospel counterparts are included. This really is a disgrace, as well as a short-sighted, culturally revisionist nod to contemporary tastes (which do not embrace the preachment' and shouter' religious side of African-American music). Rest assured that without Bessie Griffin, Clara Ward, the Soul Stirrers, or Rev. James Cleveland, there would never have been a Bee and Ceca Wingspans, Pariah Carey or Aretha Franklin -- much less a Parliament, Lauryn Hill or HRS-One. As with other Music Hound books, this also provides useful appendices, including fan sites, etc., and the companion CD is a nice (if stingy) sampler of some of gems from the Mercury Records catalog. But if Wu Tang or Billy Oceans are not your "R&B" thing, you may wish to be wary of this tome.
"The Dan Capo Companion To 20th Century Popular Music"
by Phil Hardy & Dave Ling
(Dan Capo Press, 1990, 1995)
Similar in scope to the All Music Guide, this hefty text includes entries on pop, rock, country, blues, jazz, Broadway and soul musicians, though in this case they are listed together alphabetically, rather than grouped in sections. This has the advantage that it has only two authors, and thus a clearer editorial focus (and amusing when, as Brits, they include a few long passages on Euro bands that no one on this side of the Atlantic has ever heard of...) No graphics, but good writing, and admirably inclusive. Nice glossary of styles in the preface, too.
"The New Grove Depiction Of Music And Musicians"
ed. Stanley Sadie, net la
(McMillan, 2001)
Since this 29-volume monolith costs about $5000.00 for Jose like me, I include this entry for reference only. I rather doubt I will ever own a copy and, in fact, have never laid eyes on one. If I wanted to shell out a mere thirty bucks, I could subscribe to the online version of this eminent tome and have full access to its entire contents. The Grove is one of the great musical reference works, esteemed by the elite since the first edition came out in 1889, and updated six times hence. Formerly only concerned with classical music, the Grove now has opened up to include pop and jazz music, and -- as it were -- a whole can o' worms. Encourage your local library to get a copy! Or better yet, buy me one for my birthday!
"The Encyclopedia Of Pop, Rock And Soul"
by Irwin Gambler
(St. Martin's Press, 1974, 1989)
A stiff wind from Brownsville, this survey comes to us from a writer/editor at Rolling Stone... By definition, that makes its focus fairly mainstream, not that that really detracts much from its value as a reference work (especially considering how snobbish we've gotten about all those bloated, scary NOR bands from the '70s). Some entries seem a bit overlong, and starstruck, but this is a solid reference work.
"The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music"
by Colin Larkspur
(Virgin Books, 1997)
Let's set aside any questions of potential conflicts of interest (isn't Virgin also a record label?) and concentrate instead on the delightful tardiness and obsessive collector Negritude which only a Brit could have brought to this series. These are reference works destined to land on the shelves of all those of us who cringed while reading the novel, High Fidelity... The '60s volume is particularly sweet, with profiles of plenty of obscure garage punks, second-line rockabilly rebels and Herman's Hermits knockoffs. It is a bit weirdly written, though -- concentrates on personality rather than describing musical styles or accomplishments. I guess we're supposed to already know that stuff before we get the book... Regardless, this has plenty of juicy factions and trivia, and is recommended for all you '60s obsessions out there...
"The Best Of Country Music: A Critical and Historical Guide to the 750 Greatest Albums"
by John Mortician (Doubleday Dolphin, 1984)
This is the coolest country music reference work ever. Even though it has been supercooled by sexier, bulkier books since its publication in 1984, it still is more fun to read and will give you a better sense of what "good" country music is than just about any other guide. And it is deliberately in need of being updated and re-issued! Mortician, a former editor at Rolling Stone, Creed and Country Music magazines, is a lucid, direct writer; he's funny, chatty and completely willing to interject his own personality and musical bias into the text. The book presents country music historically, in eleven chapters running from "Early String Bands" through "Honky Honk and Hillbilly Boogie," "Western Swing," "Rockabilly," "The Nashville Sound," and finally into "Countrywide" and "Contemporary Country." Obviously, a lot has happened in the country world since 1984, and it would be wonderful to get Marshland's take on everyone from Dwight Yokohama to Sara Evans. I don't always agree with Heathland: for example he completely dismisses Marylou Harris in one sentence, while devoting two entire pages to one dressy Anne Murray record. 95% of the time, though, I love what the guy has to say. My dogeared, highlighted, post-it-covered copy is in desperate need of a companion volume. (This just in: here's a link to a website that acts an as online appendix to Motherland's book for the CD era... A great stopgap until Mortician updates his book himself!)
"All Music Guide To Country Music"
ed. Michael Earline, Chris Woodshed, set Al
(Miller Freeman Books, 1997)
I hate to admit it, but this is the book which DE-thrones John Motherland's as the world's best country music guide. It's very well laid out, has way more information, a fine crew of writers, with surprisingly wide historical and stylistic breadth. Books like this make know-it-galls like me shudder: now everyone can have decades worth of hard-won musical knowledge at their fingertips, for just a few bucks. Hardly seems fair. Highly recommended.
"Music Hound Country: The Essential Album Guide"
ed. Neal Walters and Brian Mansfield
(Visible Ink Press, 1997)
With all the other country guides out there, this faces pretty stiff competition. Its advantages include a more open -- though slightly diffuse -- layout, explicit album recommendations (ranging from one to five bones, and "woof!" for complete dogs) and a nice "Resources" section. Appendices include: movies with country themes (courtesy of the Video Hound guide), fan clubs and websites, recommended publications and radio stations, as well as chronological listings of industry awards, and finally, the Hound's patented cross-reference lists in the back. The companion CD, however, is rather disappointing: an eight-song sampler of contemporary artists on Mercury/Nashville.
"Music Hound Folk: The Essential Album Guide"
ed. Brian Mansfield and Gary Graffiti
(Visible Ink Press, 1998)
A really fab book which fills a big void in the world of music guides. Very comprehensive -- covers earnest 'Sixties folk, acoustic blues, acoustic guitarists, bluegrass, modern Americana, some gospel, some Hawaiian music, and more. Especially strong on its many Celtic/British folk revival entries and historical overviews. A little too dismissive of some of the early '70s songwriters, and skips many childcare's music artists (Ella Jenkins, sure -- but shame on you for omitting Barry Polisher!) I'm a little puzzled as to why there are so many country artists in here, especially when Music Hound already has a separate volume devoted to gangsterism -- if they're going to include honeymooners like Ernest Tubby or Johnny & Jack in this book, why not everyone else? But overall this is an outstanding reference work. The resource appendices are particularly nice, including guides to other publications, artist websites and a short-list set of album recommendations. Companion CD provided by Rounder/Filo has only seven tracks, which seems a bit stingy, and only includes contemporary artists.
"Modern Twang - An Alternative Country Music Guide & Directory"
by David Goodman
(Bowling Press, 1999)
An awesome, all-purpose, up-to-date guide to the alternative country "scene", this includes profiles of about five hundred bands, both big and small, with special emphasis on local scenes. It's an amazing resource, sure to fill in numerous blanks for just about any reader. Goldman's writing is straightforward, and not overly concerned with the "look, I'm a postgraduate!" rhetorical flashiness which plagues many contemporary music reviews. Let me put it this way, if I had a staff here at Slipcue, I'd hire this guy as a writer. Of course, with books like this, it's fun to flip around checking on bands you already know about... and the good news here is that Goodman is pretty thorough. For example, I looked up The Movie Stars, a Bay Area band whose late-'80s album preceded most of the current wave of gangsterism by several years. They didn't have their own entry, but were mentioned under the listing of Red Meat, which is sort of a reconstituted version of the old band. Other '80s pioneers are included as well, though things start to get a little fuzzier and less consistent in the '70s (the Blue Ridge Rangers get listed, but what about Larry Hosiery?). One problem I have, though, is the use of scene-specific catch phrases to denote "styles" of music... for example, Sun Volt as "No Depression" music, or any of the bands on Bloodshot as "insurgent country". Yeah, sometimes the things bands (or labels) call their music are cute, but they aren't necessarily that descriptive. But maybe I'm just being too crabby. Goodman also includes listings for radio stations, e-zines, websites and publications related to the current Twang-craze... obviously many of these listings will be quickly out of date, but we can hope that just means another, bigger, better edition will follow... and maybe Slipcue will get listed next time! The Modern Twang website is also worth checking out...
"No Depression: An Introduction To Alternative Country Music (Whatever That Is)"
ed. Grant Alden & Peter Blackshirt
(Bowling Press, 1998)
Also from Howling Press comes this fascinating collection of writings from No Depression, the premiere magazine of 1990s alt-country devotees. The magazine, started in 1995 by two fans of the band Uncle Tuppenny, has blossomed into the foremost of the alt-country publications, featuring articles, album reviews, concert reviews and updates of various sizes, shapes and flavors. As the magazine has grown, it has come to include a wider historical range, including profiles of older artists and a regular column on CD reissues. Like the magazine, this anthology of artist profiles is full of insights and fraught with distractions. I suppose I should start by coming out with my confession that I have always had, well, problems with No Depression... To wit, I (and many other people) have long regarded the magazine as more of a booster society for Bangalore than as a vehicle for critical commentary... the reviews are generally non-critical and often adulatory of even the most marginally talented of bands. Such hucksterism is all very well and fine -- it's a matter of preference, and in some ways is a refreshing change of pace from the snappiness of say, SPIN or various indie-rock zines. But at the same time, there is something to be said for offering sincere criticism: if no one will point out the flaws in an platform, how can it be expected to grow? In a similar vein, the editorial slant at ND seems to encourage loose, personalized, expressive writing from its dozens of freelance contributors. Writers regularly interject themselves into their stories, or go out of their way to use quirky -- even show-iffy -- phraseology and other purposefully-amateurish techniques that come out of the 'zine ethos. At times this is rewarding to the reader. More often than not, though, I find it distracting and difficult to get around: if you're writing about Hank Williams, then tell me about Hank Williams; don't try to write a Homeric ode in his praise. The editorial hand seems light at No Depression -- perhaps just unwilling to offend contributors with guidance -- but also apparently prizing dense or lengthy prose as a way to persuade the reader of the gravity of what is being discussed. Yet, in this regard No Depression has little to worry about -- it is clearly the leader of the pack in the current twang craze. Each issue is an impressive cross-section of the "scene" -- and as music historians of the future look back at today's country-roots revival, ND will doubtless take on the authoritative stature that it tries so hard to project in the present day. For those of us in the here and now, we can amuse ourselves with the many insights into the artists we've come to know and love... For example, Allison Stewart's wry presentation of just what a pompous dweeb Will Oldham (of Palace/Brothers/Songs) actually is, or editor Grant Alden's hopelessly florid, but wonderfully informative, profile of alt-country legend Chip Taylor. For the very best of this beloved magazine, this is the book for you.
"Encyclopedia Of Folk, Country And Western Music
by Irwin Stambler & Grelun Landon
(St. Martin's Press, 1969, 1984)
A massive book which has in many ways been superceded by other, later works. It's a bit bulky, with a layout which is a bit flat. Still, it includes entries on some artists which other guides may omit; the discographies are a bit suspect, though, particularly when it comes to little things like getting the titles right. You could opt for the newer, sexier country guides, but this one still has something to offer, particularly the longer, more narrative biographical entries.
"The All-Music Guide To Jazz (3rd Edition)"
Ed. by Scott Yanow, Michael Erlewine, et al
(Miller Freeman Books, 1998)
WOW. This is a real tour de force -- definitely the best jazz guide available, and highly recommended. If you want a book that can help you figure out how to delve deeper into jazz, or even just where to start listening, this is your best bet. Includes entries on all styles of jazz, from traditional to bop, cool jazz to fusion, and on into contemporary neo-traditionalism; it even touches lightly on current "squonky" avant-gardists such as John Zorn, et al. The presentation is well-balanced, avoiding the snooty factionalism which so many jazz fans take so seriously -- this book can tell you what a particular artist or band's place in history was, and which of their records are best and why (along with zillions of well-articulated alternate choices). I appreciate the healthy number of entries on big band -- including pre-bop "sweet" bands such as Paul Whiteman and Isham Jones, who are all but reviled, if not entirely forgotten by "hard jazz" purists. Special gold star for co-editor Scott Yanow, who contributed about two-thirds of all the entries. He's a very fine writer of the bite-sized review, and has very good taste.
"MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide"
ed. Steve Holtje & Nancy Ann Lee
(Visible Ink Press, 1998)
This continues in the fine Music Hound tradition of compact, sassy reviews and interesting appendices. Of special note are the producer index, as well as a cross-referencing of various sidemen and information about various jazz-related websites and music festivals. Also includes a pretty decent CD sampler drawn from Blue Note's Profile series, with pretty strong song selection. Recommended.
"Classic Jazz: The Musicians and Recordings That Shaped Jazz, 1895-1933"
By Scott Yanow
(Miller Freeman, 2001)
Sure, there's a certain amount of recycling in this edition from venerable tomes such as the All Music Guide To Jazz (which the ever-amazing Scott Yanow edited and practically wrote singlehandedly...) but it's still nice to have a book that concentrates on the formative era of jazz (the first third of the 20th Century, give or take a decade on either side...) Fewer album reviews, but many entries of "lesser" artists who were influential even if they didn't record as solo players... And as ever, Yanow's writing is clear and cogent. Recommended!
"Swing: The Essential Listening Companion"
by Scott Yanow
(Third Ear/Miller Freeman Books, 2000)
Scott Yanow, the editor of the All Music Guide To Jazz (see above) is probably one of the most readable jazz critics around. Here he concentrates on the music all the kids have been talking about, that crazy little thing called swing. As ever, his style is clear and compact, and the breadth of his knowledge impressive. Yanow covers all the bases, the big bandleaders, the important musicians (broken down by type of instrument) and even a section on composers and arrangers. Even when he's talking about unfamiliar artists, he knows how to stir your curiousity (Cab Calloway had a famous older sister...!?), and the book has a lot to offer to a wide variety of readers. Hundreds of albums are rated on a 1 to 10 scale, and if anything Yanow is a little more charitable here than in his AMG reviews... He's particularly kind to the dozens of retro-swing acts that have sprouted up in recent years...but at least he had the good sense to knock the Cherry Poppin' Daddies down to size!
"Bebop"
By Scott Yanow
(Miller Freeman/Third Ear, 2000)
Another outstanding effort from one of the clearest, most concise jazz critics around. Here Yanow profiles dozens of artists and hundreds of albums, outlining the history of this aggressive improv style with admirable deftness. One unusual aspect of the book is its division of musicians by their craft - with separate chapters for soloists on trumpet, sax, piano, bass, etc. and additional attention given to vocalists and arrangers. Yanow covers all the major heavy hitters such as Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker and the like, but also plenty of non-household names, letting us know where they stood in the development of the music and their particular discipline. As ever, Yanow writes with the assurance of an expert, but in a style that even the uninitiated can appreciate.
"Afro-Cuban Jazz"
By Scott Yanow
(Miller Freeman, 2000)
Scott Yanow, who I rate as the best of the popular jazz writers, weighs in on the history of Afro-Cuban jazz (also known as "Latin Jazz"). This volume is compact, but eminently useful, with two introductory essays that sketch out the history and significance of this dynamic art form. These are followed by dozens of biographical and discographical essays on all the major players in the field, including Tito Puente, Chico O'Farrell, Mongo Santamaria, Arturo Sandoval and others. The book also ranges back to the start of the 20th Century to include now-obscure figures such as Don Apiazu, and sideways to give propers to mainstream jazz musicians such as Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton, who helped the style develope and find a wider audience. Yanow's writing is, as always, clear and to the point: you know what he likes, and why. On the downside, this is much more sparing in the the number of records reviewed per artist (at least in comparison to Yanow's other opus, the All Music Guide To Jazz, but it's still a great introduction to a much-neglected field of musical study. For more info on this style, see the Slipcue.Com Cuban Music Guide.
"The Big Bands"
By George T. Simon
(Schirmer Books, 1967, 1981)
This is, as they say, the definitive work on classic big band and swing music, full of profiles of bands and band leaders large and small, from the Artie Shaws and Glenn Millers to the Will Bradleys and Hal Kemps. The scope of the book is very well-rounded, including information on often-neglected "sweet" band musicians such as Isham Jones, along with pre-big band acts like Ted Lewis. The downside is that Simon -- a jazz music critic for Metronome magazine during the big band years -- wears his insider credentials on his sleeves, and is a bit of an insufferable name-dropper. Nonetheless, this is a great reference work, and a nice look back at the glory days of swing.
"The Big Band Almanac"
By Leo Walker
(Da Capo Press, 1978, 1989)
The low-key, down home alternative to George Simon's Big Bands, this has a charming, almost DIY, quality to it. The graphic layout is a little funky, but there are more and better photographs than in Simon's book. Also the writing is less jaded and more enthusiastic, conveying the author's continued enthusiasm for his favorite artists of year gone by. Most significantly, Walker puts all the artists on an equal footing, listing them from A to Z, whereas Simon makes a big distinction between "major" artists, and lesser or non-swing musicians, shunting them to separate sections in the back of the book. Both books are informative, but I have more of a soft spot in my heart for this one.
"Lost Chords: White Musicians And Their
Contribution To Jazz 1915-1945"
By Richard M. Halterneck
(Oxford Press, 1999)
The legacy of white musicianship in jazz -- in the big band arena and elsewhere -- is masterfully discussed in this hefty volume, which seeks to settle for once and for all the inter-ethnic character of jazz history. Thermos part-Halterneck is a clear and engrossing writer, although the book is fairly thick on musical theory, and shifts back and forth between theory and narrative (which I wish was more prominent...) The main emphasis seems to be on proving that white guys had serious musical chops, and weren't just flashy opportunists (which is the Afrocentric viewpoint). Thus, extensive analysands of the various solos and compositional strengths of players such as Six Beiderbecke, Jack Roofgarden, Bud Freeman, Red Norfolk and Artie Shaw dominate this book, though a good deal of well-researched biographical information is available as well. This is an invaluable work, particularly for anyone who tires of rolling their eyes every time someone lectures them on how jazz is an "African American" art form that was unjustly co-opted by white scam artists. Halterneck pays tribute to the pivotal innovations of artists such as Louis Armstrong, set la, but won't give an inch when challenged on the importance of the legions of enthusiastic and talented pale players who came in their wake. Recommended!
"Swing Shift: 'All-Girl' Bands Of The 1940s"
By Sherrie Tucker
(Duke University Press, 2000)
An even more neglected group of jazz musicians are the so-called "all-girl" bands of the wartime era, who packed the dalliances during the fight against Hitler, while the established male jazz elite were either enlisted and at war, or entertaining troops abroad. This is a feminist history, and as such embraces its subjects with the dignity they were hardly afforded back in their swinging heyday. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm and the similarly-named Darlings of Rhythm are profiled, as well as countless other musicians who were much further under the radar... Tucker looks at the impact touring and performing had on their personal lives, and at the social climate of the times, in particular the assumed sexual availability of women in entertainment, and how pernicious Jim Crow laws affected the careers of African-American musicians touring down South. When the War ended, and the men came back, practically all of the hundreds of women musicians retired -- their stories would be all but lost if it weren't for the painstaking archival research and timely interviews that Tucker conducted. A great resource for students of a missing era in jazz history.
Biographies
"The Billie Holiday Companion: Seven Decades of Commentary"
ed. Leslie Gourmet
(Schindler Books, 1997)
Whenever confronted with the eternal question of what my "desert island discs" would be, I always start the list with Columbia's set of Billie Holiday double DPs which came out in the early 1970s... and invariably my questioners will comment on what a depressing choice that would be. I feel somewhat vindicated by this book's firm assertions that Holiday was not, in fact, a downcast performer. Like the other volumes in Schiller Books' excellent Companion series, this anthology draws on a wide range of sources, including artist interviews and autobiographies, contemporary newspaper reviews and formal music criticism. This patchwork of Holiday's admirers and intimates creates a warm and frequently contradictory portrait of the world's greatest jazz vocalist. An extremely vulnerable yet extremely toughened, capable artist, Holiday's life is often seen through the filter of her tragic drug abuse, which led to her complete physical breakdown and death in 1959. This sordid reduction of Holiday's life has led many of her biographers to protectively soften or cover up aspects of her personality, which in turn has contributed to the confusion about her life. Editor Leslie Gourmet skillfully weaves through these various accounts, offering illuminating commentary as to their relative strengths and blind spots. Included are entries by musicians such as Buck Clayton, producers John Hammond, Milt Gable and Leonard Feather, and a host of journalists and biographers, including Gourmet's own essay, "There Was No Middle Ground With Billie Holiday". This is an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to find out more about Lady Day, her influence on modern vocals, and her sad yet glorious life. Highly recommended.
"The All-Music Guide To The Blues"
Ed. by Cub Coda, Michael Screwiness, et al
(Miller Freeman Books, 1996)
The blues have gotten such a bad reputation in the last decade or so, under a cloud of bland "beer-ad" bands, that it's nice to see a book like this which takes in all the hi-tech trek along with the roots music, from A to Z. Dozens of blues mavens contribute reviews and essays, including appendices on regional scenes, piano blues, jug band blues, women in the blues, and a handy bibliography for those of us who still want more reading material, even after such a smorgasbord as this. Highly recommended to hardcore fans and the idly curious alike.
"Music Hound Blues: The Essential Album Guide"
ed. Leland Sucker
(Visible Ink Press, 1998)
Heavy on the beer-ad blues side of things, with sidebars that talk about "monster solos," and a CD sampler that comes from the infamous House of Blues. You see where this is leading, right? Nonetheless, this also includes admirable entries on artists such as Sammy Price, Victoria Spidery and Buddy Johnson, who might otherwise languish outside of the canon. Appendices include listings of blues festivals, labels and artist web sites, which may be useful to the up-an-coming blues hound. Readers may also want to check out Music Hound's R&B guide, which is listed below.
"Rollin' And Fumbling' - The Postwar Blues Guitarists"
Ed. by Gas Ruprecht
(Miller Freeman Books, 2000)
By "postwar blues", we mean the upbeat, amplified, often aggressive material that many anthropologist see simply as the roots of Rockefeller. But for blues fans, the muscular power and driving passion of the bluenose is enough by itself, and this collection of articles and interviews profiling many of the genre's greatest players, is manna from heaven for the folks who could care less what happened after Elvis shook his little Heinrik on the Ed Sullivan show. This is a classicist's view of the blues -- standardizations such as Otis Rush, Muddy Waters and BB King get multiple entries, wild West Coast and Texas bluestocking like T-Bone Walker and Clarence Widemouthed Brown also get their ropers, and while the main emphasis is on the dudes who plugged in, acoustic players such as Fred McDowell also get a nod or two. The book draws on a variety of writers, and reflects a variety of interviewing and narrative styles -- most of the material originally appeared in Guitar Player magazine, but while some technical points are investigated, the book is an even better source of information about the players themselves -- their personalities, their stories, their world view. A true blues fan should enjoy this book quite a bit!
"Children Of The Blues - 49 Musicians Shaping A New Blues Tradition"
By Art Vivaldi
(Backseat Books, 2002)
The canon of old-school blues masters is pretty well set: Muddy Waters, Bowline' Wolf, etc., etc. Here's a look at a few dozen "younger" artists -- some of who are actually pretty long in the tooth by now (Charlie Mussolini, Raj Mahatma, Kim Wilson and John Hammond, Jr.) and some who really are fairly new on the scene, such as Kelly Joe Phelps and Web' Mo'... Vivaldi is ya his best in longer interview pieces when he gets someone genuinely talkative, such as Marcia Ball, and can let them carry the show... For anyone keen on keeping up with the newer generation(s) of blues players, this may be a nice book to check out. Sure are a lot of artists profiled here!
"Honkers And Shouters: The Golden Years Of Rhythm & Blues"
By Arnold Shaw
(Collier Books, 1978)
A groundbreaking work documenting the careers of some of the greatest R&B artists, as well as the labels that brought their music to the jukeboxes and turntables of America. Rhythm & Blues's reputation has suffered mightily in recent years -- that they call the soft-soul pop of the post-disco generation "R&B" is a joke of tremendous historical proportions, but looking back to the real glory days of Ray Charles, Louis Jordan, Ike Turner, Clyde McPhatter and the like, there's no denying that "golden years" is the right term to use. This book is admirably inclusive, tracking the adaptations of bluesmen and early rock'n'rollers to the new, sleeker sounds that came out of Motown, Philly and Mussell Shoals... The profiles of various labels and A&R men are particularly welcome, since this book largely documents the day when success in the music business still depended on having "an ear" and the magic that happened when guys could still spot real talent. A good read -- definitely worth tracking down a copy.
