Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia »

Richard Cook is the former editor of the Wire and is currently the editor of the leading UK jazz magazine, Jazz Review. He is the coauthor of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings.

Essential reading for all jazz fans

Far more than an A-Z guide to the artists and bands who have shaped jazz, this invaluable resource also tracks the history of jazz and its changing styles and terminology. Whether readers want to know why Louis Armstrong was called Satchmo, what bebop is, or the difference between Gil Evans and Bill Evans-this wonderfully accessible book has all the answers.

• Contains sixty pages of photos

• Includes more than 2,000 entries on jazz artists and bands

• Provides clear definitions of key terms such as swing and fusion

Library Journal

With such venerable publications as The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz in print and the public's undeniable preference for the Internet as a source of quick facts, it may seem that the last thing we need is a new encyclopedia of jazz. But Cook (coauthor, The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD; editor, Jazz Review) has created a volume that carves out its own niche. The book covers a lot of ground, with more than 2000 A-to-Z entries on players, styles, clubs, record labels, and musical terms. The bulk of the entries, each a paragraph or two in length, are biographical and profile all the major players, from Louis Armstrong to John Zorn. But the book's real strength lies in its coverage of numerous minor figures, especially European, African, and Asian players. Another great feature is that one representative recording is cited at the end of nearly every entry. Throughout, the prose is well considered, descriptive, and often witty. Drummer Ralph Peterson, for example, is described as making "the most tremendous racket behind his soloists." Bottom Line The readability of this subjective and admirably succinct book makes it a resource jazz fans will enjoy opening at random and reading from time to time; it will also well serve those just looking for a quick fact, supplementing such standard titles as Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler's The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Recommended for academic and public libraries.-Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.