All Music Guide to Jazz

Last updated
All Music Guide to Jazz: The Definitive Guide to Jazz
AllMusicGuidetoJazz.jpg
The cover of the fourth edition of All Music Guide to Jazz: The Definitive Guide to Jazz.
AuthorVladimir Bogdanov
Chris Woodstra
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
LanguageEnglish
SeriesAll Music Guide to...
Subject Jazz
Genre Non-fiction
Encyclopedic
Reference
Publisher Backbeat Books
Publication date
November 27, 2002 (4th)
Media type Paperback
Pages1,400
ISBN 0-87930-717-X
OCLC 50477109
781.65/0266 21
LC Class ML156.4.J3 A45 2002

All Music Guide to Jazz: The Definitive Guide to Jazz is a non-fiction book that is an encyclopedic referencing of jazz music compiled under the direction of All Media Guide. The first edition, All Music Guide to Jazz: the Best CDs, Albums & Tapes, appeared in 1994 and was edited by Ron Wynn with Michael Erlewine and Vladimir Bogdanov (head of the All Music Guide book series). [1] The book's fourth edition was released on November 27, 2002, and was edited by Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra and Stephen Thomas Erlewine.

Contents

Content

The book's back cover touts that the book contains ratings for close to 20,000 albums and 1,700 musician biographies. Artists are listed alphabetically and include some of the following: birth and death dates, classification (vocals, guitar, drums, etc.), a biography, a discography. The discography listings include a five star rating, the music label it was released on, and the date as well as possibly reviews of certain albums. These reviews are done by "respected critics" from Jazz Times and Coda . [2]

There are also thirty essays on different styles along with "top lists" and extensive charts on the evolution/lineage of the jazz.

Reception

Writing for the now defunct website Jazz Review, Mark E. Gallo described it as "the quintessential jazz encyclopedia." [3] All About Jazz called it "a must-have reference for anyone interested in the world of recorded jazz past and present." [2] Previous to this version, when albums weren't reviewed on five star scale, there was some confusion, but "in the long run what the editors have to say is more important than any rating scale." [4] Also, previous versions have also relied heavily on few reviews to comment on many albums, which "tends to weaken" the book. [4]

The added features are welcomed, since they give readers a "close-up view of the artists" within the jazz culture. [2] The essays in particular are "exceptionally well researched and written". [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AllMusic</span> American online music database

AllMusic is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the database was first made available on the Internet in 1994. AllMusic is owned by RhythmOne.

<i>Maiden Voyage</i> (Herbie Hancock album) 1965 studio album by Herbie Hancock

Maiden Voyage is the fifth album led by jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on March 17, 1965, for Blue Note Records. It was issued as BLP 4195 and BST 84195. Featuring Hancock with tenor saxophonist George Coleman, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, it is a concept album aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. As such, many of the track titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through their use of space. The album was presented with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.

<i>Fine Young Cannibals</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Fine Young Cannibals

Fine Young Cannibals is the debut studio album released in 1985 by the band of the same name. The album features the UK #8 debut hit single "Johnny Come Home".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Curson</span> American jazz trumpeter

Theodore Curson was an American jazz trumpeter.

<i>Jelly Roll Morton: The Complete Library of Congress Recordings</i> 2005 box set by Jelly Roll Morton

Jelly Roll Morton: The Complete Library of Congress Recordings is a 2005 box set of recordings from jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton. The set spans 128 tracks over eight CDs. It won two Grammy Awards in 2006, Best Historical Album and Best Album Notes.

<i>The Rolling Stone Album Guide</i> 1979 book

The Rolling Stone Album Guide, previously known as The Rolling Stone Record Guide, is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from Rolling Stone magazine. Its first edition was published in 1979 and its last in 2004. The guide can be seen at Rate Your Music, while a list of albums given a five star rating by the guide can be seen at Rocklist.net.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Henderson</span> American bass guitarist and vocalist (1951–2022)

Michael Earl Henderson was an American bass guitarist and vocalist. He was known for his work with Miles Davis in the early 1970s on early fusion albums such as Jack Johnson, Live-Evil, and Agharta, along with a series of his own R&B/soul hits and others featuring him on vocals, particularly the Norman Connors-produced hit "You Are My Starship" in 1976 and other songs in the mid to late-1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Napoleon</span> American jazz trumpeter and bandleader (1901–1990)

Phil Napoleon was an early jazz trumpeter and bandleader born in Boston, Massachusetts. Ron Wynn observed that Napoleon "was a competent, though unimaginative trumpeter whose greatest value was the many recording sessions he led that helped increase jazz's popularity in the mid-1920s." Richard Cook and Brian Morton, writing for The Penguin Guide to Jazz, refer to Napoleon as "a genuine pioneer" whose playing was "profoundly influential on men such as Red Nichols and Bix Beiderbecke."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Resnick</span> American guitarist and saxophonist

Randy Resnick is an American guitarist, songwriter and saxophonist who has played with many prominent blues and jazz musicians, such as Don "Sugarcane" Harris, John Lee Hooker, John Mayall, Canned Heat and Freddie King. He was developing both one- and two-handed tapping style in the early 1970s. He published a CD of his own music in 1995, "To Love" under the name Randy Rare. There is an example of his tapping work in the recording from that CD below. In 2020, he began publishing new music, much of it on saxophone, on the streaming platforms like Spotify, Tidal (service) and iTunes under his own Each Hit label.

<i>Cadence</i> (magazine) American music magazine

Cadence: The Independent Journal of Creative Improvised Music is a quarterly review of jazz, blues and improvised music. The magazine covers a range of styles, from early jazz and blues to the avant-garde. Critic and historian Bob Rusch founded the magazine as a monthly in 1976 and served as publisher and coordinating editor through 2011. Musician David Haney became editor and publisher in 2012.

<i>All Music Guide to the Blues</i>

All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues is a non-fiction, encyclopedic referencing of blues music compiled under the direction of All Media Guide.

Reginald R. Robinson is an American jazz and ragtime pianist. In 2004, he received a MacArthur Genius Grant.

<i>Tears for Dolphy</i> 1964 studio album by Ted Curson

Tears for Dolphy is a 1964 album by jazz trumpeter Ted Curson. The album's title track, an elegy for Eric Dolphy, has been used in many films.

Howard Stafford Huntsberry is an American R&B singer, drummer/percussionist, and actor from Pacoima, California.

Khan Jamal, born Warren Robert Cheeseboro, was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He founded the band Sounds of Liberation in 1970. He was described by Ron Wynn as "a proficient soloist when playing free material, jazz-rock and fusion, hard bop, or bluesy fare."

<i>Blue Serge</i> 1956 studio album by Serge Chaloff

Blue Serge is an album by jazz baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff, and released by Capitol Records in 1956. It was recorded on March 14 and 16, 1956 at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, California.

<i>Boston Blow–Up!</i> 1955 studio album by Serge Chaloff

Boston Blow–Up! is an album by jazz baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff. Capitol Records released the album in 1955. It was recorded on April 4 and 5, 1955 at Capitol Studios in New York City. Stan Kenton produced the album as part of his "Kenton Presents" series.

<i>Old and New Dreams</i> (1977 album) 1977 studio album by Old and New Dreams

Old and New Dreams is the debut album by the jazz quartet Old and New Dreams. The record features trumpeter Don Cherry, saxophonist Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Ed Blackwell and was recorded in 1976 for the Italian Black Saint label. It is not to be confused with their 1979 album of the same name for ECM.

Evidence Music is an American jazz and blues record label founded in 1992 by Howard Rosen and Jerry Gordon. The label's name comes from the song "Evidence" by Thelonious Monk.

References

  1. Ron Wynn, ed. (1994), All Music Guide to Jazz , M. Erlewine, V. Bogdanov, San Francisco: Miller Freeman, ISBN   0-87930-308-5
  2. 1 2 3 "Review at Allaboutjazz.com". Archived from the original on 2005-09-05. Retrieved 2006-12-20.
  3. 1 2 Mark E. Gallo. "Featured Book: All Music Guide to Jazz, 4th Edition". Archived from the original on 2006-10-19. Retrieved 2006-12-21.
  4. 1 2 Greg Mittag. "All the Jazz That's Fit to Print: A guide to guides to jazz recordings" . Retrieved 2006-12-21.