Genres Books

Horowitz writes in a lively and approachable fashion, telling the story of how music and musical performance evolved in our country with brisk and provocative ideas. He's both scholar and journalist, an unusual talent.

As you may well guess from the title, Mr. Horowitz isn't very happy with the current trends in American music. In many ways you can't but agree with him. He claims that classical music in the United States peaked at about 1900 and that since then it has been falling in impact, in quality, and in just about every other way.

I'm not so sure that I completely agree. One of his points is that American orchestras have become fixated on performing only the music of the old masters and ignoring American composers. In fact he says that at the turn fo the century we were waiting for a major American composer to come in and set the stage for the new country. And that didn't happen.

Music has certainly changed in the last hundre years, but there are more symphanies than ever before. Even the smaller cities like Salt Lake city, San Jose, etc. sport local orchestras. Performances at places like Vail, Colorado and Tanglewood draw good crowds.

I think that there may be a discussion waiting to happen on what is classical music. Shakespeare is certainly classical literature, but it was theater of the masses in its day. Musicals on Broadway, movie themes like John Williams work on Star Wars aren't defined as classical. But in a hundred years Phantom of the Opera may well be considered classical.

Mr. Horowitz certainly raises interesting points, and has crafted a book well worth reading.

For the classical enthusiast, this is a must read. It puts into great perspective the problems currently facing us -- and frankly leaves me despondent about the future of live, symphonic music. Everyone involved gets blamed: conductors, soloists, union members, orchestra managers, audiences, composers, music schools...
The book is nicely divided into historical periods, and all the big (and not so big) names are here. Horowitz obviously knows his subject, writes about it passionately and communicates to the reader well. He also likes obscure words: more than once I had to grab a dictionary.
There's a nice Naxos web page that offers up substantial samples of much of the music mentioned in the book.
My only complaint is that I wish he had added a last chapter: What We Need to Do! There are plenty of people who need to read this book, but I fear that it's length will prevent wide readership.

For years we have been sustained by a notion that we could, if we worked hard enough, use documents of all kinds (musical scores, diaries, images, letters, etc.) to figure out something like "what really happened" in the past. Alas, the past is a much vaster ocean than we imagine. The refreshing thing about Horowitz's brilliant Classical Music in America, is that he's not about writing a chronicle, he's about telling a particular story. In the end, it's not whether you agree or disagree that there was something like a Golden Age in the United States around the turn of the century followed by a gradual but inevitable slide, but that the reader is bathed in the very richness of the tale and the telling. Through his passion, his gifts as a writer and thinker, and actually through the very idiosyncratic thinking that can annoy, cajole, and prod, he compels attention, and stimulates deep thought about the past and the present.

Horowitz has been one of our leading cultural critics for decades, and this is a book that should be on every music lover's bookshelf.

Horowitz's panoramic history traces the development of American classical music institutions, performers, and composers from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Emerging from such low-brow entertainments as "monster concerts" with multitudes of choral and orchestral performers, so numerous that they could hardly hear each other, the American musical scene came to maturity both in Boston and New York, two locales around which much of the author's chronicle centers. Horowitz's chronicle charts in detail the history of many performing institutions in both these cities, the men who ran them, and those who kept a watchful eye on their doings: the music critics. Orchestras, opera companies and solo performers parade past in dizzying array, kept from totally overwhelming the reader by Horowitz's firm organization, both by chronology and by topic area.

It is the attempt to establish a distinctive and indigenous school of musical composition that most interests Horowitz, and here his discussion is at its most valuable. He gives due weight to names that are now fashionable once again, such as Amy Beach, but also speaks up for some that are still neglected, notably George Whitfield Chadwick in Boston. The distinctive musical cultures that arose in the two cities are painted with a sure hand, resulting in many fascinating revelations: Edward MacDowell's chilly relations with many of Boston's pre-eminent composers, for example, came as a surprise to me. Alas, according to the author, though America has produced many major composers in the twentieth century, a truly distinctive and thriving culture of original composition has never succeeded in establishing itself. Horowitz blames this failure on the cultivation of what amounts to performer worship and the endless recycling of a canon of old masterpieces that took hold after World War I. His conclusions may be arguable, but his observations are unfailingly lucid and engaging. This is a book that will sit by Richard Crawford's recent book on American music, and books on American opera and singing by John Dizikes and Peter G. Davis, on my shelf of frequently consulted sources.

I have the book and the DVD which I watch over and over again (great to do the dishes by.)

This is a must have for home libraries of all musical theater lovers and Sondheim admirers.

The score features three staves, piano and vocal with an added bonus of crucial instrument parts which are even labelled in separate font to help instrument recognition for the complete music of company down to the scene change and underscore music!
The musical notation and lyrics are clear to read in PC print format, none of that hand printed stuff. The only down side is the score does not have TAB or chord labels above the staves, just pure notation which in some cases not ideal for the modern musician. With the Music being Sondheim orientated most songs could be classed as grade 6 or 7. Very tricky rythms but the best complete Company score book on the market. If you have trouble reading though an easy play version would be advisable.

I own a copy of both the vocal score and the complete libretto and I should say it is worth owning both. The vocal score when played on piano gives lively music to make anyone dance to the beat. It never loses its Broadway touch. The notes when played by a skilled pianist would make it sound more like the orchestra accompaniment. I would highly recommend those of you who love Sondhei'm style to own one of these. This would definitely be a smash hit for your school or community theater.

I love Sondheim, and this show is the best of his works in my opinion. Full of challenging songs, and complex arrangements, it will surely please the pianist or singer who is looking for something a little outside the realm of Roger's and Hammerstein to sing. Go into your nest audition with "another Hundred People", or "Getting Married Today" and blow your director away! This book contains a lot of material that is not readily available in other volumes and it is definately worth the investment. songs of note "Being Alive" "Company", "Barcelona", "the little things you do togrther" and the immortal "Ladies Who Lunch"

When Mr. Sondheim and and Mr. Furth wrote the show they wanted to have something that would make the audience laugh all night and then stay awake the rest of the night thinking about it. And that is EXACTLY what they did! Mr. Furth developes his characters so well as does Sondheim. To fully get the show one might consider getting the cd (original cast album is the best and can be found here on Amazon.com as well) This is seriously the best libretto I own.. and I own MANY.

not that i/ll ba able to *play* many of the pieces here. i have always liked the schirmer library series. this has quite a lot in it compared to some volumes.

i've never thought getting this would be beneficial since there are tons of free resource on the net, but i was wrong. better arrangement, more detail, it's just better for learning and playing. again i'm an beginner, but i like this book so much. chopin all the way!

This is an excellent book from Schirmer's Chopin collection "Complete ...", in this case "... Preludes, Nocturnes and Waltzes". Really amazing collection of Chopin's master pieces. This book worths every cent you invest in it.

This book is an excellent value with offerings suitable for the intermediate to advanced player. A wonderful opportunity to add these selections to your music library. The book itself is about 245 pages it stays open easily on my music stand. The pages are large and printing is dark.

Carefully transcripted and correctly analysed in both tonal and expression matters this sheet music Chopin collection covers the needs of both the experienced and the amateurs pianists.

This book basically breaks down all the chords making their near-perfect music very easy to play. I am a novice at guitar, and I found this book very helpful, some some of it is just way too advanced for me. I highly recommend it for those who want to play good music.

If you're reading this then you're clearly a CCR fan and you need this book. It has tabs and chords as well as standard notation. Forget internet tabs, play it the right way.

I saw CCR in 1970, give or take a year or so. John Fogerty and the band rocked the house and it was one of the best concerts I ever went to. I've never gotten tired of hearing their music, it's timeless. I bought this book, I think it's superb and recommend it to anyone wanting to learn CCR music. The music isn't difficult to learn to play, but sounds great, just like Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Without a doubt, Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of the best, and most important, rock and roll bands that America ever produced. And the chief creative driving force behind this band was John Fogerty, the main songwriter, singer, and lead guitarist.

Many of Fogerty's immortal classics are contained in this terrific book: Proud Mary, Born On The Bayou, Bad Moon Rising, Green River, Fortunate Son, Lodi, Who'll Stop The Rain?, Up Around The Bend, Have You Ever Seen The Rain?...this small group alone is enough to insure CCR's inclusion on any Rock and Roll 'Hall of Fame' lists...

What makes these songs so memorable are the simple, yet brilliant, guitar passages that John Fogerty always crafted his songs with. Both the rhythm and lead parts to these songs are all derived from the basic roots of rock and roll guitar...learn them, and you will have a terrific foundation on which to build your own guitar vocabulary and style, whatever direction you decide to go.

The tablature to these songs are accurate and spot on, yet not too complicated or overwhelming for someone just beginning to learn how to play...if you are familiar with the songs, this book will show you how to play cool sounding stuff very quickly...

With great songs, great guitar parts, and great guitar tablature to match, this book is a great value for the money. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. lr*****

This Book is for Beginners and Advanced guitar players alike. The music is easy to play, but yet is still a challenge. I love all these songs and i learned these songs quickly. If you're just starting and want to impress your friends, i highly recommend this book. It also includes a biography of the band. So go and buy this book for cheap!!!

This is my favorite book about not only Jimi Hendrix, but Robert Johnson and Charlie Christian too. Occasionally Charles Shaar Murray gets a little carried away during his wordy descriptions, but it doesn't matter. If you want to learn about the evolution of African American guitarists, this is the place to start.

Perhaps the best book written on rock music.

Unlike the usual gossip-laden rock bios (which I sometimes relish too, I'll admit), Murray's book is a serious piece of work. I've yet to come across a rock author as capable as Murray in analyzing the most important aspect of our Jimi-worship-- the MUSIC. Murray's book delves into the sociocultural groundwork of Jimi's musical style, and makes very astute leaps in connecting Jimi's music to various influences. Murray is perhaps the most intelligent rock biographer I've ever read (and I've read most of the major ones). At certain times, it's as though Murray's descriptive skill nearly matches his subject's musical genius. In any event, this book certainly does Jimi justice. Murray's descriptions of some of Jimi's well-known material are awesome. He describes an instance of Jimi's tight playing as (sorry if I slightly misquote) a "propulsive ball of rhythm, densely packed with ideas," and so forth. Murray is singularly able to verbally express what we deeply feel about Jimi's music, but have a hard time explaining to others. You know how tough it is to convince non-believers why you KNOW that Jimi is a genius, when they think that he was merely a hyped-up, noisy, wildman-clown, right? Well, read Charles Murray's book. I think it'll sooth your soul, and you'll come away with a deeper knowledge and appreciation of his subject. Hats off to Murray!

Although most fans will be content with the 'Electric Gypsy' bio (which is equally good), "Crosstown Traffic" is more than a mere biography, and as such, invaluable for all Jimi fanatics.

The book is 1/4 bio, 1/4 Jimi's influences (as well as those subsequently influenced by him), 1/4 comparisons between peers and other black artists, and 1/4 conjecture based on his final days.

They've included a list of bootlegs (obviously out of date, but still pretty comprehensive) as well as all legitimate Hendrix material, and a guide to Jimiphiles on what artists to check out that might catch their interest.

This is not your typical chronological biography of an influential figure. In this outstanding piece of literary work, Charles Murray delves far beyond the superficial facts into far more profound terrritory. The author sets the standard by which all books dealing with the subject matter of Hendrix and era surrounding his meteorical ascension to the pinnacle of the fledging American rock culture should be judged. Thoroughly researched, the book is annotated with richly descriptive language that sheds new light on the role the cultural, social and political dynamics played in shaping Hendrix's life and the opposing impact he had on these dynamics. Paraphrasing an observation made by a prior reviewer, Murray transcends the almost inexplicable emotion evoked by Hendrix's art into eloquent, thought provoking prose. I found myself rereading many of the passages because I was so struck by the author's incisive and beautifully written statements.

The chapter's are as follows (possibly out of order and an omission or two as I recently lent my copy to a friend):

Chapter 1: The 60's, or the "We Decade". Murray delves into factors that engender the policitical, social, and musical climate of the late 60's within Britain and the United States. He astutely examines the contradictions, successes, failures, and outcomes from one of the most compelling eras of the last century. Hendrix's role as an iconic figure is also discussed in detail. The themes established here reemerge at various stages throughout the remaining chapters of the book.

Chapter 2: The Facts about Hendrix. The author reviews all the pubically known facts in a very straight forward fashion.

Chapter 3: Hendrix and women. Murray explores the background of women as the subject matter in rock and blues music and Jimi's volatile relationship with the female form. He analyzes how the influence of Jimi's "muse" manifested herself in various forms within his lyrics.

Chapter 4: Hendrix's role as a racial figure. Murray closely investigates all the elements encompassing the paradox of Jimi's cultural status: A black man playing to a white audience playing music popularized by whites rooted in the black musical tradition of blues.

Chapter 5: A critical comparison of his career with Robert Johnson's and Charlie Christian's; two fellow African American guitarists who similarily rose quickly to prominence, gained legendary status, and left a profound impact on Western Musical tradition.

Chapter 6: Hendrix and the Blues. An inciteful history (although brief by comparison since their are entire books on the subject) of the blues within the context of American and British culture as well as an exploration into how the african american muscial form influenced Hendrix and his place in history as one of its most important purveyor of the blues.

Chapter 7: Hendrix and Soul music. Describes the birth and growth of soul music, its influence on Henrdrix, and his corresponding influence upon the genre.

Chapter 8: Hendrix and Jazz music. Similiar to the previous chapter in its framework, it also explores what Hendrix might have done had been granted an opportunity to fulfill his musical potential and desires. Murray also establishes Hendrix as a seminal influence to the fusion movement.


Chapter 9: Categorizing Hendrix. A short but necessary acknowledgement using Hendrix as the definitive example of how it is impossible to categorize music without performing somewhat of a disservice to the artist.

Each chapter is carefully interwoven with quotes from Hendrix's comtemporary musicians, modern day artists (at the time of publication), other seminal literary works on music, as well as Hendrix's own lyrics and interview quotes. They provide an effective framework to buttress Murray's analysis and to serve as a transitional device between tangential arguements.

The size and depth of Murray's bibliography is as impressive as writing. It is another example of the level of scholarship at which he operates at. Also included is an exhaustive list of albums by other artists seperated by genre that either had an influence on Hendrix or were influenced by Hendrix.

Echoeing Robert Palmer's comments on the book jacket, "The artistry of this book is equal to that of its subject matter". If you want a traditional biography, this might not be exactly what you are searching for. However, if you seek to go beneath the surface of the iconoclastic Hendrix, his music, and the times he lived in, there is no better source. A truly illuminating experience and arguably the greatest book on rock'n'roll ever written.

This volume provides an encyclopedic reference of musical compositions that is sure to be useful to the professional as well as to those amateurs like me who enjoy collecting and listening to concert music. A little overwhelming to the novice perhaps, but invaluable none the less. I have never before seen a reference that listed the individual arias in an opera. One quible. The earliest composer cataloged is Monteverdi. As a lover of Renaissance music, I missed Byrd, Palestrina, Josquin Desprez and others in that period. No doubt the material from those earlier eras poses research challenges beyond the scope of the project but the book feels a little incomplete without them.

Recently, I became very interested in classical music. But I had one big problem; I didn't have any friend who get some knowledge about classical music. So I decided to buy books for self-teaching. There were three books I have bought until lately; "Classical Music for Dummies ", "The Penguin Guide to Compact Disk" and this book. I think that they make good combination for a beginner like me. "The De Capo Catalog of Music Compositions" has every work list of great composers throughout the history of classical music. I couldn't find any similar book like one at local bookstore. It makes this book very unique and valuable. I actually use this book with Penguin's guide every time l buy CDs. For a professional or a novice, this book would be a perfect reference.

Albeniz Albinoni Bacewicz Bach (CPE, JC, JS, WF) Balakirev Barber Bartok Beach Beethoven Berg Berlioz Bernstein Bizet Bloch Boccherini Borodin Boulez Brahms Britten Bruch Bruckner Busoni Buxtehude Cage Castelnuovo-Tedesco Cavalli Chabrier Charpentier Cherubini Chopin Copland Corelli Couperin Debussy Delius Dohnanyi Donizetti Dupre Elgar Falla Faure Franck Frescobaldi Gershwin Glazunov Glinka Gluck Gounod Granados Grieg Handel Haydn Hindemith Holst Honegger Hummel Ives Janacek Kabalevsky Kalinnikov Khachaturian Kodaly Lalo Lehar Leoncavallo Liszt Lully Lutoslawski Mahler Martinu Massenet Mendelssohn Messiaen Meyerbeer Milhaud Moniuszko Monteverdi Mozart Musorgsky Nielsen Offenbach Orff Paderewski Paganini Penderecki Poulenc Prokofiev Puccini Purcell Rachmaninov Rameau Ravel Respighi Rimsky-Korsakov Rodrigo Rossini Roussel Saint-Saens Sarasate Satie Scarlatti (P, G) Schoenberg Schubert Schumann Shostakovich Sibelius Skryabin Smetana Spohr Stockhausen Strauss (J, J, R) Stravinsky Sullivan Szymanowski Tchaikovsky Vaughan Williams Verdi Villa-Lobos Vivaldi Wagner Weber Webern Wieniawski Wolf

The Da Capo Catalog is a massive list of classical music pieces, organized by composer and type (operas, symphonies, instrumental pieces, songs, etc.) Aside from being a useful checklist for CD collectors, it also helps sort through the ambiguity and confusion in the naming of some classical works. For example, Mozart's "String Quartet No. 17 in B-flat Major," his "4th Haydn Quartet," his "Hunt Quartet," and his "String Quartet K458" are all different names and designations for the same piece of music, as you can easily see from the clear and concise entry in the Catalog.

The Catalog also identifies works of questionable attribution, revisions, transcriptions, adaptations, and exerpts. Personally I could have done with a bit less of the latter (there are some 70+ pages, for example, listing just arias and other exerpts from Handel's operas and oratorios). Instead, I would rather see included a few more modern composers such as Elliott Carter and Toru Takemitsu. But others will no doubt find the listing of exerpts to be of great value.

The complete works of 132 composers in 1 volume! Comprehensive in scope, yet concise in presentation; "The De Capo Catalog of Music Compositions" documents the voluminous output of Bach, Beethoven, et al. The arrangement by composer is very logical, with operas and orchestral works generally listed first followed by chamber music and smaller pieces. Even unfinished and "lost" compositions are listed for the sake of continuity and completeness. I recommend this catalog to musicians, recording collectors, classical radio announcers and the reference section of any public library.

Death Lands: Pony Soliders
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The general outline of this book is that Ryan Cawdor and friends "jump" in to a scene out of the past with General Custer look alike and apache war bands. Ryan and his friends must figure out who to fight and who to save and in the end discover that maybe in victory you can lose more than defeat would have cost.

This was a pretty good entry to the series. The action moves fast and you want to turn the page to see how the characters get out of the next jam. The only problem I have with the death land books is that they can get a bit repetive, like Star Trek or Star Wars, this didn't have the "tin" ring some of the later books do. All in all I would recommend this book to someone looking for a fast paced action book.

-Morgan C.

THE DEATH LANDS BOOKS ARE ONE OF THE BEST EVER PUT OUT WHEN I DONE
WITH ONE I GIVE IT TO A FRIEND AND SHE LOVES IT THEN SHE PASS IT ON TO OTHER. I TOLD MY FRIEND THEY SHOULD MAKE A MOVIE ON DEATH LANDS
BOOKS WE BOTH AGREE IT BE ONE OF THE BEST MOVIE EVER I HOPE THEY
WILL MAKE A MOVIE SOME DAY SO KEEP PUTTING MORE BOOK OUT

I HAVE MOST OF THE DEATH LANDS BOOKS.THEY ARE ALL VERY GOOD.THEY KEEP YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT.YOUR NOT SURE WATS GONNA HAPPEN NEXT!I AM A OVER THE ROAD TRUCK DRIVER AND I BUY THE AUDIO BOOKS.THEY KEEP YOU GOING TILL THE LAST MINUTE.I HOPE HE RIGHTS MORE OF THESE GREAT ADVENTURES,SO I CAN KEEP TRUCKIN WITH A SMLE ON MY FACE.KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK...

I have nearly all of the Death Lands books and until today I didn't know they were or tape too. I am trying to collect all the books but am a little behind, I have 43.

To bad these books are so hard to find. Maybe people would buy more if they weren't so rare. Even though I want to buy the whole series, I'm so discouraged that I'm thinking of giving up.Too bad. PRINT MORE BOOKS...

This book is so crucial for any one playing Scarlatti sonatas.
There is so much detail, historical context, and yet the writing is such that even an amateur pianist like me can get a grasp on how to interpret the sonatas. There are some nice sections on how to approach them on the piano.

I wish I could find similar books for every other composer!

Ralph Kirkpatrick's 1953 work remains THE book on Domenico Scarlatti and his keyboard sonatas. There have been no substantial revisions in the biography of DS since 1953. Georgio Pestelli and many others have questioned Kirkpatrick on chronology, but when it comes to analysis of individual sonatas, Kirkpatrick is strong. Kirkpatrick was not a musicologist, so his book is actually interesting to read!

An indispensable reference for all those interested in one of the greatest keyboardists of all time. Kirkpatrick's work is one of real scholarship. Written in 1953, no one has since bested it.

This book is an indispensable reference for those studying the great composer Domenico Scarlatti.

The first 7 chapters are historical narratives without unusual merit except as an intoduction to the real book which is about music. There is a chapter on harpsichords. Kirkpatrick was not the first thinker on Scarlatti as evidenced by the extensive bibliography and appendix

He did establish the K identification number system which has stood the test of time at least in this country.

His real contribution is in identifying Scarlatti as a real musician writing music of extraordinary merit. His chapter on Scarlatti's harmony is very difficult reading.

The last chapter on "Performance of the Scarlatti Sonatas" should be read again and again by every musical teacher and student (he talks about tempo, rhythm, phrasing, articulation and attitudes).

Of course, one must have the sheet music on hand to see what it's all about, and a mind-set ready to accept Scarlatti into the company of Chopin and Liszt as well as Granados and Albéniz.

Kirkpatrick talks a little about the influence of Iberian song and dance forms on the sonatas of Scarlatti; a few others have scattered hints on this subject. I think the world would welcome a full-blown research here as a fitting sequel to this book.

This is a book that I actually made time to read. I rarely find a novel of any sort that keeps my interest long enough for early completion. It has many unexpected turns and really gives another side of this political arena. A very forward thinking novelist. I really enjoyed this. I am looking to buy a watch! You'll get it after you read it!

The Dream of the Fathers is a "future history" novel set in America in 2178, only two years away from the nation's eighty-fourth presidential election. Ethnicity has become a wedge issue dividing America, due to its fast-growing Hispanic population and increasing power struggles have lead to strife. The Dream of the Fathers chronicles Senator Steven Hildago's quest to win the presidency and claim control of the White House from the corrupt President George Alexander King III. But when Hidalgo is cruelly murdered, a surprising replacement candidate steps forward. A suspenseful saga filled cover to cover with crisscrossing Machiavellian motives, The Dream of the Fathers is a politically charged read, highly recommended.

This is a very timely book as Michael projects interesting and probable furture politics for America; especially the demographics. Science fiction is cleverly woven in and keeps a fast pace from the beginning. I really liked the end. Great read!

This is a must read for any sci-fi fan or fans of great political thrillers.
Williamson is brilliant in his portrayal of the future of politics. I could not put this book down once I got started.

This book is fabulous, when I picked it up - I couldn't put it down. It is honestly one of most fantastic books I have read. Not a lull in the action, profound, filled with intrigue and cementing to the last word. In my view it can be compared to the best of Grisham and Patterson. What a great movie it would make.

Larry A. Flick

Hardly a stone is left unturned in this look into the early development of jazz. It provides a thorough introduction to a wide range of subjects and artists, carefully reviewing each of numerous recordings.

This is not a biographical account of the lives of the early jazz artists, but is an analysis of the styles and development. From the deep south and the roots of the music, into the Midwest and Southwestern styles, the author is thorough and careful in his look.

Much more than an introduction, this certainly would be suitable for a college course in jazz development.

the author gunther does a magnifent job of affording a history of the evolution of jazz, this in a most scholarly fashion. thus making at times somewhat academic effecting a use of words whose understanding may be elusive to the ordinary reader.

I can't believe that no-one has reviewed this wonderful book until now. It is one of the cornerstones of jazz criticism, and the first one not written by one of these annoying pipe-smoking, foot-tapping listeners you always notice sitting at tables beside the bandstand at jazzclubs, but by a very fine musician who has actually been 'one of the cats'. O.K., he is a French horn-player, but jazz buffs who are 'in the know' with the work of Julius Watkins and John Graas won't mind. But seriously: His chapters on Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton (some thirty years before the Dirty Dozen Brass Band decided to dedicate a whole CD to the music of this first truly 'jazz composer'), but especially Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington will enlighten everyone who is looking for a critical assesment of the music and is tired of the endless re-telling of the phoney 'romantic' stories surrounding this music. And for the people who think they know about everything: One chapter is enirely dedicated to what is known as 'territory' bands, the bands that only played their home town and the region around it. Many a gem of inspired music can be unearthed in this chapter. P.S. O.K., I'm biased. Mr. Schuller autographed my hardcover copy of the book when he was conducting the Dutch Radio Symphony Orchestra, and I gatecrashed at a rehearsal.

You can argue with Schuller, and in fact, that's half the fun. He's not always right, but he's always interesting. If you're listening to early jazz and an unfamiliar band comes on, you'll be unable to resist looking them up in this book, so put the book next to the radio.

Jazz criticism tends to run in two groups: one, the biographical/anecdotal (often marvelous to read), and two, word pictures of how the music made the writer feel (often awful to read). Gunther Schuller's "Early Jazz" does what any undergraduate musicology major would do: examine the music note by note, and explain what's going on. While this is not an easy book to read for people like me who have no musical training (or talent, for that matter), it is an absolutely essential book nonetheless. Schuller goes through each major musician and movement of the twenties, and shows exactly what is occurring. What worked best for me was to have the recording he was discussing playing while I read, so I could hear what he was talking about. Anybody in love with the early music of Armstrong or Ellington needs to tackle this book sooner or later.