Reading Jazz: A Gathering of Autobiography, Reportage, and Criticism from 1919 to Now

I bought this book for my uncle as an afterthought to the gift I bought his wife. She plays piano, and I'm trying to coax her into playing some jazz by providing her with Mark Levine's Jazz Piano book and a Fake Book. My uncle doesn't play, but he loves jazz and reading. I gave them both their books and set to work playing piano with my aunt. Within an hour, my uncle was excitedly telling me what Miles Davis had to say about playing with Charlie Parker. He loved the fact that this book had some first hand accounts, and he appeared to enjoy the writing. This is definitely a weighty tome, but a great gift for those brainy folks who need to pass the hours whilst their loved ones bash away at the great standards!

This is a great book of short articles and stories about major personalities from the era of classic jazz. I would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in traditional jazz.

Robert Gottlieb is indeed up to the job of editing this anthology. The information about him provided on the book is incomplete--necessarily incomplete, because Gottlieb has one of the longest and most distinguished editing careers in American letters. He was head of a publishing house and editor-in-chief of "The New Yorker." He is responsible for some of the best writing of the last quarter century.

This book collects a vast range of articles, reviews and biographies covering jazz's most influential musicians. It's a wonderful compendium. I discovered great music from many artists I'd never heard of before. Well worth reading!