The indispensable and uniquely readable reference work, which no serious collector of jazz will want to be without, draws attention to some of the finest modern jazz music that has survived on disc. Based on many years of listening, analysis and appreciation, it provides a critical survey of the whole field of recorded modern jazz.

A personal, and sometimes controversial, selection by three distinguished jazz critics of the 'best' 250 modern jazz records and CDs, each record and/or CD is placed in its musical context and reviewed in depth. In addition, for each disc and/or CD, full details of personnel, recording dates and locations are given. This authoritative work includes full indexes of album titles, track titles and musicians.

CONTENTS : The Swing to Bop; Alternatives to Bop; Consolidations and Developments; Other currents; Out into the Open; Alternatives to Freedom; On the Frontiers; Fracturing into Postmodernism; Bibliography; Indexes.

MAX HARRISON, a critic of classical music as well as jazz, has written several books and numerous periodical articles on jazz. He has contributed to many music reference works, including The Charlie Parker Companion and A Miles Davis Reader.

ERIC THACKER (deceased) was a clergyman, with a long-standing interest in jazz. He contributed to several jazz periodicals.

STUART NICHOLSON is an eminent writer on jazz. Amongst other books, he has written biographies of Ella Fitzgerald (1993), Billie Holiday (1995) and Duke Ellington (1999).

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