Humphrey Lyttelton's highly original The Best of Jazz is a must for the novice jazz fan and the devotee alike. Looking in detail at the great jazz figures of the 1920s and 1930s as well as their classic recordings, Humphrey Lyttelton provides plenty of lively historical background, often taken from the reminiscences of the musicians involved.

With its fresh and colourful approach, The Best of Jazz imparts Lyttelton's eager enthusiasm for the subject which fans of his long-running radio programme of the same name have come to expect.

Through its unusual approach, it gives the new jazz fan a run-down on the history, the personalities and the masterpieces of early jazz, while at the same time offering the afficionado fresh food for thought.

CONTENTS:
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band; James P. Johnson; King Oliver; Sidney Bechet; Bessie Smith; Jelly Roll Morton; Fletcher Henderson; Louis Armstrong; Bix Beiderbecke; Duke Ellington; The Chicagoans; Johnny Dodds & Jimmy Noone; Louis Armstrong & Earl Hines; Luis Russell; Louis Armstrong; Fats Waller; Coleman Hawkins; Jack Teagarden; Art Tatum; Johnny Hodges & Benny Carter; Dickie Wells; Lester Young; Billie Holiday; Roy Eldridge

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