This collection of essays and poems abouth the influence of jazz on writing and culture in the United States, an expanded edition of the 1986 publication, is a rewarding volume. Carruth brings his poetic and literary sensibilities to bear on a topic very near to his heart: "Those who are devoted primarilly to jazz, to poetry, to all the arts, are also those who contribute more intelligently than others to our practical and moral, political and social, advancement."

HAYDEN CARRUTH is professor emeritus at Syracuse University. He has published more than twenty-five volumes of poetry, criticism and fiction, and has edited several anthologies, including The Voice That Is Great Within Us. He was awarded the National Book Critics Circle award for poetry for Collected Shorter Poems 1946-1991.