As music columnist for The Nation, Gene Santoro has established himself as an important new critical voice, able to write well on popular music and jazz without losing touch with the cutting edge of today's music scene. Gathering Santoro's liveliest reviews and essays for the first time, Dancing In Your Head introduces a fresh and provocative perspective on several decades of musicians and their work.

Santoro covers a wide musical vista, from the legendary blues singer Robert Johnson to Public Enemy's controversial rap lyrics, from the long running clash between blues and African American gospel to the rock iconoclast Neil Young, from the great James Brown to George Hay, the founder of the Grand Ole Opry. Whether documenting the evolution of jazz, rock and roll, and rap, or examining the staying power of music legends Lou Reed, Eric Clapton, The Greatful Dead, and Sun Ra, his observations are incisive, honest, and reflective. And in this same straightforward and highly informed manner, Santoro serves up several pieces on Miles Davis, as well as a discussion of jazz great Ornette Coleman that compares him to Orson Welles and Charles Ives.

Taken together, the pieces in Dancing In Your Head examine the historical roots of today's popular music while offering insight into performers and trends that dominate the current scene.

GENE SANTORO is music columnist for The Nation, covers music for The New York Daily News, and is a regular contributor to The Atlantic Month and People.

"Stimulating and thought-provoking ... Throughout, he writes in a lively style, colourfully descriptive and insightful ... Santoro's craftsmanship with words is compelling." - JAZZ NOTES

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