Customer Reviews

The New York Times Essential Library: Jazz: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings

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The reviews here have been too harsh to this book. This book is not meant by any strech to be a replacement for the Penguin Jazz on CD Guide, but as a list and analysis of 100 very good jazz CDs it isn't bad at all. The reviews are generally insightful and informative, and the book contains a fine balance of big band, be-bop, and post-bop, with all the colours in between. (His defense of Cecil Taylor is particularly refreshing.) I might quibble with the title, but no list of 100 CDs will satisfy every reader as including all the "essentials." The main list, combined with the additional 100 CDs listed in the appendix, would provide enough listening enjoyment for a lifetime.

Ratliff just can't help inserting himself at every turn in this book. Here's an example: The chapter on "Bill Evans Trio: Saturday at the Village Vanguard" begins: "There's a single-minded, amiable rapture suffusing most of Bill Evans's music that just doesn't do it for me in the long run. It's not my mood; it's not one of the things that satisfies my thrill seeking." Well, gee, thanks for sharing sharing; but save it for your diary. If you enjoy watching an author shoot from the hip (Sarah Vaughan, he says, "in certain low-register moments ... approaches vulgarity" and is lacking in "good taste"), maybe you'll enjoy it. If you simply want to learn more about the peak recordings of jazz history, turn elsewhere.

This book is NOT a list of the 100 "best" jazz recordings, but rather what the author considers the 100 "most important." That means he includes albums that he admits even he doesn't like, because they're good for you. [Like spinach]

He also views jazz history through the lens of racism, which seems to influence a number of his choices and explanations.

I would recommend buying the Penguin Guide instead. It's far more comprehensive and the ratings are more reliable. If it seems too intimidating, start with the albums that earn a Rosette--that will still be a better starting place than the list in this book.

The recommendations in this book are all solid and classic. The brief essays about the recordings are fairly erudite, but I find the tone slightly pretentious at times. I agree with another reviewer in that he tends to write about himself instead of striving for a more objective description of the recordings.

Obviously, a list of 100 recordings cannot begin to justice to the enormous quantity of jazz available. Ratliff's list concentrates more on established "classics" than on modern players -- you will not find Brad Mehldau, Kenny Garrett, Kurt Rosenwinkel, or Nick Payton. Nor will you find more "approachable" but great contemporary musicians such as Kurt Elling and Luciana Souza. Because of this, I do not recommend the guide to someone who wants to get an idea of where jazz is right now. It is more of a historical introduction than a guide for modern listeners. This is not meant as criticism; that is probably what Ratliff intended.

Overall, this book would be a decent place to start for the jazz newbie (or even for the seasoned listener, who may have neglected some or many of these recordings).

Ratliff's style is accessible, direct, and relevant to younger folks hoping to discover jazz recordings of merit. One of his themes is that jazz can both be good art and entertain at the same time, which is fantastic in my view because too many folks are intimidated by "America's classical music." Buy this book and you'll reference it a hundred times when hoping to expand your knowledge of the music, I guarantee.