41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful reference, albeit an odd new edition..., December 2, 2008
This review is from: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings: Ninth Edition (Paperback)
...before I go any further, it should be said that Cook and Morton's jazz guide is absolutely essential, a wonderfully witty book that is both a tremendous reference and an unbelievably fun tome to just open at random pages and start reading. I was terribly sad to learn that, between the eighth and ninth editions, Richard Cook passed away. Morton's affectionate obituary -- done as a PGTJ review -- is quite touching and amusing.
If you are new to the Penguin Guide, this is a great an edition to start with as any. The core information remains valid and reasonably up to date, and the prose -- knowledgeable, candid, humorous, and snippy -- is as engaging and delightful as ever. Longtime Penguin Guide connoisseurs, however, may be confused by some of the revisions and decisions that went into this edition. Before I begin knitpicking (and I'm only halfway through it), please let me say that all of what is below is marginal and in now way a reflection on the overall quality of the book. Buy it...
Now for the small stuff.
While a lot of mistakes have been ironed out of the last edition (mostly copy-editing-type errors), there are still annoying inconsistencies, especially with accidentally crediting, say, a piano player with bass in the personnel listings. Also, there is a lot of weird inconsistent spacing in the columns. A small complaint, perhaps, but Cook and Morton work with limited space, and any mis-handled space is wasted space that could be filled with more of their great writing. In general, the copy-editing continues to disappoint me.
Also, check out Bobby Previte's bio entry -- it seems to actually be a review from a different section of the book. C'mon, Penguin editors!
More confusing, however, is what the authors have decided to reinstate and remove. Morton makes it clear in his forward that they have had delete entries of somewhat marginal figures whose discographies have not grown of late. Understood...and yet:
- Michael Mantler, yanked from the last edition, is back in, although he has not released anything new (actually, he's put out a best-of that was not included in his entry).
- Terje Rypdal, who HAS released new music since the last edition and remains a major figure in European improvised music, is now mysteriously out.
- In an situation that repeats itself many times in the book, entries for artists like Rod McGaha and Steve Masakowski are re-inserted, having been deleted from the previous edition, despite having no new releases. This is just seventh-edition text repeated for no good reason. Meanwhile, Jeff Coffin has released two new albums, but his entry has been deleted.
Cook and Morton seemed to have missed some key new releases, too, such as the PSI reissue of Evan Parkers "Topography of the Lungs." On the upside, Blossom Dearie finally gets an entry.
This book is a big ol' organic thing, and such maddening inconsistencies are really petty in the grand scheme. Don't listen to me -- buy the book and listen to Cook and Morton.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Perfect Guide, December 4, 2008
This review is from: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings: Ninth Edition (Paperback)
I have been acquiring The Penguin Guide to Jazz since the 4th Edition. The Ninth is an excellent continuation to the best publication for Jazz Collectors and new converts.
What is great about The Penguin Guide is that it serves the collector audience as well as being the best guide for those who has been bitten by the Jazz bug but who are seeking a road map for what is a brand new immense universe.
For the 2000+ CD Jazz collector, the exhaustive amount of information isn't gathered together and structured better in any other book built for the same purpose. The format which includes all of the necessary details such as dates, players, labels and locations fuels the avid collectors need for information. Without a doubt, recordings are presented that even the most thorough collector has missed or is reminded of in the Guide.
Of course, the funnest part of this colossal book is the rating system. The star system with the peppered Crown scoring is both affirming and maddening, i.e. how could McCoy Tyner's, "The Real McCoy" not be granted a crown but some other lesser (in my opinion) album get the award. But the surprises are also great. A friend of mine sent me a copy of Steve Harris & Zaum's, "Above Our Heads The Sky Splits Open" a few months before I ordered the Ninth Edition. My friend from Texas noted that he thought this might be one of the best contributions to Improvisational Jazz in recent years. Finding it in the new edition rated as a Crown record was a high point.
Of course, any avid Jazz fan will find artists not represented. Albert van Veenendaals absence particularly surprised me.
All in all, this companion is 99% perfect and essential for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the greatest music.
p.s. I am curious about any future plans to convert the Guide to an interactive software/DVD format ?!
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Keep in mind, reviews are subjective, March 12, 2007
Of course this is a great reference, and with each edition, it gets better. Neophytes should not be scared off by the massiveness of the book. In fact, it's Core Collection and Four-Star-Plus-Crown features make it a good place to get an overview of jazz, and sort out what to buy from the thousands of jazz recordings available.
One thing to keep in mind, though: reviews, no matter how authoratative, are opinions. Some of the four-star recordings here are ones that I wouldn't give a second listen to. Some of my all-time favorites rate only 2 or 3 stars. Not that I'm right, but tastes do differ. On the whole, I think there is a bias toward the more experimental, avant-garde recordings. This actually makes for a good counterpoint to the hatchet job Ken Burns and Wynton Marsalis did in their PBS series, but still, it is a bias.
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