Swing : Third Ear - The Essential Listening Companion [Paperback]

Scott Yanow (Author)

Book Description

Series: Third Ear | Publication Date: April 1, 2000

Written by one of jazz journalism's best and most knowledgeable critics, this book explores the full swing spectrum from its origins in the 1920s through its current retro resurgence. Features intriguing capsule biographies of 400 of the best musicians, from classic artists like Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman to retro swingers such as the Brian Setzer Orchestra and Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers, with each artist's most notable CDs reviewed and rated, plus info on film appearances, books, and hard-to-find recordings. Includes insightful essays that explore this music's cultural impact, fun photos and swing memorabilia.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The debut title in Miller Freeman's new "Third Ear" series ("designed to offer fresh perspectives on the breadth and depth of rich music genres"), this work encompasses the golden era of Swing (1935-46) in addition to the 1990s "Retro Swing" movement. Yanow, author of Duke Ellington and an editor of All Music Guide to Jazz, opted to class the more than 500 entries by musical specialty (Trumpeters, Guitarists, Female Vocalists, etc.) instead of using a straightforward A-Z organization. This approach effectively shows the threads of commonality and influence among the various performers in most of Swing's permutations. While he notes in his introduction the difficulty in choosing what and what not to include (Western Swing and 1950s Cool Jazz being the two genres that take the biggest hits), Yanow nevertheless offers excellent coverage, presenting reviews and ratings for 1500 recordings. A refreshingly non-verbose writing style and useful indexing make this a valuable reference. Besides showing Swing's importance in shaping American popular music, Yanow's book is also just plain fun to read. Recommended for all popular music collections.DDavid M. Turkalo, Suffolk Univ. Law Sch. Lib., Boston, MA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Profiles more than 500 musicians--including arrangers, band leaders, composers, players, sidemen, and vocalists--and reviews and rates some 1,500 recordings. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat Books; 1st.Edition edition (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879306009
• ISBN-13: 978-0879306007
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #611,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An almost perfect buyer's guide to Swing Music, April 29, 2000

By 

David L. White (Everett, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swing : Third Ear - The Essential Listening Companion (Paperback)

This is a truly valuable book. Far, Far better than the Musichound Swing book. Unlike that book, which had several different reviewers, Scott Yanow is the only reviewer of selections in this book which makes for a much more even assessment of Swing Recordings. Yanow gives a brief history of Swing and gives the reader excellent bios of the musicians. Yanow also gives very good coverage to today's retro swing music, which, as Yanow points out, is often dismissed as fad by the mass media, many Jazz fans and Jazz magazines. His reviews of the new bands are honest and fair, unlike the Musichound book which, for the most part, seemed so have the view that Old=Good and New=Bad. His recomendations for each artist are perfect in almost all cases. I disagreed with only a few of his selections and reviews. The only complaint I have is a relatively minor one. He virtually ignores one of the greatest Swing acts, The Andrews Sisters. He includea a short bio and acknowledges their popularity, but he doesn't even recommend one CD for the trio. Surely, Mr. Yanow doesn't think the sisters are that terrible! This is really the only omission that I objected to. With the overwhelming selection of CDs to choose from, Scott Yanow's 'Swing' points out the very best selections and will help you to separate the good collections from the not-so-good collections.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ace bunny killer!!, August 9, 2001

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Swing : Third Ear - The Essential Listening Companion (Paperback)

Scott Yanow, the editor of the "All Music Guide To Jazz," is probably one of the most readable jazz critics around. Here he concentrates on the music all the kids were talking about, that crazy little thing called swing. As ever, his style is clear and compact, and the breadth of his knowledge impressive. Yanow covers all the bases: the big bandleaders, the important musicians (broken down by type of instrument) and even a section on composers and arrangers. Even when he's talking about unfamiliar artists, he knows how to stir your curiousity (Cab Calloway had a famous older sister...!?), and the book has a lot to offer to a wide variety of readers. Hundreds of albums are rated on a 1 to 10 scale, and if anything Yanow is a little more charitable here than in his "AMG Jazz" reviews... He's particularly kind to the dozens of retro-swing acts that have sprouted up in recent years...but at least he had the good sense to knock the Cherry Poppin' Daddies down to size!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exellent book, Yanow isn't afraid to tell it like it is!!! D, December 26, 2003

By 

Prince Nez (Industry, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swing : Third Ear - The Essential Listening Companion (Paperback)

Yanow covers almost every aspect of swing(he's left out Banu Gibson!), with a few acceptions. From Louis armstrong's Hot Fives & Sevens to Glenn Miller, to Squirrell Nut Zippers. Surprisingly the tough jazz critic likes Bran Setzer's Dirty boogie Cd, and gives Squirrel Nut Zippers HOT cd, a rating of 9(out of 10)! A great book and Yanow tells it like it is, if it doesn't swing, or the musucianship is poor he's not afraid to say so. a grea thonest book that will tell you what cd's to bu yand what to skip. Includes an interview with big band leader Lavay Smith(he gives her cd a perfect 10 rating)! Even a whole section here on modern swing including Big Bad Voovdoo Daddy, Cherry Poppin Daddies, and more... Fun book to read while stuck on the toilet, I keep one in all three of my bathrooms, and one in the car for when I go to record stores!!!