For example, their discussion of Razaf s racial protest lyric in Black and Blue builds to the point that one wants to read the lyric, but they end the discussion without quoting a line. Music is discussed only in rare instances, and then inadequately. Without substantive musical discussions, we never learn about the songs responsible for spreadin rhythm around. Though the book occasionally imparts new information, as with stories of Jo Trent or J. Mayo Williams, it usually retells what is available in other publications. Even more troubling, however, is the authors indifference toward documentation, leaving the careful reader wondering where information comes from and whether it is accurate.
Citations occasionally occur within the narrative, but more as teasers than as information.
In effect, the reader is expected to trust the judgment and veracity of the authors. However, evidence argues against such trust. The next morning, Cook couldn t wait to play his score for his mother. Whatever the authors gain in drama, their poetic license introduces a disturbingly false element. One wonders also about their account of A Good Man Is Hard to Find.