Jasen and Jones tell their stories well, and the narration soars in several of the introductory overviews. Eighty-one photographs, including many sheet music covers, enhance the book s attractiveness. In contrast to the biographies, the authors attention to the songs is slight. They quote and discuss a few lyrics, but mostly on a cursory level, and they overlook opportunities to go into greater depth or provide adequate illustration. 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.