Title: The reluctant art
Description: The sheer verbosity of this book will keep a lot of folks away.  Folks who begin reading, and are put off within a few pages.  

If you push through the dense, difficult prose you will be rewarded.  This turns out to be a great volume.
This is an older book, very much written in a style abandoned with good reason.  Read it anyway if you have any serious interest in music, especially if you are a working musician interested in jazz.

Background:  I am a longtime professional musician.  Still, I was ready to abandon this book after about five minutes. 
The author takes twenty words to do the job of five.  And then rephrases and repeats the thought.  It is tedious.

BUT there is a lot of insight here.  The author is also a musician, and he knows what is going on in the music.  This is essential.
Nowhere more so than in the jazz of these times, and in the work of these musicians, it is the case that understanding what was happening requires real hands-on depth.  This is music by great musicians, comprehensible only to those willing to work for it.
With each subject, the author digs deep, finds some fresh things to point out, picks an argument with existing - or "the usual" - interpretation, and then supports his position with examples from the recordings.

I found it helpful (then essential) to open YouTube and listen to the recordings in order to follow the arguments made in the book.  
Instead of being a distraction, this was very instructive.  Necessary even.  


1) Bix:  Some interesting insights here, and an alternative viewpoint as to Bix's demise.  Who knows?  I learned a lot.  Remember to listen to the tracks!

2) Benny:  This chapter alone makes the reading worthwhile.  Hilarious.  I will not spoil it!  Confession:  I did not listen.  Read the book to find out why!

3) Lester:  Great insight here about Lester's work, his role in the jazz of the future, with a tinge of pathos.  Listen to the records!

4) Billie:  Always framed in tragedy, there are still some revelations, some optimistic notes.  Lots of listening here!

5) Charlie:  Not a lot of fresh material here, but a few tidbits are revealed.  Required listening.  Again.


Conclusion:  You will get something out of this book, but only if you are willing to dig in yourself.  Go find the recordings and listen to each as you read.  Find the passages the author describes.  Dig in!  I did, and it was a terrific read after all.
Subjects: History and criticism, Jazz, Jazz musicians, Jazz, history and criticism
Places: Many places mentioned, mostly locations of live gigs or recording sessions.
People: Bix, Benny, Lester, Billie, Charlie.
Time periods: 1920-1955 mostly.