Rating: 
Summary: The Best Choice
Review: If one had to decide between two books - this one or Visions of Jazz by Giddins - buy this one. Its essays on the players is at least as comprehensive as Visions. And the Penguin Guide avoids much of the pretentious gobblygook one finds in Giddins' book. I've owned the Penguin Guide since the early 90's and consider it indispensible. A great guide to purchasing jazz CDs and really fun to read.
Rating: 
Summary: A witty and useful guide for jazz collectors.
Review: This really is an indispensable book for the jazz collector. The biggest advantage it has over the books referred to in some of the customer reviews is that it lists session information. If, like me, you like to wander into used record stores or Goodwills, you'll appreciate the listings of personnel and recording dates that you can find in this book. The reviews are well written and very witty. The writers treat their subject seriously but not stodgily and, in some instances, their geographic distance allows them a measure of independence from US opinions of certain artists. Their treatment of two musicians in particular, Kenton and Brubeck, are unexpectedly fair, acknowledging their weakness, while pointing out what is interesting and valuable about their best music. As to the attention given to European and avant-garde jazz: Thank God. American critics and fans alike seem to think that be-bop and hard bop are the only kinds of jazz worth considering. While one might quibble with some of Cook's and Morton's opinions-I tend to bypass most fusion albums-seasoned jazz collectors will be able to figure out what they're getting into from the accurate descriptions contained here. If you buy a Sam Rivers disc expecting something like Ben Webster, you can't say you weren't forewarned by these guys. I do wonder why some readily available discs were not included. Gerry Mulligan's Pacific Jazz stuff is all still in print and isn't reviewed here (although it is included in previous editions). My only complaint is that the small print, running across a fairly wide page, is a little tough for those of us who are bi-focaled. Otherwise, I hope to see this book in many editions to come.
Rating: 
Summary: I agree with Mixed above
Review: I have used this guide for years and have found that there is a tendency to overestimate the contribution of long-haired European types who make a lot of noisy free-jazz. I have wasted a lot of money on what I thought would be great music which turned out to be a lot of squawking. There are also overestimations of nice sounding modern recordings which get 4 stars - essentially the highest rating. For example Brad Mehldau - a wonderful player but not necessarily worth the 4 stars that even Warne Marsh doesn't get for Star Highs - a great record. 4 stars should be reserved for only recordings destined to reach classic status. Better to get the Music Hound Guide - better balanced.
Rating:
Summary: Uncannily useful
Review: This Penguin guide covers an astounding number of albums, almost always with useful--even at times insightful--information on musicians on the date, noteworthy cuts, etc. The authors are also catholic in their taste, covering free jazz, traditional, neo-traditional, fusion, world jazz, etc. with a remarkably even hand. What amazes me the most, though, is how closely their evaluations match my own. I routinely use their evaluations to select albums for purchase, and I haven't been disappointed: if they top-rate an album, 4 out of 5 times I'll going to love it too.
Rating: 
Summary: beneath contempt
Review: If this is "dry", "sophisticated" "wit" then the Three Stooges are E.B. White. Get a Schwann's catalogue and a "Grove's Dictionary of Jazz" instead.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece in the truest sense of the word
Review: Without a doubt, this volume is the best word on jazz ever written. A sophisticated wit, coupled with a dry sense of humor permeates many of the entries, unlike many volumes about the music which talk down to the neophyte. Many of the passages read like literature--particularly when reading about Miles and Trane. There are very few omissions in this the latest edition. Only a few quibbles--Why so rough on John Coltrane's Live in Japan? Where is the entry for Mark Whitfield's work? Other than that this volume approaches perfection, and if this review helps sell more copies of this outstanding tome, my pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Penguin vs AMG
Review: I read most of two most talked about jazz-on-cd critical guides (Penguin and AMG). To be honest, the Penguin REALY stands out. Firt of all, it covers jazz outside the US of A. Yes jazz is global music. The Penguin realy gets you the information you need on a specific "period" or session of an artist. Important stuff like instrumentation and in depth discussion is negleted, we could say absent, in the All (American) Guide to Jazz on CD. Still the AMG gives another opinion (when it does, one wonders if they can motivate their ratings). Personnaly, i use both, BUT my PENGUIN is a mess - read it all the time.
Rating:
Summary: Great, but better index would help
Review: This is a great collection of reviews of jazz CDs. I like the star rating system. The index is good because you can see the myriad of albums on which a given player played. The way to improve the index would be to list the CDs in order of best rating to lowest rating. You would probably do well in building a jazz collection by simply buying the CDs that have the coveted 4-star-plus-crown rating.
Rating:
Summary: Good but incomplete from a USA pov
Review: A very nice to have book, but it has inexplicable gaps, such as the complete absence of references to one of the wonders of the modern jazz piano, Jessica Williams (even though many of her releases are on a Scottish label)! One can quibble with the authors' opinions, but you get enough of a flavor to help you figure out if you want to hear the music.
Rating:
Summary: An indispensable resource.
Review: A truly magnificent work and invaluable reference. What other reviewers of this book have mistaken for pomposity is actually a dry wit and unabashed critical eye. This is the only book on jazz recordings available which is both a buying guide and a collection of jazz criticism. The latter, so often misunderstood and underappreciated, is what makes the book joyful as well as informative to read.
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