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Summary: Tadej Tu?ek, Slovenia
Review: Excellent and essential book for jazz beginners. I'm looking forward to 4th Edition because 3rd one is already out of date! I hope that new one will have some european and avant jazz like Internet version does.
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Summary: All Music Guide
Review: I get a lot of use out of this book. When I learn of obscure artists of whom I had not previously heard, they're almost always in here. When I've got too big (read: expensive) an armload of CDs at the store, I use the AMG to help me winnow them down - good stores usually have a courtesy copy available. When I need a break at work, I enjoy browsing the entries for a few minutes. There's a great deal of information, and as a collector I particularly appreciate that AMG has entries for out-of-print recordings, which are generally not in the Penguin or Rolling Stone guides.However, I've found that I cannot put too much reliance on the authors' ratings. It's not so much that I disagree with them, although there are of course instances when I do, but that too many records are rated too favorably. So many recordings are highly rated, especially Blue Note hard bop sessions and large box sets (e.g., everything Mosaic ever issued), that one cannot discern the truly exciting, essential sessions from the more workaday. A record has got to be pretty bad for Scott Yanow, who wrote the vast majority of the reviews, to refrain from praising and recommending it. The Penguin critics are much better in this respect, but their guide is less encyclopedic. I recommend that one gets both books. I've also picked up a few factual errors here and there, but a few errors is a minor criticism given the vast amount of material presented. More attention to mentioning the recordings that stand out for especially good or bad sound quality would also be an enhancement. But all told, the AMG should serve as an important and interesting reference for most serious jazz listeners.
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Summary: 3rd Edition is best yet!
Review: I have used several jazz guides in the past, but the 3rd edition of the All-Music Guide to Jazz is just the best out there. Aside from the 18,000 CDs rated and reviewed,thousands of bios, etc., there is important additional material like dozens of articles and essays, many music maps, play lists, etc. Certainly the Music Hound jazz book pales by comparision. See for yourself.
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Summary: All Music Guide, or Penguin?
Review: I use both the All Music Guide to Jazz and the Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. If I had to choose between them, I'd choose the All Music Guide because of the capsule biographies (including birth and death dates) of each artist that are included with every entry. Also, it lists more albums, although some of them are not on CD, but on vinyl only. I also love that it has such a wealth of additional material: music histories and charts of the various genres, "maps" of significant players, and even essays and book reviews! Books about jazz and biographies of jazz artists are reviewed; if that weren't enough, there are also listings and reviews of jazz videos! Truly a wonderful book! In most ways it is much more complete than the Penguin Guide, for example, in the All Music Guide, there are 89 listings under "John Coltrane" whereas in the Penguin Guide there are only 66. On the other hand, many of the Penguin reviews are more lengthy and in-depth than those in the All Music Guide. For myself -- I need both of them!
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Summary: Adequate, but not the best choice
Review: I'm amazed anyone would buy this book. Not that there is anything wrong with it, it's perfectly fine, if a little too 'positive,' i.e. hardly a word said about anyone's records as being bad, when there are plenty of bad jazz records out there. What mystifies me is that, for about the same price, you can buy the Penguin Guide, which beats the pants off AMG in every respect. Well, to each his own, caveat emptor.
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Summary: The Definitive Review of Jazz Recordings
Review: If you only want one book to guide you through the host of recordings that are/may be available then this is the one. The rating system seems to be totally objective and extremely reliable. I have bought several CDs as a direct result of the reviews and never been disappointed. Suffice to say that I will buy each and every edition such is its value to my purchasing decisions.
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Summary: A Great Resource for "Treasure Hunters!"
Review: My reasons for liking this book is probably different than most people. As an LP collector, I welcome information on vinyl no longer in print. I also like the fact that this book tells you the original title for the LP. Many CD's change the title and add alternate cuts. If I am going to purchase CD's I'd prefer the programming to be just like it was on the original LP. As far as the reviewer's being too easy with their ratings , I've purchased nearly 600 LP's and CD's from various sources over the past year and many of them I bought at the recommendation of this book, only 1 of them was not to my taste (The World Saxaphone Quartet's Tribute to Ellington). I've also had the opportunity to utilize the penguin guide as well others guides, I actually found the Penguin to be way to critical on some of the greatest recordings in Jazz History. The Penguin also doesn't seem to be as user friendly to vinyl fans. One area that this book may come up short is for fans of "Smooth Jazz" it is easy to see that the author is not a fan of this genre (neither am I for that matter)! I'd recommend this book strongly to anyone wanting to purchase a Vinyl and CD collection. I'm sure an argument can be made for the Penguin book, it is also a sound option, but as for me I'll take the AMG!
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Summary: Useful, practical... not profound
Review: The AMG website is no doubt the best and most efficient way of finding out the basic facts about a recording, be it in circulation or not. Its printed counterpart for jazz is practical, but it lacks the depth, scholarship, style and vitality of the Penguin Guide. It also, crucially, lacks an index. However, it is helpful in that it isn't concerned -as the Penguin is- with whether a recording is available or not. That way it tantalisingly points to material that has not been reissued or is still only on vinyl. Those of us who love the hunt for rare records will be delighted by this. The writing is competent and highly informed, but stops short of erudition and wit. It's also slightly overenthusiastic, as if there were few bad recordings in jazz. Of course there are, in their thousands. And sophisticated listeners want to become discerning; they want to know why something good is good, and why something poor is poor. To become discerning you need more challenging books than this. But it remains essential as a basic reference item for its breadth alone.
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Summary: The best guide to jazz recordings ever
Review: This book, in all three of its editions, has been a constant companion on record and CD hunts with me. Not only is the third edition far more thorough than in the past, it also serves as an excellent place to keep track of what I've got in my collection. Given the constant repackaging of recordings, it's been my misfortune in the past to double up on recordings more than once. Not any more! Informative, deeply researched, and backed up by an online service that adds new releases, the "All Music Guide to Jazz" is an indispensable resource. Now, if they could only convince the record execs to release (or re-release) everything that's out-of-print on CD, I'd be very happy indeed. You can't go wrong with this book!
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Summary: A MUST have for all Jazz listeners and enthusiasts.
Review: This is the ABSOLUTE must have for anyone who is serious about Jazz and wants to get the very best for their collection. The editors/authors that contribute to this Jazz Guide are all Jazz enthusiasts and historians and experts in their field. The editors definitely know their material and history of jazz and each of them take a specific field of Jazz (Beebop/Fusion/Avant Guarde, etc) and review almost every musician of jazz on their recordings. From Miles Davis to Frank Sinatra almost every musician of jazz is reviewed starting with the earliest recording date up to their time of death or current release. I find that this book is a TREASURE and I base my decisions on whether or not to purchase a Jazz recording largely on the recommendations that are in this guide. I also read it to learn more about my favorite musicians and the life they lead or are leading today. The reviews are absolutely accurate in my opinion and when the guide rates a recording at 5 stars, you will know that it is the very best and you will get your money's worth. If the reviews are 0 (zero) then you know that is a recording to skip. I trust these editors and so far they haven't let me down one bit. Believe me, this is an absolute must have to any enthusiast of Jazz. Trust me this book will NOT guide you in obtaining a bad recording (CD). HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
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