Jazz
THOSE who are uncertain as to the precise definition of what is jazz and what is not jazz can read several conflicting views on the subject in Concerning Jazz (Faber, 12s. 6d.). They may not have reached any conclusion by the end of it, but they will have an idea of how and why jazz music evolved to its present state.
Edited by Sinclair Traill of Jazz Journal, this book is a collection of eight articles on various aspects of the music. The contributors say little that hasn't been said before. Mess Mezzrow's chapter is mainly a pot- pourri of personal reminiscences; Stanley Dance writes clearly and expertly on the evolution and appreciation of jazz; Hugues Panassie argues that jazz is a method of playing and not the music itself; Mike Butcher describes the influences that led to the birth and development of so-called 'modern jazz'; and there is a synopsis by Douglas Hague of the present jazz scene in America; the trends and styles of jazz piano are traced in a competent article by Gerald Lascelles; and the principal performers on
the British jazz scene are catalogued by the editor and Brian Nicholls. Finally, there is a short but use- ful guide to the best recordings of some of the artists mentioned.
The book is illustrated with twenty photographs of musicians, although several of those depicted are not mentioned by name at all in the text.
A book which will give food for thought to the uninitiated 'kitten,' but has little new to say to the old-established 'cat:
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