reference work
A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to f ...
containing an
encyclopedic
An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...
directory of
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by Richard Cook and Brian Morton, two chroniclers of jazz resident in the United Kingdom.
History
The first edition was published in Britain by
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year. Penguin released ''The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1001 Best Albums'' in December 2010, which contains fewer
review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a rating to indi ...
s and a different format from previous editions.
Content
In the first nine editions, artists were listed alphabetically and the entries began with short (usually one paragraph)
biographies
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
before a comprehensive listing of a musicians' available recordings in the United Kingdom at that time. Each disc was given a rating of up to four stars and details of its label and catalogue number, musicians featured on the disc, month and year of the recording or the span of time in which the tracks were recorded and finally a review of varying length. Often a number of discs were reviewed together.
Two extra features, author's picks (crowns) and "core collections", were added to succeeding editions. The first showed entries flagged as personal favorites while the latter made special note of the "more essential" albums for a jazz CD collection. John Eyles comments in a review that "the implication is that the choices for crowns are subjective, while the Core Collection is somehow more objective", when in fact both lists are decided upon by the same two editors.
Bootlegs and limited-edition Mosaic Records releases were excluded. Some various-artists compilations were reviewed in the first edition but were dropped in later editions. Due to the increasing numbers of CDs on the market, space limitations and depth of coverage became an increasing problem: in the 7th edition, for instance, the
index
Index (or its plural form indices) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Index (''A Certain Magical Index''), a character in the light novel series ''A Certain Magical Index''
* The Index, an item on a Halo megastru ...
was dropped to save space, but it was restored in the 8th edition (though a number of entries were dropped or shortened to make room for it).
In the tenth edition, titled ''The Penguin Jazz Guide'' (2010), Morton revised his and Cook's entries from previous editions, and pared down the content to 1001 reviews of what Morton had selected as the best jazz recordings. Morton also presented the reviews in chronological order by recording dates, rather than alphabetically by artist, and included historical context for the recordings as well as biographical details. The tenth edition also dispensed with the starred rating system, the Core Collection, and Crown accolades.
Reception
Though the first nine editions did not "spring any great surprises", the book "has a tried and trusted formula that works". It is also praised as being "of equal value to both experienced jazz listeners and novices". Alison Kerr, reviewing the 2010 ''Penguin Jazz Guide'' in '' The Herald'', noted the lack of an index as a hindrance, but cited the chronological format as one of the book's strengths. Kerr also noted the subjective nature of Morton's selection of the best jazz albums.
Editions
See also
* ''
All Music Guide to Jazz
''All Music Guide to Jazz'' is a non-fiction book that is an encyclopedic referencing of jazz music compiled under the direction of All Media Guide. The first edition, ''All Music Guide to Jazz: the Best CDs, Albums & Tapes'', appeared in 1994 and ...
''
* ''
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide
''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...