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The Jazz Book
The Jazz Book Joachim-Ernst Berendt and Gunther Huesmann
Softcover; 816 pages
ISBN: 155652823X
Lawrence Hill Books
2009
The first edition of The Jazz Book came out in 1952, the earnest work of European jazz scholar Joachim-Ernst Berendt. At the time, of course, saxophonist 
Charlie Parker
saxophone, alto1920 - 1955
Dizzy Gillespie
trumpet1917 - 1993
Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991
John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967
And for the most part, it is. The authors have achieved a rare feat in creating a book that includes just about everyone who is or was a factor in the development of the music; rest assured that if you aren't mentioned in here, you weren't a major player. Of course there will be some gripes about some people who don't make an appearance (some may think that saxophonist 
Lennie Niehaus
saxophone, alto
1929 - 2020
Ingeniously, The Jazz Book is laid out in different sections, presenting the history of the music through different lenses. The authors start out by giving a brief overview of each decade and the representative styles that emerged. They then delve into the most significant players, starting with trumpeter 
Louis Armstrong
trumpet and vocals
1901 - 1971
John Zorn
saxophone, alto
b.1953
However, Berendt and Huesmann never intended The Jazz Book to be read straight through; rather, they made each section complete on its own, to allow the reader to dip in wherever they saw fit. This is one of the strengths of the book: while there is a straightforward chronological narrative, there is also the opportunity to look at jazz through individual artists and their influence, as well as how different instruments came to be. In each section there is a kernel of information or some new insight that, no matter how much somone may have read about jazz, they'll likely find new.
Despite their overall success in handling such an unwieldy subject, there are a few problems that emerge when the authors approach jazz from the 1970s onwards (presumably Huesmann, who was largely responsible for the later editions, is the main problem here; if it was a problem with the translation, it would plague the whole book.) For one thing, the writing degenerates into stuffy academic prose; instead of the lively bounce found in the passages on the early heroes, we get dry lists of the different styles, analyzed to death. There is also a disproportionate amount of ink spent on these decades than the previous one, and oddly so; for instance fusion gets a lengthy breakdown, yet the authors admit that there were only a few albums from the movement worthwhile. So why bother spending all the time on it? Many people who write about jazz after the 1960s have a chip on their shoulder and feel they need to prove that the jazz that was created was just as good as what came before. Writing about it in a way that makes it all seem dull as dishwater won't get that accomplished.
However, it's easy enough for the reader to skip over the stuff which isn't of interest, and the authors are to be commended for taking such a global look at the music; has the European jazz scene ever received such inspection? Also, no matter how big a collection is, there's sure to be a record mentioned that will pique interest. Suitable for those who want to learn more about the music or those who just want to settle in to read about an artist that they know everything about, The Jazz Book will fit the bill. It's a readable, pitch-perfect labor of love that reminds us of all the great music that has been created over the years.
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