Penguin Jazz Guides - different editions
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Topic: Penguin Jazz Guides - different editions
Posted By: Sean Trane
Subject: Penguin Jazz Guides - different editions
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 3:40am
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Forgive my ignorance about this... Never really paid attention to the Penguin guides (of any kind or genre) before; but... I was browsing the fffth edition of this jazz guide book at my library system, and I was little shocked to see that some of the albums reviewed where hardly the essentials, often the minor or even unheard albums... Not saying this is bad, but it seems a little strong to overlook the essentials... OK, I only perused some artistes (notably my fave Collier and Garrick), but this was kind of deceiving...So my question is.... are the successive editions systematically reviewing new or other albums than the previous editions... meaning that the jazz buff must (should) by every new edition, because it contains entirely new contents??... ------------- my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicted musicians to crazy ones.... 
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Replies:
Posted By: js
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 7:58am
| ^ that may be, I used to own some Penguin guides but I haven't seen them in a while, (its easy for books to get lost amongst the other books here), and I don't recall much about the content. |
Posted By: darkprinceofjazz
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2012 at 7:57pm
| I have a few of those guides, I always trusted their reviews more than all music guide, but as you mentioned, they are very incomplete, they mention in the book somewhere, that they don't list CD's that are out of print, "if you can believe that" I always thought that was crazy, at least the last edition of all music from 2002 I think, has almost everything in it, with much improved and more diverse reviews, You would need every volume of Penguin to have any semblance of completeness. I like thumbing through those books now and then, its funny how the Net has really made those books less important. |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2012 at 4:14pm
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A buddy of mine loaned me the third edition.... and it's obvious that the writers are really anti JR/F music too. ------------- my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicted musicians to crazy ones....
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Posted By: darkprinceofjazz
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2012 at 6:34pm
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Sean Trane wrote:Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: 31 Jan 2012 at 3:39am
Well, I only perused the third and fifth edition, about two weeks apart, so I can't judge too hard, but if this fifth is some kind of "best of", then I want no part of it... I guess, I'll check Ian Carr's books or a Rough guide Coz my Guiness' guide of Who's Who in Jazz (bought in the 90's) is definitely outdated (that's not a problem) and too incomplete (that's much more an issue) ------------- my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicted musicians to crazy ones....
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Posted By: Matt
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2012 at 4:45pm
The poor bastards at Penguin trying to keep us "know alls" happy. Impossible, somebody here will always find warts  I saw a Bear Family mistake recently. Missed a couple of Frankie Laine's numbers in their "I Believe" set. I don't read the Penguins. Like Sean when I saw it ,did not like it due to missing stuff. Had a brief look at one years ago and so went for the Rough Guide but now that is incomplete for me but still a pretty good book as most of theirs are. The Reggae one is superb. Steve Barrow was involved. The World Music ( African) one is not bad either 
There is not one good book out there on Afro Cuban, esp sixties and seventies. You would have thought that someone would have done one on Fania and all the subsidary Latin labels that were around then.  ------------- Matt |
Posted By: darkprinceofjazz
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2012 at 5:28pm
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Posted By: Matt
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 2:23pm
Exactly Jason. I have not looked at one in years but they were no good for someone just getting into Jazz which was when I looked at it as well. Out of Print as we all know is still available, in most cases and do Penguin cover the Jap releases as they come and go all the time and it is Japan that usually re-issue those rare ones. They have some great Art Blakey re-releases I have never seen at the moment. Only $10 but I have enough I keep telling myself. Temptation  but no I keep saying to myself.------------- Matt |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: 07 Mar 2012 at 8:21am
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I'm the sort of person when browsing the jazz section in bookshops (and i the UK you have to be lucky to find such sections - so more often the music section), if any book claims to be a "history" I check the index for Allan Holdsworth, Mahavishnu Orchestra (and finally one to really test such a book ) Soft Machine. The edition of Penguin Guide I purchased some 15 years ago, had two out of three as entries - but found subsequent editions to have John McLaughlin and that's about all, when came to jazz rock fusion entires. Clearly a fat tome can include a large number of artists and their recordings, but is not going to be complete. But it does beg one question, should there be a guide to essential recordings provided in such guides. However, with music labelled 'jazz' being played and available on record in such a broad range of styles, would a 'jazz virgin' exposed to a recommended and 'essential piece' of free jazz be turned off for life (e.g. the little I've heard of Cecil Taylor has left me cold)?
One job for retirement, write 100 Essential Jazz Fusion Albums To Hear Before You Go Deaf!
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Posted By: dreadpirateroberts
Date Posted: 07 Mar 2012 at 3:18pm
I agree, the purpose of a book is so important. I often ask myself if a book is a 'guide to jazz' in an overview/indepth/rare gems kinda way or something else again, and so on. Keen to see the 100 Essential Pre-Deafness Jazz Fusion Albums one day! ------------- We are men of action. Lies do not become us. http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/dreadpirateroberts%28member%29.aspx?reviews=all/" rel="nofollow - Reviews... |