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Title: about the author more than the music
Review: Ratliff just can't help inserting himself at every turn in this book. Here's an example: The chapter on "Bill Evans Trio: Saturday at the Village Vanguard" begins: "There's a single-minded, amiable rapture suffusing most of Bill Evans's music that just doesn't do it for me in the long run. It's not my mood; it's not one of the things that satisfies my thrill seeking." Well, gee, thanks for sharing sharing; but save it for your diary. If you enjoy watching an author shoot from the hip (Sarah Vaughan, he says, "in certain low-register moments ... approaches vulgarity" and is lacking in "good taste"), maybe you'll enjoy it. If you simply want to learn more about the peak recordings of jazz history, turn elsewhere.
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