Jazz A to Z provides an authoritative guide to 48 jazz musicians the author considers to be the originators and innovators, including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Keith Jarrett, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker and "Fats" Waller. The entries give an account of the musician's life (often tragic), their style, significance, best recordings, the type of jazz they played, and some musical context. Many other jazz musicians beside the subject of the entry are discussed in the chapters. The styles covered include New Orleans, swing, bebop, hard bop, west coast cool and free bop. The text is enlivened by vivid black and white portraits of the various musicians.

Written in an engaging, accessible style, this is an authoritative guide to jazz that will be of great value to the novice and of much interest to aficionados.