I'm a big, big fan of the Penguin for a variety of reasons. 1) Cook and Morton write the whole damn thing, giving it a consistency of viewpoint. 2) They have an uncanny ability, not always but a lot of the time, to actually describe what the music sounds like, rather than using references and shorthand like "tastes like spicy Bill Frisell seasoned with a little grated Henry Kaiser on top." I think I read that the 6th edition just came out in Britain. Worth ordering now, if the U.S. edition isn't coming out for a few months. ...and a quick check tells me that amazon.co.uk has the book, and amazon.com does not list it, so the U.S. edition may take a while. William Crump ----------

From: "Adam Marrus" <adamj2517@hotmail.com>

Would any of you be so kind as to rec a "guide" of sorts? For example i saw a reasonably priced Penguin Guide to Jazz at a nearby record shop recently. Is this a reasonably reliable source?