The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums

Music journalist (Wall Street Journal, Village Voice) Friedwald (A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers) details the recording history, the importance, and the behind-the-scenes stories of 51 of the most significant vocal jazz albums of the past 70 years. Much of the material is based on interviews, analysis of the recordings, and the author's encyclopedic knowledge and love of vocal jazz. Many of the choices, such as albums featuring Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Billy Eckstine, would surprise very few jazz fans. Others, however, might raise some eyebrows, such as an album by Tiny Tim. Friedwald makes a strong case for the importance of each album, so that Tiny Tim is represented but Joe Williams is not actually makes for quite an intriguing book. The writing is fluid and assumes a music fan's understanding of jazz and jazz-oriented pop music. It also assumes some knowledge of the genre as well as the artists.