"This guide opens with the very beginnings of jazz, exploring its seeds in ragtime, early blues, and blues-infused New Orleans jazz from 1895-1916. But the heart of the classic jazz era - and this book - belongs to 1917-1933. Through anecdotal biographies and evocative photos, you'll meet the musicians who defined the Jazz Age, from the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the first jazz group to record, to the artists poised to usher in swing, such as Louis Armstrong to Benny Goodman.

Classic Jazz gives you incisive reviews and ratings of recordings that make (or don't make) the cut, and essays brimming with historical insight not found in other guides."--BOOK JACKET.