Blackwell Guides are short reference books intended to bring specialist guidance to those building a library of books or recordings. Written and edited by the world's leading authorities they can be relied upon for balanced and comprehensive information. In this Guide, now fully updated and available in paperback with a CD supplement a group of the world's leading jazz authorities select about 150 of the greatest jazz performances which would form the basis of any comprehensive collection of jazz recordings, covering all styles, periods, and areas. The fo cus of the book is the music itself, and in identifying great performances, th e authors chart the massively complex issue history of the great sessions, giv ing an exhaustive catalogue of CD, LP and cassette releases in most of the wor ld's major countries. Both texts and recordings lists introduce ideas for furt her listening, through comparative comment, or, for example, by using complete collected works of particular artists. To the newcomer to jazz, forming a basic collection, this is the essential guide. To the more seasoned listener, the critical discussions are informative and helpful, and some of the selectio ns unusual and unexpected.