Essential Jazz Records, Vol. 1: Ragtime to Swing

First published in 1984 and reissued to coincide withthe publication of the second volume, this selection of the 250 best jazz records traces the earliest roots of the music to the beginnings of the modern jazz era. Volume One's focus is on LP collections of 78 rpm originals and nearly every significant musician--both familiar and obscure--of early 20th-century jazz is listed. For each record listed, full details of personnel, recording dates and locations are provided.

Max Harrison is a musicologist who reviewed for The Times and The Gramophone from 1967-90, has written widely on jazz, and contributed to the 1980 edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and other reference works.Charles Fox (deceased) was a broadcaster and reviewer. He was the host of "Jazz Today," a weekly British radio program.Eric Thacker (deceased) was a clergyman, with a long-standing interest in jazz.