Mr. Chamberlain has done a great service for jazz musicians and fans with the creation of this book. One of the most refreshing points of the book (which actually sets it apart from most other jazz biographies) is that Safford is not scared to be critical of Warne and his associates, especially Lennie Tristano. The book only paints a vague picture of Warne as a person, but I interpret that as a way of showing how hard it was to really get to know the man. This is definitely a book that should be picked up to help spread the word about one of jazz' most important and creative improvisers.

My biggest complaint about Ken Burns' "Jazz" was how many great musicians were ignored. People like Herbie Nichols, Serge Chaloff, Jimmy Raney, the list is almost endless. Safford Chamberlain's book about one of the most sorely underappreciated improvisers ever is superb. It puts in human terms the struggles that almost all jazz musicians faced from the late 1940's on in trying to document a music that was falling further and further from the public view. Lee Konitz has stated "I don't know of any other musician that realy surprised me as much as Warne did with his inventiveness." Mr. Chamberlain is an excellent writer, and I hope this book helps to turn more jazz fans onto to Warne.

Safford Chamberlin's love for his subject matter, the jazz solos of the late tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, comes out on every page of this unusually well researched and well written biography.

Marsh was a child prodigy who fell under the spell of the eccentric jazz recluse Lennie Tristano, the founder and guru of a school of highly disciplined post-bebop jazz in New York City during the late 1940's. Marsh ping-ponged between Tristano and the West Coast, mostly in relative obscurity, until he died on stage at Donte's in North Hollywood in December 1987.

Chamberlin skillfully weaves the facts of Marsh's life with details about his milieu and descriptions of his recordings. The chapters describing Marsh's early recordings with fellow Tristanoite Lee Konitz are particularly interesting. Chamberlin delicately deals with the difficult subjects of drugs, commercialism and racism in jazz music.

I have read many jazz biographies, some lurid, some sloppy and inaccurate. This one, however, treats the subject matter with the seriousness and attention to detail this wonderful music we call "jazz" deserves.