W. Royal Stokes, Ph.D., has been closely observing the jazz scene since the 1940s and has been writing and lecturing about the art form for two decades. He has served as the Washington Post's jazz critic and as editor and monthly columnist of JazzTimes, and his byline has additionally appeared in down beat, Ms., Travel Holiday, the Washington Times, and many other publications. His radio show"I thought I heard Buddy Bolden say..." has been heard on local air waves since the early '70s. A native of Washington, D.C., he resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife Erika and sons Sutton and Neale.

`Stokes has encapsulated the compelling diversity of jazz in a single manageable volume. Thoroughly recommended.' Jazz Express