Vance Bollinger – Jazz A-B-Z: an A to Z collection of jazz portraits

By Wynton Marsalis

Illustrated by Paul Rodgers

Biographical sketches by Phil Schaap

As the title suggests, it is an A-Z collection of portraits done of many jazz artists, with an individualized illustration of each artist done by Paul Rodgers.  Each work of art reflects the musical style and personality of each individual musician.

Each illustration has a uniquely composed poem by Wynton Marsalis.  Very interestingly done, Marsalis wrote a poem in a different form for each individual, meaning there are 26 different types of poems in the book.  Not only that, but the poems correspond in some manner to the musical style of each artist.  For example, Basie loved the blues, so Marsalis wrote a blues poem to go along with the portrait of Count Basie. 

At the end of the book, there are biographical sketches of approximately 200 words for  This an amazingly educational book, because it ties together various poetry, art, and musical styles, along with biographical content.

each artist.