Christiane Bird

"This is not only 'the best work of its kind'—an inevitable comment—it is the only work of its kind . . . It will remain for years a major contribution to the significant, historical literature of America's basic vernacular music forms."

                                                                                                     —San Francisco Examiner

"[This] exhaustive guide, rich with anecdotes and historical information, is a compelling read whether you're traveling or not."                                                                           

                                                                                                     —The Boston Globe Magazine

"Jazz . . . is an acquired taste, yet Christiane Bird engages us right off." 

                                                                                                     —The Washington Post

"Bird's writing is always sharp, funny, and evocative . . . This exhaustive catalog is a labor of love that should stand as 'the' jazz and blues guide for years to come."

                                                                                                     —Houston Chronicle

"The Jazz and Blues Lover's Guide to the U.S. is the best work of its kind I have ever seen. Christiane Bird knows and loves her subject. She's obviously done her background research, but more importantly, she's been to the places she writes about and manages to convey what it's like to be in a Mississippi Delta juke joint or an East St. Louis biker's bar. This is a great travel guide, but it should also be viewed as an important historical resource, since so much of the material about landmarks, local history, the clubs, and the people who run them has never appeared in any other book.

                                                                                                   —Jim O'Neal, founding editor of Living Blues magazine

"This is a marvelously useful and interesting book. Even the most seasoned jazz fan has something to learn from Christiane Bird, who has left no stone unturned in her quest for information, practical and arcane. It's great fun to browse in even if you don't plan to travel."

"Dig it!"

                                                                                                                —-Playboy

"Gives jazz lovers 'Landmarks and Legends' that could form the basis for walking tours in many United States cities." 

                                                                                                                 —The New York Times

"A guidebook above all, [The Jazz and Blues Lover's Guide] is also a love song with sociological riffs."

                                                                                                                  —The Indianapolis Star

"[A] solid, evocative, and impeccably trustable guide."

                                                                                                                   —New York Daily News

"A marvelous jazz and blues travel companion."

                                                                                                                   —Jazz Times

"This is a superb book."

                                                                                                                    —Living Blues