The Oxford Companion to Jazz.

The Oxford Companion to Jazz edited by Bill Kirchner Oxford University Press, November 2000, $49.95, ISBN 0-195-12510-X

What makes this massive volume such an important book for jazz lovers and students, is the sheer variety of viewpoints offered in the numerous essays and articles. If you don't agree with what one writer has to say about the music, keep reading. Sooner or later you're bound to find someone whose take on jazz is a little closer to your own.

The book's first essay, entitled "African Roots of Jazz", discusses the not-too-surprising and more commonly held view that jazz was derived from African rhythms. Since most jazz scholars agree that black folks created jazz, and that Africa created black folks, then few will argue with Samuel A. Floyd Jr. when he makes the short leap in logic crediting Africa with the origins of jazz.

The very next essay in the book, "European Roots of Jazz" written by William H. Youngren, asserts "That jazz was, from its beginnings, tonal music, and is therefore basically European or Western in nature, is so obvious that it should not need as labored a demonstration as I am giving here." I suspect there will be more than a few readers of Youngren's essay who will fail to see the obvious European nature of jazz as clearly as he does, but he nevertheless raises some very interesting points that need to be considered and heard. What makes

Kirchner's book so strong is that he is willing to entertain such diverse viewpoints, recognizing that such dialogue can only make the full discussion that much more interesting.

Kirchner, himself an award-winning jazz musician and educator, has encouraged not just the regular crew of jazz scholars and critics to contribute, but he has also gotten fellow musicians to speak up. No scholar or critic can really know the complete meaning and feeling of jazz music as well as those who perform it.

There is a huge difference between watching a boxer get punched in the face and being punched in the face yourself.

Keith A. Owens is a Detroit-based freelance writer and musician whose social commentary appears in the Metro Times and the City View, two of Detroit's alternative weekly publications.