The Jazz Omnibus: 21st-Century Photos & Writings by Members of the Jazz Journalists Association

GA Russell · October 8

"The Jazz Omnibus:

21st-Century Photos & Writings

By Members of the

Jazz Journalists Association"

To Be Published October 15

By Cymbal Press

Unique Anthology, Featuring 90 Contributors,

Will Be Available in E-Book as Well as

Print-on-Demand Paperback & Deluxe Hardcover Editions

October 7, 2024

The Jazz Journalists Association and Cymbal Press announce the October 15 publication of The Jazz Omnibus: 21st-Century Photos and Writings by Members of the Jazz Journalists Association. A team effort featuring 90 contributors, compiled by editor David R. Adler, photography editor Patrick Hinely, copy chief Terri Hinte, and editorial consultant Howard Mandel with Fiona Ross and Martin Johnson as submission readers, The Jazz Omnibus is dedicated to the memory of jazz scholar and chronicler Dan Morgenstern (1929-2024). The 600-page volume features 67 articles, 23 black and white photos, and an extensive selected bibliography. It is currently available for pre-publication orders in all formats at Amazon.com and directly from Cymbal Press.

The Jazz Omnibus is unrivaled as a collection of self-selected “best works” by the far-flung members of the JJA, including international reports, interviews with major figures, profiles of emerging artists, biographical and analytical essays, memoirs and reviews, portraits and action photography.

Sponsors underwriting the book’s promotion include Berklee School of Music’s Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice; Impulse!, Verve, and Blue Note Records; and the Jazz Foundation of America. Funds from sales will contribute to covering the nonprofit, membership-supported JJA’s general operating expenses.

Wide in scope, The Jazz Omnibus includes among its many highlights:

an up-close-and-personal hang with Sonny Rollins by Ted Panken
probing interview with Keith Jarrett by Michael Jackson
appreciation of Carla Bley by Suzanne Lorge
conversation with Wynton Marsalis by Doug Hall
Leslie Pintchik's personal report of a performer's thrills, "In Play"
reappraisals of Amy Winehouse by Ted Gioia and Sun Ra by Nate Chinen
excerpts of Deanna Witkowski’s Mary Lou Williams: Music for the Soul; Willard Jenkins’s Ain’t But a Few of Us; and Mike Longo’s memoirs, in his voice by his widow Dorothy Longo
Mirian Arbalejo’s impassioned declaration “I Do Write So Let Me Write”
George Wein’s obituary by Peter Keepnews
Ashley Kahn’s award-winning “The New Jazz Emigrés” on American musicians in Europe today

L. to r.: Wadada Leo Smith, Amina Claudine Myers, Andrew Cyrille, Vijay Iyer,

Oktaven Audio Recording Studio, Mt. Vernon, NY; December 12, 2021.

A gallery of photos interspersed among texts include Enid Farber’s previously unpublished portrait of Masked Musicians, Andrea Canter's portrait of Abdullah Ibrahim, and Jack B. Siegel’s capture of “Ramsey Lewis’s Last Note” as well as Lauren Deutsch’s dynamic, full-color cover “Tangible Sound” image of Roscoe Mitchell playing soprano saxophone.

Pre-publication endorsements of The Jazz Omnibus from estimable sources:

“I was going to write that The Jazz Omnibus is essential for your library, but then I realized that The Jazz Omnibus really is a library. It serves a tasty range of sharp writing. …You will spend many happy years thinking about what you have read in this book.” —A.B. Spellman, poet, author, critic, namesake of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy

“The Jazz Omnibus is the most entertaining, illuminating anthology of its kind to appear in this century … united by the cool breeze of honest enthusiasm.” —Gary Giddins, author, critic, 2025 NEA Jazz Master

“The Jazz Omnibus gathers some of the most exciting writing by a diverse group of contributors. … Readers are sure to savor it, whether returning to a favorite piece or discovering new thoughts on new artists. Either way, it’s a wonder.” —Farah Jasmine Griffin, author and Professor of English and Comparative Literature and African American Studies at Columbia University

“If you love this music and those who write about it as much as I do, you will not be able to put this indispensable anthology down.” —Ricky Riccardi, Louis Armstrong House Museum Director of Research Collections, Grammy-winning author

“What a gift to all of us from the members of the Jazz Journalists Association. The Jazz Omnibus takes us on a journey through jazz history with new visual and written perspectives. …This is bound to be an invaluable resource for jazz lovers, educators, students, musicians, audiences, supporters. Hop on the bus, you won’t regret it.” —Monika Herzig, pianist/composer/author/professor of Artistic Research, Jam Music Lab University, Vienna