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hreed7's review
4.0
A great insight into a legendary label. As if it needs saying, if you aren't familiar with Impulse already, this book is not for you. It is best read if you have familiarity with some of the music that came out of the label, because the value of this book is primarily in hearing the stories behind the music. For me, that meant that the second half of the book was less enjoyable than the first; I don't know Gato Barbieri and Keith Jarrett the way I know John Coltrane and Oliver Nelson, so those stories were more meaningful to me. At the same time, I really enjoyed the book's album spotlights interspersed in each chapter, they gave many albums I know and love a life of their own. Overall, a fun and interesting read for the jazz enthusiast / music historian.
tallblackguy's review
3.0
Call it envy, call it hubris, but I think Impulse as a label, while able to justify itself as part of a pantheon of good music put out fince its inception, is absolutely angry that they don't get teh props of Blue Note. Jazz musicians, recording for a multitude of labels, probably kept the two from being a Motown/Stax level of animosity, but this book reads as a Impulse cheering section and ignorant of the other elephants in the room of jazz labels, most notably Blue Note.
This book really reads like Impulse is the most important jazz label ever, instead of fitting into a time, an economy, and a musical culture. Jazz began and ended with Impulse and, most notably, with John Coltrane. While I appreciate the "damn it all" approach taken to stick with Trane while he churned out classic music, the absolute celebration of Impulse in a vacuum isn't what I was expecting in reading this book.
This book really reads like Impulse is the most important jazz label ever, instead of fitting into a time, an economy, and a musical culture. Jazz began and ended with Impulse and, most notably, with John Coltrane. While I appreciate the "damn it all" approach taken to stick with Trane while he churned out classic music, the absolute celebration of Impulse in a vacuum isn't what I was expecting in reading this book.
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