Scott Yanow’s book Jazz on Film focuses on only those films which feature musicians on screen and which are available for purchase. There are many great jazz scores for films in which no musicians appear on screen, but readers will have to await a new book for that information.

With David Meeker’s 1981 Jazz in the Movies now out of print, Yanow has done a service to fans by providing new information on available jazz tapes and DVD’s. He rates the films on a 1 to 10 basis as to whether they are worth seeing from his perspective. He also includes miscellaneous short essays on the history of jazz on film, jazz on television, commentary on artists who frequently appeared on film but are not jazz musicians per se, short interviews with three film collectors, addresses of film labels, and an index. Instructional videos are not included but he recommends a catalogue where they can be found.

Section I of the book concentrates on videotapes and DVD’s based on a wide range of subject matter: biographies, festivals, histories, TV shows, and collections of such items as Soundies and Snader Telescriptions. Section II is devoted to Hollywood movies. Section III features shorts, TV Specials, and shorter documentaries. Section IV is a grab bag of miscellaneous items that don’t fit into the other categories.

Fans will quibble about questionable inclusions and omissions, but for those interested in seeing legends such as Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Miles Davis as well as today’s stars such as Diana Krall and Wynton Marsalis on film, Yanow’s book offers a useful resource.

Scott Yanow has contributed thousands of CD reviews to the third edition of the All Music Guide to Jazz, and is one of the most prolific jazz record reviewers in history. He has written ten books on jazz and penned over 600 liner notes for many record labels.