There are many very favorable reviews published in jazz magazines. Shown below are some statements from some of these reviews. Should you want the full review document, please open the full document.
Review Summaries
IAJRC Journal
This is a most remarkable book by any standards…surely the most detailed and researched biography of a jazz musician ever.
Jazz Journal
The detail about Ladnier and the musicians he played with and the circumstances he worked under is amazing… could claim to be one of the best ever written about an individual jazz musician.
OrkesterJournalen
Storartat om en underskattad jazzpionjär. …måste vara en av de mest ambitiösa levnadsbeskrivningar som gjorts! … känns aldrig som en katalog över Ladniers engagemang, medmusiker eller inspelningar, snarare som en spännande kulturhistorisk exposé över en tidigare icke uppmärksammad musiker.
New Orleans Music
…covers all one could possibly need to know about Ladnier…
VJM
This work on Tommy Ladnier sets an entirely new standard… this immensely detailed and visually stunning work to create a volume that looks as if the authors had followed the man around for most of his life… a landmark work that future jazz biographies will be hard-pressed to equal.
Jazzbeat
This is without doubt the handsomest jazz book I’ve ever seen… the book is absolutely beautiful…a book that is not only fun to read but beautiful to look at.
Jazz Lives
…a lively yet scholarly study of the life and music of the short-lived trumpeter. …This book strikes sparks in every way: the diligent research that has gone into it, the expansive prose; the wonderful illustrations. I have been reluctant to put it down. Each page offers surprises.
Académie du Jazz
Prix du livre de Jazz 2009. Mention Spéciale