The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz Area Update
In April 2020 Barry Kernfeld and Howard Rye began an update to The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. They have been working on the nearly 1,500 musicians who passed away since the second edition was published, in many instances making extensive revisions drawn from the rich resources for jazz research that are now available on the internet. These updates are being posted monthly.
Editor in Chief
Barry Kernfeld is a freelance musicologist. He was editor-in-chief for two editions of The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, and he wrote What to Listen for in Jazz on a commission from Yale University Press. Later, while working as an archivist in the Special Collections Library at the Pennsylvania State University, he published a case study of song bootlegging, The Story of Fake Books, and then a general history, Pop Song Piracy. In retirement, he has been the volunteer archivist at Historic Beverly (Massachusetts) and has now, once again, resumed his work on the Grove jazz dictionary.
Second Edition
Edited by Barry Kernfeld
The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd edition (2002), is the largest, most comprehensive reference work on jazz ever published. Building on an explosion in jazz scholarship, the second edition is more than twice as large as the 1988 first edition, including pioneering coverage of jazz musicians in Japan, South Africa, the Caribbean, and elsewhere. This edition marks an unrivaled effort within the field of jazz research in accuracy, with detailed cross-checking and source comparison in the ever-changing realm of jazz information. With over 7,000 articles on every aspect of the field, from jazz groups, composers and arrangers to instruments, terms, record labels and venues, The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz is an essential tool for scholars, musicians and aficionados alike.
Associate Editors
Gary Kennedy
Howard Rye
Copy Editor
Caroline Richmond
