“What makes this book rise above the information and stories collected within it is Vacca’s skill as researcher, editor, writer, and presenter. The first thing a reader will notice is his lively but not flashy writing style: I’d call it refined, erudite journalism— fast-moving but never superficial. He is a great storyteller, with a fine eye for the telling detail but someone who leaves a reader wanting more…I’ve finished reading it, but it remains on my desk—an irresistible distraction, a book I have been returning to often. It’s a remarkable accomplishment—literate, vivid, accurate, and animated.”

— Michael Steinman, writer and producer of the popular blog Jazz Lives. Read his full review.

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“There are no stylistic problems here; modern jazz, the Dixieland revival, big bands and piano trios are covered without any discernible favoritism. There is a selective list of recommended records, mostly favorites of the author, some of them impossibly rare. Highly recommended.”

— Bob Porter, record producer, discographer, and Grammy-winning writer, in his review published in the December 2012 IAJRC Journal, the quarterly magazine of the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors. Read his full review.

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“This essential Baedeker to the Boston scene is a guide to the districts, the venues, and the players who made the Hub one of the most dynamic centers of jazz during the 25-year period that begins in the Swing Era and carries through to Boston’s influential role as an incubator of post-modern jazz. Highest marks to author and indefatigable researcher Dick Vacca; this labor of love should serve as the model for similar studies of other urban and regional jazz centers.”

— Tom Reney, WFCR radio, Amherst, and New England Public Radio’s Jazz Blog

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“Richard Vacca’s The Boston Jazz Chronicles will be a foundational document that other researchers will turn to again and again as they delve into more specific niches of Boston jazz history and unearth as yet unknown artifacts of this era and its neglected body of music.”

— J.R. Carroll, The Arts Fuse jazz columnist. Read his full November 19, 2012 review, “The Boston Jazz Chronicles—Indispensable History.”

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“The Boston Jazz Chronicles is a richly textured treasure trove of a book, describing in loving detail a city’s undeniable devotion to jazz, the musicians who played it, the venues which presented it, and the knowledgeable audiences who supported it. A sincere and carefully researched, well-written journal of a once lush and nurturing environment for jazz in the city of Boston. Highly recommended.”

— Carol Sloane, American jazz singer

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“I’ve read them all—the books on Boston sports, politicians, landmarks, criminals, restaurants, et al. Finally, an irresistible history of Boston Jazz and the great men and women who made it. Dick Vacca’s book provides us with just the backdrop needed to understand and appreciate the impact of jazz in the Hub. And it sure is fun! Required reading for true lovers of music who happen to be fans of our city.”

— Jordan Rich, WBZ radio, Boston

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“A note to congratulate you on the release of your Boston Jazz Chronicles. It is a masterwork of faces/places/nightlife in Boston—and totally accurate, I might add. I should know. I was there.”

— Ray Santisi, Jazz musician and educator, Berklee College of Music

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“What a wonderful book! I’m glad I stayed alive long enough to see this story in print. It brought me back to one of the most exciting periods in my whole life. These Chronicles are very well researched—I was very much a part of the Boston jazz scene for years, and I learned a lot about even those years from Vacca’s book.”

— Nat Hentoff, author and NEA Jazz Master, wrote a lengthy essay on The Boston Jazz Chronicles,“Make Room for Boston in Jazz History,” in the July 2012 issue of JAZZed magazine.

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