From Publishers Weekly
Poet, critic, novelist, editor and professor of English at Bucknell, Carruth, like the late Philip Larkin, is a devoted, knowledgeable aficionado of jazz, and in some of his best writing he relates black music to English and American literature, Afro-American culture and the nature of artistic imagination. In these reprinted essays and poems, he explores the origins, forms and influences of jazz and the blues, the principles of improvisation and spontaneity, the nature of expressiveness and the contributions of Earl Hines, Bessie Smith, Maxine Sullivan, Joe Turner, Ben Webster and other musicians. Some jazz fans may find this book scholarly, but the more literate will be enthralled by Carruth's comparing the playing ofPee Wee Russell with the poetry of Alexander Pope and William Butler Yeats. (OctoberCopyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Readers interested in literature and jazz will enjoy Carruth's essays and poems; he's one of few writers who can discuss the playing style of trumpeter Bunny Berigan in one paragraph and the merits of writers Alexander Pope and Ezra Pound in the next. Although some essays focus on literature alone, Carruth's interest in jazz music unites these essays, which might otherwise seem unrelated. He writes passionately and knowledgeably about the jazz of the 1940s, and he may inspire some readers to rediscover their old Ben Webster recordings. Sitting In could fit equally well among titles on poetry, literary criticism, or music. For essays that focus consistently on jazz, see works by Gene Lees, Whitney Balliett, or Gary Giddins. Recommended for comprehensive collections.- Paul Baker, CUNA Inc., Madison, Wis.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Poet, critic, novelist, editor and professor of English at Bucknell, Carruth, like the late Philip Larkin, is a devoted, knowledgeable aficionado of jazz, and in some of his best writing he relates black music to English and American literature, Afro-American culture and the nature of artistic imagination. In these reprinted essays and poems, he explores the origins, forms and influences of jazz and the blues, the principles of improvisation and spontaneity, the nature of expressiveness and the contributions of Earl Hines, Bessie Smith, Maxine Sullivan, Joe Turner, Ben Webster and other musicians. Some jazz fans may find this book scholarly, but the more literate will be enthralled by Carruth's comparing the playing ofPee Wee Russell with the poetry of Alexander Pope and William Butler Yeats. (October

Library Journal