The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide (published by (Backbeat Books) is a well-written encyclopedia on the subject by Scott Yanow, a writer for Downbeat and other music magazines. Along with short essays on the history and meaning of jazz, his A-Z compendium (Susanne Abbuehl through Monica Zetterlund) comes with an appendix, “The Best of Jazz Singers on Film.”
Here, Yanow lists 41 Hollywood movies featuring jazz singers. Among the titles are such classics as The Best Years of Their Lives (with an ace supporting role by Hoagy Carmichael) and obscurities as Broadway Gondolier (with the Mills Brothers). He also includes an extensive list of jazz documentaries available on DVD.
Yanow’s previous book for Backbeat, Jazz on Film, gives the subject a fuller treatment.
