In the United States, African American and Italian cultures have been intertwined for more than a hundred years. From as early as nineteenth-century African American opera star Thomas Bowers – "The Colored Mario" – all the way to hip-hop entrepreneur...

In the illustrious and richly documented history of American jazz, no figure has been more controversial than the jazz critic. Jazz critics can be revered or reviled – often both – but they should not be ignored. And while the tradition of jazz has b...