"An essential book in the jazz canon. . . . [T]he University of Michigan Press has given it a rebirth under the title Four Jazz Lives."
—Nat Hentoff, JazzTimes
— Nat Hentoff, JazzTimes
"An engrossing, impressionistic history of contemporary jazz."
—Nation
— Nation
"[Spellman] views these men with a perceptive and understanding eye."
—New York Times
— New York Times
"Remains the best introduction to the worlds of Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Nichols, and Jackie McLean."
—Ben Ratliff
— Ben Ratliff
"Four black jazzmen speak at considerable length for themself, with connective passages supplied with persistent relevancy by a poet, historian, and critic."
—Nat Hentoff
— Nat Hentoff