As the subtitle of Thomas Jacobsen’s latest book on jazz suggests, The New Orleans Jazz Scene Today stands as a “guide” offering snapshot views of what’s presently going on in the music’s birthplace. As the author writes in the preface, “it is intended for a general audience interested in jazz music…” By the naming of this city’s traditional and modern jazz artists and the many clubs and venues that present the music, the intention of the publication was also to indicate just how rich, active,vital and diverse the New Orleans jazz community remains in the post­-Katrina era. The 135-­page paperback, not including an extensive bibliography and index, includes black­-and-­white photos taken by Jacobsen from his personal collection.

Jacobsen, the author of two books on New Orleans jazz, was a 25­-year resident of the Crescent City and is professor emeritus of Indiana University. His involvement in the jazz world, his familiarity with this unique and sometimes quirky city and his academia all show up within the book’s pages. It’s difficult to find a jazz musician’s name missed, a club or festival forgotten or a footnote ignored. As a retired professor himself, the author wisely includes a chapter on educational institutions that offer jazz studies. These are from where it is hoped that some of the next generation of artists will emerge.

A lot of information can be gleaned from The New Orleans Jazz Scene Today. The spirit of the music and its players, however, often gets lost in the book’s brief synopsis style and the adjective-­free listing of names.