FREE JAZZ by Ekkehard Jost
I bought this book because it listed most of my favorite artists.
It was written in 1974 which I suspected would lend a certain naivete to the examination.
Coltrane is the central figure in the book, as could be expected.
His name was already known by '58 and for him to embrace "the new thing" gave the scene creditability and lesser known players had something to point to as if to say "see...he gets it!"
Miles, Mingus, Ornette, Cherry, Dolphy, Shepp, Ayler, AACM, Sun Ra...all are covered. Including many more supporting artists that are gems waiting for me to discover.
The author is German which could explain his precise explanations of the evolution of free jazz.
He gets down to the specific part of a specific song where giant steps (pun intended) are taken.
Jost has a way of breaking it down to the molecular level and showing the advancements made, crystalline in his description.
Certainly an academic read but interesting none the less.
It helps if you can read music, I can't, but I muddled through.