Wax Poetics Anthology Volume 1 (2009)

The fandom driving the magazine is infectious, and the best pieces are simply essential…. A large part of Anthology’s draw, as with Wax Poetics the magazine, is how gorgeous it looks: Many pieces come with lovingly reproduced album covers and 45 labels, arrayed neatly like so much recordcollector porn.
-The Onion A.V. Club Wax Poetics Anthology, Volume 1, the first book from the esteemed music journal showcasing everyone from jazz and Hip Hop heavyweights to soul and funk musicians, gathers articles from their first five issues into an attractive hardbound edition filled with vintage photos and album art. Including profiles of the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, funk drummers Clyde Stubblefield and John Jab’O Starks, Wild Style director Charlie Ahearn, the late jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus, and many more, this first installment of the Wax Poetics Anthology is a must-have for record collectors and music connoisseurs alike. First published in December 2001, Brooklyn-born Wax Poetics hit newsstands with a new vision for music journalism, creating a bridge between the past and present of Hip Hop, jazz, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and Latin music. Although originally created for a concentrated market of music aficionados, the magazine’s audience has grown exponentially, making musical anthropologists out of average music listeners and spawning a soul renaissance, complete with comeback tours and sophomore efforts. Wax Poetics illuminates the dark corners of our sonic past, while also striving to give new and innovative artists the credit they truly deserve.