Richard Cook

The Profile

British jazz writer and critic; author of Blue Note Records: The Biography and co-author of The Penguin Guide to Jazz recordings.

Richard Cook (1957–2007) was a British jazz writer and critic, best known for authoring Blue Note Records: The Biography and co-authoring The Penguin Guide to Jazz.

A lively, informal review of Richard Cook's Blue Note biography that mixes affection for the label with critique of its shifts. The reviewer praises Cook's storytelling and the book's evocation of record‑label mystique. Useful for jazz fans and record-collectors.