Bill Anschell periodically self-publishes purely self-indulgent vignettes based on his life in the jazz world. These stories are essential reading for any aspiring musician who might unwittingly enter the field without a sense of humor or a passion for the bizarre.

Jazz Jam Sessions:  a First-Timer’s Guide became an internet phenomenon shortly after Anschell first published it. An anonymous disgruntled third party (initial profiling suggests a guitarist or vocalist) removed Anschell's byline, excerpted Section 2 (“The Musicians”), retitled it "How Jazz Works," and cast it into the cyberworld, launching an international tidal wave of "forward"s and "cc"s.  Since then it’s been read by thousands of jazz musicians, though few have any idea who wrote it.  It’s also currently posted on many jazz websites (google “How Jazz Works” to get a sampling…), including sites where it has been translated into French, Japanese, and Greek.  Read it here, as the author intended, unedited and with no overdubs.

For a reasoned, logical analysis of the unreasonable and illogical jazz world, check out Jazz Math. (pdf)

Interested in the exciting world of jazz journalism? Spend just a few minutes reading How to Be a Jazz Critic, and you’ll write exactly like the pros!

Experience the glamorous world of regional jazz nightclubs - five-star accommodations, complimentary gourmet meals, crystalline acoustics, state-of-the-art pianos, enthralled audiences, and virtuous clubowners - in Searching for Glory at the Cookin’ Cadenza.

And, for an inside look at the death-defying life of a staff musician aboard the S.S. Norway, check out There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute.