Following is a quote from Virginal Hunt, an excerpt from her review of the book:

"When a book about Local 5 musicians is published--and how often does that happen?--you simply must give it a substantial review. It's a no-brainer.... After all, I told myself, how much of a job could this be? I expected the book to be some rather amateurish desktop publishing product full of ho-hum text, bland design and typographical travesties. Nonetheless, I knew I could find something positive to say about it, I would keep it short, I could do a nice thing for the author and come out smelling like a rose without having to do very much.

"It was a workable plan. When I picked up the book the evening you delivered it, I suddenly knew my task was going to be considerably more challenging. I was, frankly, quite shocked. In just a few seconds, I could see the years of work that went into the research, countless scores of interviews and then all the organizing of that material before one keystroke had even been entered.

"Quite invisible to the general public are all the fact-checking, editing and proofreading that went into the project. You scarcely remember some of it yourself, what with your eyes closing and your brain going to sleep right at the cusp of your next deadline. Self-imposed though they may have been, your deadlines obviously drove you. Another shock emanated from the book's design. I've seen volumes from the biggest publishers in New York that don't look this good."