"Faced with making sense of the life of such a complex individual, Duncan Heining has sensibly opted for a comprehensive rather than a partisan approach, painstakingly sifting through Collier's own writings and compositions for clues to his sensibility and setting the resulting evidence dispassionately before the reader... [The book] provides a valuable celebration of the work and legacy of one of the UK's most important and influential musical figures." --London Jazz News "Duncan Heining's research embraces his own interviews with Collier and his associates, a thorough perusal of contemporary press coverage, and sharply incisive and forensic analysis of the recordings in the Collier catalogue. [...]A lasting impression is one of someone who's perceived as a complex outsider, sometimes contradictory and often resolutely forthright and protective -- as well as being a battler against the usual vagaries and uncertainties that can be a challenging aspect of the jazz world in particular. But, to most people, what matters is the legacy of recordings. There were many star names in his various ensembles -- and an extensive discography and a list of Collier's compositions will, doubtless, have the effect of making the reader scurry back to the albums." --The Beat, April 2018 "Heining does a splendid job in discussing distinct aspects of Collier's work and life in separate chapters rather than trying to run with several simultaneous threads. But he is always most convincing when he engages with the music." --Brian Morton, Jazz Journal