Message to Our Folks: The Art Ensemble of Chicago books (University of Chicago Press)

A well-researched and engagingly-written history of one of the absolute marquee acts of the jazz avant-garde. It's the book this band has long deserved and it affords the reader a greater understanding not just of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago itself but also of the context and movement that spawned them. An engrossing read even for those completely familiar with the AEC's work.