TST Publisher Andy Senior Honored as Jazz Hero
The Mystery of Roger Wolfe Kahn’s Symphony and Other Compositions
Had Roger Wolfe Kahn not gone against his parent’s wishes, it’s more than likely he would have launched his music career at the age of
Ragtime and Good Times: Antonia P. Gonzales, the Cornet-Playing Madam
Flick through the first half of any jazz biography and the tales which fly past your eyes are almost invariably those of hardship—riding the rails,
Debunking Piano Roll Mythology: An Interview with L. Douglas Henderson, Owner of ARTCRAFT piano rolls
Preface to the 2022 Republication of this Interview1 For those who are not familiar with how player piano rolls are made, a quick explanation is
Remembering the Remarkable Charles William Midgley
I met him on a Sacramento city bus. I was thirteen. Often after school, I would ride the city bus into downtown to explore the
The Barnharts’ Road Scholar Program on Jekyll Island
Last month, my husband Jeff and I traveled to Jekyll Island, Georgia, to attend a five-day Road Scholar course. The name of the course was
ARSC Produces First-Ever CD to Celebrate Public Domain
The current issue of the ARSC Journal arrived with a most welcome surprise—a 27-track CD produced by the organization of carefully restored and recorded tracks
Conrad Janis on the Bandstand
I first heard Conrad Janis back in the 1960s at some of the monthly concerts staged by the Connecticut Dixieland Society. The club’s concerts featured
Update on the New Outdoor Pavilion for Downtown Sedalia
The City of Sedalia and the Furnell Family Companies previously announced the beginning of construction on a large Pavilion in downtown Sedalia to be used
The DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s Triumphant Return to Dizzy’s Club
In mid-March, big band fans had the treat of enjoying the DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s extended play at New York City’s Dizzy’s Club. Thanks to the
Frederick Hodges: Sophisticated Syncopation
If syncopation has a name performer today, it is likely Frederick Hodges. The California pianist has gained a stellar reputation for his skills playing solo
Elise Roth is an Old-School Entertainer with Social Media Savvy
In the entertainment biz, a triple threat is generally defined as someone who can sing, dance and act. Such performers are not rare—consider Fred Astaire,
Texas Shout #70 Melodic Improvisation
Set forth below is the seventieth “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the March 1996 issue of The American Rag. The text has not
Texas Shout #75 The Final Shout, Part 2
Set forth below is the seventy-fifth and last “Texas Shout” column. The concluding installment of a two-part essay, (part 1,) it first appeared in the
Texas Shouts #17 & #18 Favorite Musicians
Set forth below are the Seventeenth and Eighteenth “Texas Shout” columns. They first appeared in the May and June 1991 issues of the West Coast Rag,
From the 2022 Charles Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival
I made my first visit to the Charles Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival on the last weekend in March at Mississippi State University in Starkville.
From the 2021 Arizona Classic Jazz Festival
On the first weekend in November I attended the Arizona Classic Jazz Festival at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Chandler. This hotel has been greatly
From the Central Pennsylvania Ragtime Festival
After a year’s hiatus due to the pandemic, the 12th annual Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival returned to Orbisonia and Rockhill, PA on
Ed Polcer Relaxin’ With The Secret 6
Roger Marks’ Brass Farthings with Pete Allen • Just Genuine Jazz
Yoshitaka “Z2” Tsuji • From the Beginning
Marilyn Nonken • Syncopated Musings
ARSC Journal: Special Issue and Pre-1923 CD Celebrating the new US Public Domain
Angela Verbrugge • Love for Connoisseurs
The Barroom Buzzards • Dixieland Chestnuts
Sidney Bechet • Four Classic Albums – Third Set
Roots, Radicals and Rockers: How Skiffle Changed The World
King of Ragtime: The Story of Scott Joplin by Stephen Costanza
Clancy Hayes Vocal Discography Available from TST
Buck Clayton’s Jazz World, Part One
Maxine Sullivan and Cliff Jackson: Profiles in Jazz
Swing singer Maxine Sullivan and stride pianist Cliff Jackson may not have been the most logical matchup, but it was a marriage that worked. Both
Phil Napoleon: Profiles in Jazz
Arguably the top jazz trumpeter or cornetist on records prior to 1923, Phil Napoleon has somehow managed to miss being prominently included in most jazz
The Boogie Woogie Trio: Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, and Meade Lux Lewis
Boogie-woogie, which has been said to have originated in Texas in the 1870s, started out as a piano music characterized by an “eight-to-the-bar” left-hand pattern
Quarter Notes: No Restin’ Before Festin’!
From Greg Lambousy at the Jazz Museum: Spring is always a wonderful time in New Orleans as the weather warms up, the flowers bloom, and
From the 2022 San Diego Jazz Party
The San Diego Jazz Party celebrated its 33rd year with a dynamic return featuring many of the “World’s Leading Jazz Musicians”! Held at the beautiful
A Quarter For Your Thoughts…
Delaying our celebration of the New Year at home, we got back to New Orleans on January 11th to begin the real festivities! We met
Catherine Russell, Marcus Roberts Celebrate Ellington at Carnegie
For the first time since 2020, now able to return to Carnegie Hall after the long pandemic “intermission,” the American Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leon
The Adrian Cunningham Trio Swings at Shanghai Jazz
For almost 30 years Shanghai Jazz in Madison New Jersey has been sought out by both musicians and fans of various jazz styles. Tom Donohoe
Catherine Russell Enchants Crowd at Shanghai Jazz
Sometimes the ownership of a property changes rapidly. That happens whenever proprietor Tom Donohoe introduced Catherine Russell to a house always packed with her devoted
Tin Pan Alley Travels, Part Two
While in New York City back in march, I had the chance to make a few disc records for Colin Hancock with his period acoustic
Tin Pan Alley Travels, Part One
This month, I will be doing something a little bit different in this column, as I just took a week long trip to NYC. On
What is the ‘Ragtime Life?’
What exactly was the ragtime life? At one time the term was used to describe a particular generation of young people. Much like any musical
Chick Singer Jokes and Other Clichés
Oh, the chick singer jokes…..“if they ask me I could write a book.” From day one I was educated about how to avoid being the
The Woman Behind the Iron Curtain
I had an enlightening summer in the mid ’90s. I met a lifelong friend, was employed with work I loved, and had a unique experience
Jew-ish
I haven’t been to High Holiday services in a very long time. My last memory was crashing Yom Kippur services at my local synagogue where
Ada Leonard and the All-American Girl Orchestra, Part One 1940-43
Bandleader Ada Leonard was a dancer, singer and show business professional who led the first all-female Swing orchestra touring Army training camps during WWII filling
The Real Billie Holiday, Part Three – 1950s
Billie Holiday (Eleanora Fagan, 1915-59) continued a busy schedule of recordings, concerts, radio broadcasts, television appearances and international tours in the 1950s. Publication of her
The Real Billie Holiday, Part Two – 1940s
Billie Holiday (Eleanora Fagan, 1915-1959) emerged as a fully formed artist in the 1940s, her voice was its richest and most expressive. She imparted unprecedented
Neighbors
Recently, I moved into a co-op apartment building in Manhattan. If you’re not aware, the concept of a co-op is that each resident owns shares
Australianisms
As I write this, I’m sitting at a cafe at St. Kilda, Melbourne (Australia, that is). Because of, ahem, certain recent pandemia, it’s been almost
The Event Coordinator
As gigging musicians, we are always treading a delicate line. The universe, in its ironic wisdom, has decreed that our musically and artistically satisfying gigs
Renewed Interest in J.W. ‘Blind’ Boone
I must begin by congratulating the esteemed editor of this publication on his election as a 2022 Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Association. It
Healing a Racial Divide
This is a pleasant article for me to write, though it resurrects a reminder of unpleasant times. I hope readers will find the healing nature
Don’t Give the Name and Bad Place
I have been fighting several bold infections since Thanksgiving that have left me feeling lethargic as a petrified sloth. As a result, I have quite
Farewell to Phil Pospychala (Sept. 2, 1936-March 21, 2022)
There is something about legendary people and particularly about those legendary people who died young. Perhaps it is the thoughts of what could have been.
High Sierra Banjoist Stan Huddleston Passes at 84
Haldane Stanley Duff (Stan) Huddleston, longtime banjoist with the High Sierra Jazz Band, passed away peacefully at home on February 10, 2022. Stan was born
Actor and trombonist Conrad Janis has died
Conrad Janis passed away on March 1st, he was 94. Janis began acting with a road company at age 13, did voice work for radio,
