There’s Big Fun in Pismo: Jazz Jubilee Central Coast 2026
The Basin Street Regulars Hot Jazz Society is thrilled to announce the 3rd Jazz Jubilee Central Coast 2026, a vibrant celebration of jazz music stretching
Remembering the Remarkable Henry Blackburn
It’s part of the human experience to encounter people who have major impact on your life. For most of us, it’s our parents. And for
Scott Asen’s Turtle Bay: A ‘Youthquake’ of Classic Jazz
Turtle Bay Records (TBR), established in 2020, features primarily but not exclusively New York-area musicians who play and/or sing music from the 1920s-’40s. Founded and
A Contrast in Festivals: The Davenport Bix and Whitley Bay
The year 2025 was rather special, as my family and I had the chance to attend both Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party (better known
Harvey Belair: A Tale of a 1920s Jazz Drummer, Part Two
This continues the saga of a Connecticut drummer, hailing from Maine, who lived a brief but exciting musical life during the 1920s. Harvey (Fr: Hervé)
Jazz in Barcelona: The Sant Andreu Jazz Band at 20
One thing jazz lovers today can appreciate is that here are a good number of jazz bands featuring young musicians—in music schools, high schools, colleges,
Reedman Dan Levinson’s Back (and Ready to Play)!
Dan Levinson has been one of the most prolific reedmen on the jazz circuit over the past four decades, both as a leader and sideman,
Sherri Colby: Anthropology and the Joy of Music
For the past 40 years, SherriLynn Colby-Bottel has led two lives: one in education and research in the field of anthropology, the study of what
Jon-Erik Kellso: A Motor City Jazz Master in NYC
We all search for our place in the world. Some find it and some don’t. For Jon-Erik Kellso, the stars lined up early. To borrow
What’s in a Jazz Nickname?
I once met a fighter pilot whose call-sign was “Ice.” I remember thinking it was one of the coolest nicknames I’d ever heard. Obviously this
Praise for “The Miller Effect”
To the Editor: As a consequence of travel, I’m a month behind in my reading of the April edition of The Syncopated Times. Thus, I
Jazz Appreciation Month at the Smithsonian
Last year I took my son to Copenhagen as a reward for doing well in his school exams. It just “happened” to coincide with the
Dan Announces His Return
TST readers will be happy to know that reedman Dan Levinson is back in action after six months following a medical procedure that cast doubt
Scott Joplin Ragtime Fest 2026
The 52nd Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, held May 27-30, had not even begun before I met two of the musicians getting off the same train
From the Durango Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival
There’s an adage in show business that says “always leave ’em wanting more.” That, in two ways, sums up my reaction to the Durango Ragtime
Classic Oscar Peterson Trio Studio Sessions with Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen
Pee Wee In Hollywood
Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra • Ellington Masterworks
Songbook Ink’s Accentuate The Positive
Bing Crosby and Buddies • Gone Fishin’
Bria Skonberg • Indigo
Oliver Smith Incomparables • Stomp Your Stuff
Jimmy Scott • Doesn’t Love Mean More
The Rediscovery of George “Nash” Walker: The Price of Black Stardom in Jim Crow America
Cool Heat – Anita O’Day and Her Dangerous Jazz Life
The Birthing of Preservation Hall: The Barbara Glancey Reid Story
Speakeasies to Symphonies: The Genius of James P. Johnson
Andy Kirk and Jay McShann: Profiles in Jazz
Kansas City was one of the centers of jazz during the 1920s and ‘30s. One of the main benefits of having a corrupt political boss
Marion Harris, Lee Morse, and Teddy Grace: Profiles in Jazz
Marion Harris, Lee Morse, and Teddy Grace had several things in common. Each were talented jazz-oriented singers who are largely forgotten today. They each had
Art Tatum: Profiles in Jazz
Who was the greatest musician ever to play jazz? While one can make the case for Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane among others,
Hot Summer Nights = Hot Jazz!
The Century Room downtown is a go-to place on hot summer nights in Tucson. Besides showcasing our local talent, there are many visiting artists on
Festin’ With No Restin’!
The few days between the weekends offer a quieter respite with afternoon jam sessions at Fritzel’s and casual evening performances while welcoming the various international
A Quarter for My Thoughts!
The French Quarter Fest in New Orleans was pushed back to the weekend before the two Jazz Fest weekends so we decided to go for
Texas Shout #39 Western Swing and The Spanish Tinge
Set forth below is the thirty-ninth “Texas Shout” column. The initial installment of a two-part essay, it first appeared in the May 1993 issue of
Texas Shout #29 Picking Tunes You Can Swing
Set forth below is the twenty-ninth “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the June 1992 issue of the West Coast Rag, (now Syncopated Times.) As I
Texas Shout #7 Subunits
Set forth below is the seventh “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the June 1990 issue of The American Rag (then West Coast Rag).
The West Texas Jazz Party: Sixty Years of Classic Jazz in Odessa, TX
The West Texas Jazz Party continues to hold the top spot when it comes to longevity for jazz parties, having celebrated its 60th anniversary in
Mike Durham’s International Jazz Party: What a Blast!
At 4 am on a Monday last year, I ambled down the front steps of the Village Hotel, humming “Clap Yo’ Hands” from Michael McQuaid’s
Jazz is Where You Find It: Fest Jazz 2025 in Brittany
It has been our pleasure over the years to combine sight-seeing trips abroad with visits to diverse jazz clubs, festivals, and concerts in Ascona, Edinburgh,
The First Drag Queen on the Phonograph
When historians think of the first famous drag queens, most will consider the liberated ones of the 1920s. Usually Julian Eltinge and Gladys Bentley come
Simone Mantia, Master of the Euphonium
In this column I have written much about trombonist Arthur Pryor, and while he did lead his own band, his long time assistant was fellow
A Nickel a Play: Exhibiting the Phonograph
In the 1890s, the phonograph was still so new to most of the public. Not only was it new, it was expensive. Very few people
‘Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh!’
How I wish I could fact check with a time machine! As with many formative strong childhood memories, music swirls in and out of the
The Lost Hook Tapes
It really is a waiting game based on luck and endurance. I am banking on the idea that if you stick to your artistic career
Birthday Blues
“Everything happens for the best” Does it really? In a continuation of last month’s theme of reality being how we perceive it, perhaps the better
The Odd Brilliance of P.T. Stanton
Horn player P.T. Stanton was a creative, original and mysterious musician who left his signature on the second wave of the Great San Francisco Jazz
Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy
“It seemed the perfect way to fight my war.”– Josephine Baker No American was ever more beloved by the French nation than Josephine Baker. In
Bush Street above Powell in San Francisco: The Club Hangover Story, 1949-61
Club Hangover was the foremost Dixieland and New Orleans Jazz nightclub on the West Coast in the 1950s. The intimate nightspot featured music six nights
Ain’t No Wrong Notes in Jazz
It is easy to be impressed by jazz musicians… if you are not one yourself. We are, after all, an impressive bunch. And I know
Bad Moon Rising
Jazz musicians are a mischievous bunch. I doubt that’s a surprise to any of you, as the history books are filled with stories of pranks
The New Syllabus
There’s been a lot made in the news in recent times about systemic issues in our education system. As I understand it, there seems to
‘Smiley’ Wallace, Beloved in Ragtime Community, Dies at 93
When Mary Grace Lanese called to tell me “Smiley” Wallace had died at age 93, on October 2, delightful memories of a long friendship with
Help Save Ragtime’s History
I was recently contacted by a gentleman in New York who has had to curtail playing the piano due to the challenges of aging and
Fifty Years Later, Here We Are!
We got old. Fifty years added to our twenties, thirties, and forties in 1974 equals old for those who have managed to survive. And. for
Harlem Blues and Jazz Band founder Albert A. Vollmer has died.
Albert A. “Al” Vollmer, founder of the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band and a tireless advocate for classic jazz, died July 3, 2026, at 97.
The Capital Region’s Tim Coakley has died.
Tim Coakley, a Capital Region jazz drummer, broadcaster, organizer, and longtime newspaper man, died in July 2026. He was 88. Born in Utica, New York,
Legendary broadcaster Leo Rayhill has died.
Leo Rayhill, the longtime Syracuse jazz broadcaster whose Sounds of Jazz became a fixture of Central New York radio, died July 2, 2026, he was
