Interviewing the Interviewer: A Conversation with David Reffkin
I first met David Reffkin in 1991 at the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, Missouri, after he gave a presentation about different personalities he
Remembering Sixty Years of Jazz with Bob Wilber
It is very likely that first Commodore 78 this writer ever owned was by Bob Wilber, “Willie The Weeper” and “Mabel’s Dream” on Commodore 583.
Swing Street: The Golden Age of New York Jazz Clubs
They called it “Swing Street.” It’s only an echo of a memory today for those old enough to have immersed themselves in the sights and
Plugging the Hole: A Brief History of Mutes
The sound of muted trumpets and trombones has been woven into the fabric of jazz almost from the beginning. They are a tool that can
A Few Words with…Reedman Alan Barnes
Clarinetist Alan Barnes is a prolific international performer, composer, arranger, bandleader and touring soloist. He has received over 25 British Jazz Awards and has twice
Vince Giordano on his Origins, the Bass Sax, and his Worst Gig
Vince Giordano was born on March 11, 1952, in Brooklyn. He directs the Nighthawks, where he switches between string bass, tuba and bass saxophone, and
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
Pianist Peter Mintun: The Talk of the Town
Long before anyone used the word “retro,” pianist Peter Mintun fell in love with music from the decades before he was born. And he has
Multi-Instrumentalist Gavin Rice Brings the Jazz Age to Life
There’s a new face on the New York-area trad jazz scene that I think is worth your attention. But you may not have to travel
Bix Fest: Emerald Anniversary, Centennial Tributes & More!
In 2026, the Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival celebrates three important events: The Emerald Anniversary (55 years of presenting classic jazz to music lovers from around
Ellisons Make Takeover Bid For TST, Editorial Changes Planned
Media moguls Larry and David Ellison, well-known for their recent acquisition of Paramount and planned takeover of Warner Bros., have made a bid to acquire
Readers Correspondence April 2026
– Kind Words from the Board – Dear Andy and Syncopated Times (one and the same), My hearty congratulations on ten unqualified successful years! Your
From the 2026 New York Hot Jazz Camp
I spent Presidents’ Week in New York working at the annual New York Hot Jazz Camp. I have missed only one year in the Camp’s
From the 2025 Central PA Ragtime Festival
The 16th Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival took place, as usual, at several venues in Huntingdon County on September 18-21. While most events
Cat and the Hounds at Birdland
There is a question in Judaism that’s asked once a year: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” It refers to the festival
Joe Sullivan • 1934-41
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra • Columbia Vocal Rarities
Hot Lips Page • In Session
Armand Hug Plays A.J. Piron & Other Delectable Ditties
Bob Greene, Bobby Gordon, Howard Alden Trio
Dorothy Donegan • World Recording Sessions 1944/45
Jay Hickerson & Carol Leigh with the GJB
Thomas Morris • When A ‘Gator Hollers’
Speakeasies to Symphonies: The Genius of James P. Johnson
Speakeasies to Symphonies: The Genius of James P. Johnson
As Long as They Can Blow: Interracial Jazz Recordings and Other Jive Before 1935
Concerto for Cootie: The Life and Times of Cootie Williams
Profiles in Jazz: Svend Asmussen and Oscar Alemán
It has been said, way too often, that “jazz is America’s only indigenous art form.” That cliched statement is inaccurate in two ways. Jazz is
Ken Peplowski: Profiles in Jazz
Although Ken Peplowski had been battling multiple myeloma for five years, his sudden death on February 2 is still a bit of a shock. He
Billy Butterfield: Profiles in Jazz
A superb all-round trumpeter, Billy Butterfield had a warm tone, strong technical skills, and a versatile style that found him equally at home playing swing,
Never Resting on One’s Laurels!
The Learning Curve, one of our local Adult Education programs focusing on Arts, Humanities, Music, Literature & History, held its spring music class with Conductor
California Dreamin’ at the SDJP
What a fun weekend celebrating the 38th anniversary of the iconic San Diego Jazz Party where 19 artists descend on the Hilton Del Mar to
All Because It’s Carnival Time!
When Al Johnson recorded that song in December, 1959, I’m sure he had no idea it would be recreated thousands of times since and certainly
Texas Shout #50 Record Reviewing Redux
Set forth below is the fiftieth “Texas Shout” column. The initial installment of a two-part essay, it first appeared in the May 1994 issue of
Texas Shout #51 What To Look For In Record Reviews
Set forth below is the fifty-first “Texas Shout” column. The concluding installment of a two-part essay, it first appeared in the June 1994 issue of
Texas Shout #16 Why Most Young People Don’t Like Dixieland Jazz (And What To Do About It.)
Set forth below is the sixteenth “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the April 1991 issue of the West Coast Rag, (now Syncopated Times.) The following
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,
‘We Go for That’: The Redwood Coast Music Festival (Oct. 2-5, 2025)
My title comes from a Thirties phrase for “I really like that,” found in a wonderful Frank Loesser left-handed love song (“Your fuzzy hair, your
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
‘Notorious Adultery’: The Divorce of Justin Ring
In 1911, Justin Ring found himself in court for divorce. It was a rather nasty case, and the reasons for it were different than I
Lambert Cylinders: Indestructible and Intriguing
Most recording companies of the acoustic era can be relatively well tracked in terms of their locations and employees, but there is one that still
‘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
Kerry Price, Detroit-Area Blues Legend, Dies at 86
Kerry Price, longtime resident of Royal Oak, MI, age 86, passed peacefully into the arms of the Lord on March 2, 2026. Born on March
Floye “Flo” Dreyer
Floye “Flo” Dreyer, a trumpeter whose career stretched from the all-female swing bands of the 1940s to community ensembles in South Florida late in life,
Bill Sinclair
Bill Sinclair, longtime pianist with Connecticut’s Galvanized Jazz Band and a devoted interpreter of New Orleans-style jazz, died February 21. Sinclair spent decades performing traditional
