Wynton Marsalis Accompanies Silent Film Louis on Tour
Before films began to talk, in the late 1920s, live musicians delivered the soundtracks for silent films. This was sometimes a single pianist or organist,
Eighty Years of the Dutch Swing College Band
I met a good friend for coffee the other day. I know she’s a good friend, because she turned up with a carrier bag full
Assessing the Louis Armstrong Story: Ricky Riccardi’s Trilogy
Around the time Louis Armstrong moved from a big band to a small-group setting in 1947, grumblings were being heard. At first, it came from
Morey Feld swings, drives, then swings some more
Part One of this discussion of Morey Feld appeared in our March 2024 issue, and Part Two was published in May 2024. Hal Smith: Brother
Trumpeter Paul Higgs Guides a History of Jazz at the Corn Hall in Diss, UK
If you ask any Englishman (or woman): “Have you heard of a town called Diss?” they will almost certainly say “no.” Even if you asked
Tolkien’s Biographer Was Also a Pro Jazz Bassist
The joy of digging through thrift store vinyl crates is the prospect of discovering new arrangements, new songs, even new bands or composers which had
Emmet Cohen Has a Lot to Say
Emmet Cohen is a multi-talented and innovative musician/pianist who captivates his audiences with style, panache and good humor. He began studying the piano at the
Ryan Calloway: Master of Music, Art, and Dance
Hal Smith: Ryan, you can be contacted for original artwork, graphic design, swing dance instruction, to lead a band and to perform as a sideman.
Klas Lindquist: Sweden’s Alto Sax Virtuoso Finds His Groove
Klas Lindquist, a Swedish saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, has spent decades carving his niche in the jazz world. Drawing inspiration from legends like Johnny Hodges,
The Festival Roundup April 2025
DURANGO RAGTIME & EARLY JAZZ FESTIVAL (Durango, CO) – April 3-6 JOIN US for the return of the Durango Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival in
A 1925 Playlist for Jazz Appreciation Month
April 2025 ushers in Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), a nationwide celebration of America’s homegrown musical treasure. Launched in 2001 by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of
Hamilton College’s Fillius Jazz Archive Celebrates 30 Years
Thirty years ago at Hamilton College in Kirkland, N.Y., Milt Fillius Jr. and his fiancé, Nelma “Nikki” Nenneau, teamed up with jazz singer Joe Williams
From the Durango Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival
The first weekend in April found me at the Durango (CO) Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival. This festival is a re-incarnation of a previous one
The 2025 NYC Hot Jazz Camp
The 10th annual (except for 2020 when it was cancelled by Covid) New York Hot Jazz Camp convened at its regular home, the Greenwich House
JazzFest at Sea: January 17-27, 2025
After a good experience on my first cruise (the coast of Alaska and British Columbia in 2023), I was open to cruising again. Such an
Meryl Zimmerman • Easy to Love
Calil O’Doherty • Bluer Than Blue
Scott Hamilton • Looking Back
Two Albums from Bryan Wright
The Atlantic New Orleans Jazz Sessions
Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys • Mutiny in the Parlor
Ella Fitzgerald • The Moment Of Truth
Gabriel Latchin • The Man I Love
Nightmare In The Pacific: The World War II Saga Of Artie Shaw and His Navy Band
Loving Mr. Ragtime: Max Morath By Diane Fay Skomars
A Tone Parallel to Duke Ellington by Jack Chambers
The Boswell Legacy: Two books and a film
Buck Clayton • Profiles in Jazz
Buck Clayton is most famous today for his association with Count Basie but that is only a small part of his musical legacy, a seven-year
Mary Lou Williams: Profiles in Jazz
Mary Lou Williams had a unique career. For much of her life she was called “jazz’s greatest female musician” but in reality she was simply
Duke Ellington’s Singers, Part 2
Duke Ellington’s compositions have been sung so often, particularly those that he wrote prior to the early 1950s, that it is surprising that it was
Live Jazz in Tucson, AZ!
Spring begins early in Tucson and The Learning Curve (an adult education program) offered a four week class on The Magic & Music Quincy Jones,
From the San Diego Jazz Party 2025
The San Diego Jazz Party held its annual event the weekend of February 21st and its 20+ musicians and vocalists made it an extremely memorable
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!
Our January visit started off at Fritzel’s with Colin Myers (tb), Zach Lange (tp), Ellis Dyson (bj), Brett Gallo (dr) and Ted Long (bs). This
Texas Shout #4 Reading, Solo & Ensemble Skills
Set forth below is the fourth “Texas Shout” column, reprinted from the March 1990 issue of The American Rag (then West Coast Rag). Because the
Texas Shout #1 “Dixieland”
The following introduction was added when the Shouts were reprinted in the late 90s: Set forth below is the initial “Texas Shout” column, reprinted from
Texas Shout #48 Will Dixieland Jazz Make A Comeback? Part 2
Set forth below is the forty-eighth “Texas Shout” column. The concluding installment of a two-part essay (here’s part 1), it first appeared in the March
A Joyous, Magical Jazz Bash in Monterey, California
My festival reports start with apologies for what I didn’t see. This time, I trust readers will let me to atone in private. The Jazz
Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, you need to experience it live.
At 5:15 pm on April 5, my partner asked, “are you going to that ragtime band tonight?” The concert had slipped my mind; I had
Remembering Summer in Cornwall: The Bude Jazz Festival 2024
This review, only now appearing in the middle of the winter, is a reminder of how enjoyable it was to once again spend some warm
A Study in Condition
When collecting records, we can only hope that each record we acquire plays well enough so we can enjoy its contents. Collecting acoustic era recordings
Siblings in the Early Recording Industry
In several articles I have written about performers whose siblings got into recording, this seemed to have been a more common pattern than expected. To
Frank Mazziotta: An Immigrant in Edison’s Studio
Before researching him, I had assumed that there wouldn’t be much on Frank S. Mazziotta, but I was wrong. As historians, we can only hope
‘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
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
Helen Traubel Defends Popular Music
My grandmother used to say she couldn’t see because she had Cadillacs in front of her eyes. Well, it must be genetic because I’ve gone
Edward Grogan
Edward Grogan passed away on April 5th; he was 98 years old. Born in Bolton, England, he was an officer of the Royal Navy during
Alvin Gotlieb
Alvin Maurice Gotlieb passed away on April 6th; he was 84. He grew up in a musical family that had an informal family band. He
Jitka Vrbova
Jitka Vrbova passed away on March 3rd; she was 84. A notable Czech vocalist, guitarist and sometimes actress she sang for Pražský Dixieland, Hot Jazz
