Browse the June Issue
glenn_miller_portrait

Glenn Miller and Me

My mother wanted me to move back in with the family. It was 1974. I was eighteen and already had been living on my own

More NGJB Sidelights

Alaska Memories The fourth of July weekend of 1980 found the NGJB in Juneau, Alaska, on the occasion of the city’s centennial celebration. The band’s

vintage music class

Texas Shout #60 Learning To Play, Part 3

Set forth below is the sixtieth “Texas Shout” column. The concluding installment of a three-part essay, (Part 1, Part 2,) it first appeared in the

Reflections of Ray Skjelbred

At the West Coast Ragtime Festival last November I met for the first time Ray Skjelbred (pronounced SHELL-bred in case you haven’t heard it before),

A Conversation with Scott Kirby

Some months ago, when I first saw the musician lineup for the 2023 Charles H. Templeton Ragtime and American Music Festival, Scott Kirby was listed.

Hot Lips Page: Profiles in Jazz

He was one of the hottest trumpeters to emerge from the late 1920s, a major attraction at jam sessions, and a superb blues singer. But

Jimmy and Marian McPartland: Profiles in Jazz

Cornetist Jimmy McPartland and pianist Marian McPartland were married for 22 years (1945-67). Their careers in jazz, if taken together, spanned a remarkable 90 years,

Will Bradley, Ray McKinley, & Freddie Slack

Trombonist Will Bradley, drummer-singer Ray McKinley, and pianist Freddie Slack only teamed up together for a relatively brief period of time, 18 months during 1939-41,

Down at the Jazz Fest in New Orleans!

The Pfister Sisters (Holley Bendtsen, Karen Stoehr & Yvette Voelker) had it right with their hit song about the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival!

Jazz Journeys in the Desert

The Arizona Classic Jazz Society held its March meeting at the Crowne Plaza Phoenix – Chandler Golf Resort aka the San Marcos Hotel with our

Fred Hagers’ Trunk

When I started pursuing the legendary scrapbook that once belonged to Fred Hager, one of the aspects of this ultimate treasure was a steamer trunk

More Explorations and Discoveries in NYC

Back at the beginning of February, when the Northeast experienced a serious cold blast, I went back to New York City for more historical trespassing

George Cheney: The Scandalous Engineer

Few engineers live scandalous lives, but one emerged in the acoustic era that lived a rather extraordinary life. George Cheney came from a humble background,

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

Randi Cee

Reality is a Cruel Mistress

If I was a rich man, I would have a right proper mid life crisis. I suppose that is a very sexist idea that you

The International Sweethearts of Rhythm, 1937-49

A Brief History of the Premier All-Women Swing Orchestra The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was a racially mixed sixteen-piece all-women Swing orchestra.  The word ‘International’

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

Jerry Lewis

As a musician, over the years, we occasionally have the opportunity to play with some giants or the industry. And about a decade ago, I

A Reprieve

It had been a reasonably normal day, perhaps even a little more pleasant than most. However, toward the middle of the afternoon, a minor cough

Support Our Advertisers

Or look at our Subscription Options.