Darnell Howard: A Musician’s Life, Part Two
The first part of the Darnell Howard story, discussing his early years in Chicago and work with W.C. Handy, Charles Elgar, and King Oliver, appeared
MacGyvering My Vinyl: An Experiment in Audiophilia
I don’t listen to music quietly. When my wife and I jump in the car and the stereo comes on, blaring out whatever CD I
R.I.P. John Sheridan: Master Musician and Arranger
Pianist John Sheridan passed away after a battle with Cancer on Aug. 24, 2021. I had the privilege of playing with John in the Jim
Ken Peplowski Bounces Back After COVID
The fifteen months between March 2020 and June 2021 were rough for most of us, but musicians had a particularly difficult time during that period.
Darnell Howard: A Musician’s Life, Part One
In jazz history, “Chicago jazz” is often associated with the groundbreaking New Orleans musicians who made the Windy City their home during the twenties. “Chicagoan”
History of the Galvanized Jazz Band, Part 2: The Millpond Years
The Millpond Tavern was the home of the Galvanized Jazz Band for 25 years, starting on the first Sunday of January in 1971 when we
The Potomac River Jazz Club at 50
In the beginning, it was about “fun and games”. At least that was what trombonist Al Webber is reliably reported to have said when he
Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks Nest at Bond 45
Vince Giordano and his Grammy Award-winning Nighthawks Orchestra have found a new home for their bi-weekly tributes to the hot jazz of the 1920s and
Central Pennsylvania Ragtime & American Music Festival returns September 24-26
America’s leading ragtime & early jazz musicians return for a weekend of Ragtime & Rails ROCKHILL FURNACE, PA. – The Central Pennsylvania Ragtime & American
Risa Branch: A Passion for Tradition
Singer Risa Branch is a fighter. As a self-proclaimed “former professional advocate,” she’s fought for civil rights, animal welfare, and gender equality around the United
Katie Thiroux: Lessons Learned While Teaching
They say it takes a village to raise a child. What does it take to raise a jazz musician? For bassist, vocalist, and composer Katie
Amy Kucharik’s Love Song for the Age of Quarantine
Of the many activities disrupted by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, partner dancing might not have been the biggest loss, but it was among the most
Texas Shout #59 Learning To Play, Part 2
Set forth below is the fifty-ninth “Texas Shout” column. The second installment of a three-part essay, it first appeared in the March 1995 issue of
Texas Shout #22 Christmas Records
Set forth below is most of the twenty-second “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the October 1991 issue of the West Coast Rag, (now Syncopated
Texas Shout #72 Albums: Important vs. “Good”
Set forth below is the seventy-second “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the May 1996 issue of TAR. Because the text has not been
From the 50th Bix Jazz Festival
The 50th anniversary Bix Beiderbecke jazz festival in Bix’s hometown of Davenport, Iowa, got underway in its usual fashion on Thursday afternoon, August 5, with
Jazz in Buffalo and Rochester
I spent most of this summer in western New York instead of at my usual place, Potsdam in the St. Lawrence River valley, since my
Jazz Goes Collegiate!
Four and a half years ago I first met Colin Hancock, whose recognition and reputation as an eminent authority on early jazz, especially that performed
Champian Fulton • Live From Lockdown
Collins and Harlan Anthology: America’s Favorite Entertainers 1902-1924
John Royen • Green Swamp
The Original Cornell Syncopators • Collegiate
Nat King Cole • Jazz Encounters
Angela Verbrugge • The Night We Couldn’t Say Good Night
Black Swan Classic Jazz Band • A Joyful Noise
Valaida Snow • Swing Is The Thing
Orlando R. Marsh: Chicago’s Pioneer of Electrical Recording (An Illustrated Bio-Discography)
Swingin’ the Blues: The Virtuosity of Eddie Durham, by Topsy M. Durham
It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie by Marty Grosz
12 Jazz Violin Duos composed by Ittzés Tamás
Fred and George Van Eps: Profiles in Jazz
Banjoist Fred Van Eps cut his first released recordings in 1897 while his son, guitarist George Van Eps, made his final recordings in 1997, a
Jimmie Noone: Profiles in Jazz
Jimmie Noone was one of the big three of New Orleans clarinetists to emerge on records in the 1920s, holding his own with Johnny Dodds
Charlie Christian and Jimmy Blanton: Profiles in Jazz
Guitarist Charlie Christian and bassist Jimmy Blanton never recorded together and it is quite possible that they never jammed on the same stage, but there
NOLA Festivals Flip Flop
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival had been scheduled for the October 8-15 weekends since earlier this year with a “save the date” promotion,
Back in the Quarter Again!
What a wonderful time to be in the French Quarter after all restrictions were lifted on May 28th. Plans began for a visit two weeks
This Could Be the Start of Something Big!
The New Orleans Jazz Museum eagerly announced the following: Satchmo SummerFest presented by Chevron will return to the New Orleans Jazz Museum as a live
Dancing in a Bubble at the Fresno “Sounds of Mardi Gras” Festival in July
Throngs of live-music lovers descended upon the much anticipated “Sounds of Mardi Gras” festival in Fresno, California. We were almost giddy to attend this always
Live Jazz Returns to Tel Aviv
Considering that Israel is a country about the size of New Jersey with a population of about nine million, I would guess that per capita,
The 2021 Virtual Program of the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival
The weekend of June 4-5 belonged to the virtual concerts and symposia of the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival Foundation. That would ordinarily have been
Frank Banta’s Greatest Hit
A question that phonograph collectors and historians often get asked is, “what was the most popular song to be recorded in the 1890s?” This question
Courtly Posturings: Victor Herbert v. Zonophone
In 1904, the famous composer Victor Herbert sued the Universal talking machine company (better known as Zon-O-Phone) for illegal use of his name. The folks
Silas Leachman: Pioneer Self-Accompanist
These days we often take performers who sing and play piano for granted, but in the acoustic phonograph world things were a little different. Long
Second Hand Rows
4 years BC (Before Covid) my life hit a scary financial pothole. I had a small, yet vital secondary income and theoretically it would have
You Can’t Kill Death
I don’t know who first said it but it’s as true a statement as one can utter: Death is the great equalizer. On Monday, April
Clichés in the COVID Cabaret
I am a bacon-wrapped cliché, an idiom in puffed pastry. And sometimes I am the wrong that proves the right. I have been absent from
Benny Goodman’s Kingdom of Swing, Part 2: Small Bands, Classical Career and Legacy
Read: Benny Goodman’s Kingdom of Swing, Pt 1: The Early Years In the late 1930s the Swing combos of Benny Goodman (1906-1986) created a game-changing small-band
Benny Goodman’s Kingdom of Swing, Pt 1: The Early Years
Benny Goodman (1909-1986) did for clarinet what Louis Armstrong had done for the trumpet, gave it a virtuoso leadership role in the jazz ensemble. Benny’s
Farewell to Stan McDonald (1935-2021)
Stanley ‘Stan’ Montrose McDonald, Jr. (1935-2021) loved the music of Sidney Bechet, his wife Ellen, their historic semi-rural Massachusetts home and a hard-driving rhythm section
The World’s $#!%!est Gig?
The other night, I sat down with my girlfriend for a romantic night in, and we watched Titanic, that classic ’90s James Cameron blockbuster. Its
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
A few years ago while on tour through Europe with my band, we found ourselves in Krakow, Poland. It’s a beautiful old walled city with
How to Be the Darling of Social Media
Like it or not, social media is not only here to stay, but also an integral part of the professional musician’s career. Our path has
A Field Guide to Social Media Types
I came to the Internet’s social media late but have benefitted immensely from the discovery. It can be unnervingly controversial, or thought provoking, and informative
Our Ragtime Community
I have been thinking a lot about our ragtime community these past months in forced isolation. Not that I have been unaware of the other
Harrigan’s Orpheum
I am blowing off the dust this month with Max Morath. There are so many stories from his long career, but I am beginning with
R.I.P. John Sheridan: Master Musician and Arranger
Pianist John Sheridan passed away after a battle with Cancer on Aug. 24, 2021. I had the privilege of playing with John in the Jim
Singer Joyce Prima Ford has died at 89
Joyce Prima Ford, Louis Prima’s eldest daughter, died July 23 at 89 years old. Despite her father’s wish that she pursue a life off stage
Jazz Drummer Colin Bowden has died
Colin Bowden, widely regarded as one of the top New Orleans style drummers in Europe died on August 1st. Born in 1932 he began drumming
