Fire, Devastation, and Touchstones of Memory in Los Angeles
This is not a time to bury the lead. Myself and my octogenarian roommates (Mother and Cat) are all safe. We are not currently in
Celebrating Bill Crow’s 97th Birthday at Shanghai Jazz
The Japanese honor their most distinguished, and usually aged, artists with the title “Living National Treasure.” Bassist Bill Crow well deserves such a designation, and
The Economics of an American Piano Player
I’m not an economist, but the math doesn’t add up here: for all the supposed freedoms US citizens are promised, there are equal excuses as
A Wonderful World: Telling Louis Armstrong’s Story on Broadway
The lights go down in Broadway’s Studio 54. And the theater is filled with the electrifying first notes of “West End Blues.” We’re hearing the
History and Rebirth of the Quintette du Hot Club de France
Until very recently, I thought that the Hot Club de France was simply the name of the band led by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli
Violinist Daniel Garlitsky Revives the Quintette du Hot Club de France
What’s in a name? A quintet by any other name would sound as sweet! At least, that’s what went through my mind when my good
Help Barcelona’s SAJB Attend Essentially Ellington in NYC
Readers of The Syncopated Times may be familiar with the remarkable Sant Andreu Jazz Band of Barcelona, which has been the focus of several articles
Syncopated Media, Inc is now a 501c3 Charitable Not-For Profit
It has been a long time coming! The Syncopated Times is now a production of Syncopated Media, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. This means we
Essentially Ellington is Spreading the Joy of Classic Big Band Swing
In May, 2025, the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival (EE) will, as usual, convene in New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln
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,
Violinist Daniel Garlitsky Revives the Quintette du Hot Club de France
What’s in a name? A quintet by any other name would sound as sweet! At least, that’s what went through my mind when my good
Tenor Man Harry Allen Brings Jazz into the Digital Age
The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to any number of creative improvisations, each manifesting from the necessity of having to “quarantine in place.” Tenor saxophonist
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 #49 Movies
Set forth below is the forty-ninth “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the April 1994 issue of The West Coast Rag, now known as
Texas Shout #24 Dixieland vs. Ragtime Part 2
Set forth below is the twenty-fourth “Texas Shout” column. The concluding installment of a two-part essay, (PART 1 is HERE) it first appeared in the
The Scott Joplin House
In early June, on my way home from the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, I visited the Joplin House State Historic Site. I had been to
From the Final Arizona Classic Jazz Fest
For the third, and unfortunately last, time I attended the Arizona Classic Jazz Festival at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Chandler on October 31-November 3.
Happy Landings: The 2024 Roswell Jazz Fest
In late October I attended for the first time the Roswell Jazz Festival in Roswell, NM. I tied it in with my plans to attend
Gavin Rice & His Famous Collegiates: Live at Bop Shop Records
Dzimek Markiewicz • My Best Recordings with Various Orchestras
New Orleans Rascals of Osaka with Henry Blackburn
Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions 1943-1946
Gunhild Carling • Winter’s Day
Maria Cole • The Talk Of The Town
Digby Fairweather • Notes From A Jazz Life Volume 4
Terry Waldo & the Gotham Jazz Band • Treasury Volume 1
The Wild and Wiggy Times of Harry the Hipster Gibson
Artie Shaw: Icon of Swing
The Genesis and Exodus of Preservation Hall: The Ken Grayson Mills Story
Jazz With A Beat by Tad Richards
Duke Ellington’s Singers, Part 1
It may seem surprising that Duke Ellington, who took over Elmer Snowden’s Washingtonians in 1924, did not have a regular vocalist until late in 1931.
Teddy Wilson: Profiles in Jazz
Teddy Wilson always stood apart from the stereotypes attached to jazz musicians of the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s. He was soft-spoken, distinguished, reliable, and very
Buster Bailey and Barney Bigard: Profiles in Jazz
They were both masterful clarinetists from the South who had notable associations with rather major players. In addition to having the same B.B. initials, their
Palm Court – Thanks For the Memory!
When we visited with Nina Buck, owner of the now-closed Palm Court, during our last trip in October, she mentioned that she wanted to have
Arizona Classic Jazz Fest: So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu!
The Arizona Classic Jazz Society held its final Festival the first weekend in November—it was a bittersweet weekend with lots of music, friends and shared
Oh, to be in N’awlins Now that Autumn’s There!
It is the best time of the year to be in New Orleans with perfect weather, lots of parades and wedding parties! It is not
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
Tatiana Eva-Marie and the Avalon Jazz Band at Caffè Lena
Caffè Lena, Saratoga Springs, NY, Dec. 5, 2024 My grasp of French is tenuous, and that puts it generously. I’m good at classic French dishes
The Secret is Out: The International Classic Jazz Party Is Hot!
Many years ago back in 2011, when I started coming to Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party, the party felt like a bit of a
Billy Golden, Monarch of Recorded Minstrelsy
When listening to acoustic era recordings, some performers will usually turn people off right away, one of these performers is Billy Golden. He specialized in
George Schweinfest: The Last Pioneer
In this column I have written about many figures who were instrumental in the acoustic recording era, but often go unnoticed. One figure who fits
The Piano Solo and the Recording Horn
Historically, many of us have been told that recording the piano in the acoustic era (before 1925) was extremely difficult, and that because of this
‘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
Frank Demond
Trombonist and banjo player Frank Demond died on November 21st; he was 91. Born in Los Angeles he would at one time be the only
Bill Carter
Photographer and clarinetist William “Bill” Carter died on New Year’s Day; he was 90 years old. His photography books varied in subject from Iraqi Kurds
Paul Fontaine
Boston area trumpet player Paul Fontaine passed away January 11. From his published obituary: Paul’s career spanned many years, starting as a student studying trumpet
