Jazz and Copyright Law
If you can imagine turning on the radio and hearing a song you wrote credited to someone else, you’re probably a believer in the concept
Robin Rapuzzi on Tuba Skinny’s Summer with a Dutch Circus
During the summer of 2018 Tuba Skinny had the unique opportunity to perform as part of the Ashton Brothers circus in the Netherlands. We performed
Recalling Bandleaders from the Big Band Era
From the dusty recesses of my jazz history archives, I recently came across a slim 32-page pamphlet published in 1942 entitled “America’s Band Leaders” by
Why Don’t You Do Right, Like Those Other Dancers Do…?
Swing dance instructors, like other kinds of teachers, should be a nurturing, accommodating influence. The needs of the student should come first and the expert
The Charles N. Huggins Project: The World’s Largest Online Collection of San Francisco Jazz
In the late 1970s, Bay Area banker Jim Goggin, a longtime friend and fan of Turk Murphy, envisioned a “Turk Murphy Jazz Foundation” – a
YouTube for Jazz Lovers
In a recent review of the Suncoast JazzFest I noted how much I enjoyed Jason Marsalis covering the Benny Goodman Quartet’s version of “Moonglow”. You
A 2007 Video Interview with Leslie Johnson of the Mississippi Rag
Leslie Carole Johnson was the founder and editor of The Mississippi Rag from 1973 until shortly before her death in 2009. In January 2007, she attended the IAJE
Fillius Jazz Archive at Hamilton College Celebrates 25 Years
The Fillius Jazz Archive, a priceless oral-history collection at Hamilton College, is 25 years old this March. Under the guidance of saxophonist-educator Monk Rowe, the
Celebrating Two Years Online
On March 24th 2018 we announced the launch of Syncopatedtimes.com on our Facebook page. At the time we only had 300 followers. A total of
A Dazzling Duo: Paolo Alderighi and Stephanie Trick
In early November, Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi were my house guests for several days while they played concerts in the area. That made them
The Ballad of Hannah Gill
I first noticed Hannah Gill in a fundraising video she made with Glenn Crytzer in support of his double disc release of originals and swing
Houston Person: ‘It’s Been a Wonderful Journey’
Tenor saxophonist Houston Person is one of the most soulful jazz players on the scene today. He is a musician who pays close attention to
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
Texas Shout #71 Major Labels
Set forth below is the seventy-first “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the April 1996 issue of TAR. The text has not been updated
Texas Shout #70 Melodic Improvisation
Set forth below is the seventieth “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the March 1996 issue of The American Rag. The text has not
A Visit with Matt Tolentino
At the West Coast Ragtime Festival in November I sat down for about half an hour for a wide-ranging conversation with multi-instrumentalist Matt Tolentino, who
From the 2019 San Diego Jazz Festival
Combined with my trip to the West Coast Ragtime Festival as reported last month, I attended for the second time the San Diego Jazz Fest
From the 2019 West Coast Ragtime Festival
Sometimes too much of a good thing is, well, too much. Such is the case with the West Coast Ragtime Festival, which I attended for
Turk Murphy: Wild Man Blues & Euphonic Sounds
Dick Hyman & Ken Peplowski Counterpoint Lerner & Loewe
The Missing Link: How Gus Haenschen Got Us From Joplin to Jazz and Shaped the Music Business
The Fat Babies – Uptown
Dick Hyman: Themes & Variations on “A Child Is Born”
The Bratislava Hot Serenaders
Clancy Hayes Private Collection 1939-72
Susanne Ortner Trio: Last Stop Sehnsucht
Sweet Thunder: Duke Ellington’s Music in Nine Themes
Adrian Rollini – The Life and Music of a Jazz Rambler
Rex Stewart’s Boy Meets Horn is a Jazz Classic Worth Reading
A&R Pioneers: Architects of American Roots Music on Record
Bunk Johnson: Profiles in Jazz
There have long been two extreme schools of thought about trumpeter Bunk Johnson. His most partisan fans thought of him not only as a genius,
Cab Calloway: Profiles in Jazz
He has been gone for 25 years but everyone still knows who Cab Calloway was. The “Hi-De-Ho Man,” the singer of “Minnie The Moocher,” an
Paul Whiteman: Profiles in Jazz
A household name during the 1920s, Paul Whiteman led the most popular orchestra of the decade. He expertly mixed together occasional jazz pieces with semi-classical
From the 2020 San Diego Jazz Party
The San Diego Jazz Party began in 1988 and recently celebrated its 32nd anniversary on the weekend of February 21st at the lovely Hilton San
New Orleans Music Observed: The Art of Noel Rockmore and Emilie Rhys
The New Orleans Jazz Museum’s new exhibition: New Orleans Music Observed: The Art of Noel Rockmore and Emilie Rhys had its grand opening on January
New Decade, Old Friends, Live Music, and Lots of Saints!
We decided to spend New Year’s Eve and 12th night in New Orleans. I was thinking it would be somewhat of a “quiet” visit not
Ragtime Bob Darch Centennial Concert POSTPONED
THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED UNTIL AT LEAST MAY 31st DUE TO CORONAVIRUS 2020 will be the 100th anniversary of “Ragtime” Bob Darch’s birth and, thanks
Valentine’s Day with Tatiana Eva-Marie & The Avalon Jazz Band
With a specialty in the music of mid century Parisian cafes, few groups are as uniquely suited to a Valentines’s Day show as Tatiana Eva-Marie’s
North Carolina Jazz Festival Plans 40th Annual Bash
On a cold winter’s night in Chicago, 1979, Dr. Harry Van Velsor, esteemed Wilmington, NC, dermatologist and jazz musician, stopped in a local bar for
Cardinals Host Carl Sonny Leyland and the St. Louis Steady Grinders
What is the best way to spend a Thursday night on the California Central Coast? The best way is by a warm fire, with a
From the 2020 Fresno Sounds of Mardi Gras
On the second weekend in February the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Fresno was filled with the “Sounds of Mardi Gras.” All four venues are located
From the 33rd West Coast Ragtime Festival
A plenitude of pleasures delighted fans who filled Rancho Cordova’s elegant Marriott Hotel and then some as the 33rd annual West Coast Ragtime Festival opened
Perry Bradford, Fred Hager, and Mamie Smith’s Crazy Blues
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Mamie Smith’s first records. In February of 1920, Mamie Smith made history as the first black woman to
The Original Frank Banta
Record collectors may be familiar with the name Frank Banta—a name usually associated with hot novelty and jazz piano of the 1920s, and rightfully so.
Fred Hager’s Scraps and Scribbles
In the field of collecting acoustic era recordings, many scholars carry on their research and listening with the idea that items like diaries and scrapbooks
Keep Your ?#@*&%! Distance!
My eyes are drilling into a Walgreens cashier as she chats up a small boy with his family. I look to the other person in
The Old Town Music Hall and the King of Jazz
When your friend Katie Cavera invites you to go to the movies to see “the worst movie ever made” you cringe, ponder, and then say
Give a gig this Christmas
This year I saw a covert “holiday” laced commercial in August. The commercial might have been about hemorrhoid cream. I really don’t remember. I do
Dynamic Women of Early Jazz and Classic Blues, Pt 1
Concealed in the shadows of Jazz and Blues history are dynamic women who nurtured, guided and developed the music. Several of the most talented and
Vintage Music with Style: Dick Oxtot’s Golden Age Jazz Band, 1974-94
In this Article: Location recordings, rare photos, unissued studio tracks and a radio broadcast explore Dick Oxtot’s Golden Age Jazz Band. His talent for mentoring
Dick Oxtot at ‘The Ordinary’1972-75, Featuring Terry Garthwaite
Dick Oxtot fondly recalled the venue in his 1999 memoir: “The Ordinary was a happy-go-lucky Oakland club which featured a happy-go-lucky clientele, and served New
How to be the Star of the Band
At some point, you may have heard some jazz educator rabbit on to a group of students with a speech like, “jazz is a group
The Professor in Bed
Okay folks, let’s talk about sex. We may as well do so…it’s on our minds all the time anyway (just ask Freud). Most of us
How to Pick Up a Jazz Musician
We, in the jazz community, can sometimes get lonely barricaded in our practice rooms or in green rooms. I know it can be intimidating to
Experiencing the Ragtime World from Home
I grew up in the 1940’s reading science fiction stories of time travel and of mysterious flying carpets. Today as I sit here in still
Sedalia’s Ragtime Art Gallery
As I was contemplating a column for this month, I came across a Facebook posting that inspired this article. It was a recent photo in
Books about Sedalia Missouri, Birthplace of Ragtime
The docents at the KATY Depot Visitors Center in Sedalia regularly receive inquiries about the city and its ragtime heritage. Since the folks there are
Ragtimer Gale “Gaslight” Foehner has died at 91
One of the earliest second-generation ragtime performers, Gale “Gaslight” Foehner died on February 9th this year. He was 91. His career as a ragtime pianist
Mal Sharpe, Radio Comic and Jazz Man dies at 83
“The Man on the Street”, Mal Sharpe, died on March 10th, he was 83. As he told it he moved to San Francisco after seeing
Evergreen Jazz Festival founder Sterling Nelson dies
Sterling Nelson, founder of what one national columnist hailed as “the best jazz festival anywhere!”, died February 22, just two days short of his ninety-first