A Headful of Baseball and Keys: Encounters with Joe Robichaux
My professional baseball career happened entirely inside my head. What went on in there may or may not interest you, but for me it—both the
Multi-Talented Gunhild Carling Thrills Syracuse Jazz Fest Audience
Like the aurora borealis, Swedish swinger Gunhild Carling lit up the night sky over Syracuse’s Clinton Square on June 28, 2024. She sang, she danced,
Jazzaffair: Regarding its Roots and Looking Toward its Future
How does a tiny, unknown country town such as Three Rivers, California, end up sponsoring an annual world-class Jazz Festival that would last 50 years?
The Reunion Jazz Band and The ‘Band Aid’ of Jazz
I’m a little too young to have experienced the philanthropic musical phenomenon that was Live Aid. Organized by Bob Geldof in 1985, the iconic charity
Roswell’s Jazz Festival: How it Started and How it Grew
The Roswell (New Mexico) Jazz Festival takes place throughout the town mid-October. The beloved festival draws visitors from all over the U.S. and from overseas.
’Tooning In (and Turning On) with The Queen’s Cartoonists
The Queen’s Cartoonists Caroga Lake Music Festival Caroga Lake, NY, July 24, 2024 It has become a tradition for symphony orchestras to devote an evening
This year’s Arizona Classic Jazz Festival will be the last
Citing a diminishing population of traditional jazz fans and declining attendance, Society president and Festival director Helen Daley released a statement that the upcoming Arizona
Musician Don Cantwell Plays Hot at his 100th Birthday Bash
Beloved teacher, clarinetist, and bandleader Don Cantwell celebrated his 100th birthday with 100 friends, family, and past and current students at Unity Hall in Barneveld,
Will Anderson Ventures into the Literary Field with New Book
Will Anderson has written a book titled SONGBOOK SUMMIT: 15 Pioneers of American Sound that is scheduled for release in September. According to the author,
Meet Them in St. Louis: Valerie Kirchhoff and Ethan Leinwand
The traditional jazz world pays homage to the blues, but often in a narrow way. There are glimpses of famous streets in fabled cities, tin
Arthur Vint: Bringing New York-Style Jazz to the Desert
Arthur Vint has capitalized on a series of life experiences that has enabled him to make a major contribution in the creation of a highly-successful
That Most Soulful Scot: Saxophonist Joe Temperley
Judged by looks alone, Joe Temperley did not live up to any cliché of a jazz musician. Rather, he looked like a successful businessman, always
Texas Shout #10 Reviewing Records, Part One
Set forth below is the tenth “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the September 1990 issue of The West Coast Rag, now known as
Texas Shout #54 Jazz Band Hand Signals
Set forth below is the fifty-fourth “Texas Shout” column. The concluding installment of a two-part essay, (part 1,) it first appeared in the September 1994
Texas Shout #35 West Coast Revival Style Dixieland Part 2
Set forth below is the thirty-fifth “Texas Shout” column. The concluding installment of a two-part essay, it first appeared in the December 1992 issue of
From the 2024 Bix Fest
For the eleventh year in a row, I traveled to Davenport, Iowa for the Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival. This makes about 15 Bixes that I
50th Anniversary Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival
First, a correction. In my January, 2024 report of the West Coast Ragtime Festival I attributed “Belle Adair,” played there by Richard Dowling, to him.
The 50th Old Time Piano-Playing Contest
The 50th Old Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival took place on Memorial Day weekend at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Ole Miss has
Bria Skonberg • What It Means
Jazzology releases from Jon-Erik Kellso and Evan Christopher
Sweet Megg • Bluer Than Blue
The Fried Seven • Late to the Party
Ricky Alexander • Just Found Joy
Muddy Basin Ramblers • Jug Band Millionaire
Roger Marks’ Armada Jazz Band • Best Days
ARSC Journal, Fall 2023, with Bonus CD
Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy
Stars Of Jazz: A Complete History of the Innovative Television Series, 1956–1958
Big Joe Turner: Feel So Fine A Bio-Discography
Jelly Roll Blues: Censored Songs & Hidden Histories
Erskine Hawkins: Profiles in Jazz
He was billed as “the 20th Century Gabriel” because of his high-note work and flamboyant solos. Very popular during his heyday and the leader of
Joe Sullivan and Bob Zurke: Profiles in Jazz
Joe Sullivan and Bob Zurke had several things in common. They were both brilliant pianists with their own sound within the swing tradition of the
Benny Waters and Joe Turner: Profiles in Jazz
Benny Waters and Joe Turner (no relation to blues singer Big Joe Turner) were two of the many American jazz artists who found life to
It’s Too Darn Hot!
It may be hot outside but it is more than “cool” at our local jazz club, The Century Room in downtown’s Hotel Congress! The Mysterious
Another Tucson-NOLA Connection
With all of the great musicians playing at Tucson’s Century Room for the past two years, a hometown trumpeter/vocalist was showcased earlier this month. James
Saying Goodbye to The Palm Court
Nina Rimington and George Buck met once again in Atlanta, Georgia in 1984 when the effervescent mother of three was looking for a job with
Summer Delight in Switzerland: Ascona Jazz Fest 2024
In Italian there is a wonderful expression, “sensa parole,” meaning “beyond words.” It’s the only way I can define Ascona in the Italian-speaking canton of
Rhythm in Gloucestershire: The 2024 Cheltenham Jazz Festival
I’m not much of a festival-goer, to be honest. I find myself getting a bit bored after two days of non-stop music and two nights
Wham Re-Bop-Boom-Bam: The Swing Jazz of Eddie Durham
Arranging is an underrated element in jazz and arrangers have not been given the credit they deserve. Arranging has almost always been considered piecework, paid
Len Spencer: Ragtime and the Dawn of Recording
There were several recording stars in the 1890s and early 1900s who were known for performing ragtime songs, but one of the most famous of
Justin Ring and the Phonograph Scholars
Studying history often comes with an inevitable fact that we will never be able to communicate with the people we are interested in. As frustrating
The Five Points, the Bowery, and the Phonograph
Between the 1820s and the early 1890s, the Five Points slum was the most feared neighborhood in New York. It was, however, the most diverse
‘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
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
Jazz in San Francisco, Pt. 3: Bagdad-by-the-Bay, 1940s, ‘50s & ‘60s
West Coast Blues & Russell City; Fillmore venues; Sugar Pie DeSanto, Vince Guaraldi; Ralph J. Gleason & Jazz Casual TV San Francisco was a crossroads
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
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
Richard Zimmerman and the First Joplin Fest
This month I conclude my reflections on the first Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia in July of 1974. Hopefully someone will write about the
Jewel Brown
Jewel Brown, known most famously for her world tours singing with Louis Armstrong between 1961 and 1968, died on June 25th, she was 86 years
Bob Chmel
Bob Chmel, a drummer who over decades in music played with the ghost bands of Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Les and
Geoff Cole
Geoff Cole. a British trombonist with a career going back to the 1950s, died on June 25th, he was 90 years old. He was part
