The Versatility of Jim Maihack
On April 30, 2022, we mourned the loss of Jim Maihack—one of the best traditional jazz performers of recent times. Jim was also one of
Bill Campbell and Two Sides of Martinique
One morning not long ago, I’d awakened to the sound of music. It wasn’t from the neighbor’s all-rock radio station. It wasn’t my son Andrew
Novelty Piano Ragtime: Where it Came From, Where it Went
“Novelty Piano Music” is a sub-genre of ragtime music. It slowly started to develop in the late 1910s, but reached its zenith in the 1920s.
Travels with Butch Thompson: A Sideman’s Memories
Working with the late Richard “Butch” Thompson was always a memorable experience. The Butch Thompson Trio—with himself on piano, bassist Bill Evans and drummer George
From the 2022 Ascona Jazz Festival
Great music, good conversation, delicious food plus total relaxation awaited us for our 4th year at Ascona in Southern Switzerland. After the covid-induced hiatus, the
Arnett Nelson aka King Mutt: An ‘Unknown’ Clarinet Player
Arnett T. Nelson was born March 3, 1892, in Ellisville, Mississippi, and grew up in Laurel, Mississippi (142 miles northeast of New Orleans, LA). According
Pismo Jazz Jubilee By the Sea Going Forward in January 2023
We are hard at work to bring back a live, in-person Jazz Jubilee by the Sea after two years of Livestreaming and Backyard shows. The
The Streets of Laredo
In the middle or late nineteen eighties I got a several weeks long engagement in Laredo, Texas, at the La Posada Inn. It is situated
Hoagy’s Workshop: An Approach to Jazz Education
Most planners of jazz festivals make decisions based on their budgets. Then, grants, sponsors, ticket sales, and venues have to be considered. Once the decision-making
Giacomo ‘Kansas Smitty’ Smith is All About Authenticity
Over the last decade, many British bands, clubs, pubs, and hotels have been offering evenings of “authentic” Jazz Age entertainment. Since 2013, event organizers have
Jazz Diva Laurel Massé Celebrates 50 Years in Music
This year marks the 50th anniversary of a fateful cab ride in New York, during which a 20-year-old waitress named Laurel Massé got to chatting
The New York Classic Seven Make Swiss Time
It may have been the traditional jazz equivalent of a happy accident. The New Orleans jazz band Tuba Skinny couldn’t make its date for Switzerland’s
Texas Shout #50 Record Reviewing Redux
Set forth below is the fiftieth “Texas Shout” column. The initial installment of a two-part essay, it first appeared in the May 1994 issue of
Texas Shout #61 Johnny One Note
Set forth below is the sixty-first “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the May 1995 issue of the West Coast Rag). The text has
Texas Shout #73 Art Form vs. Functional
Set forth below is the seventy-third “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the June 1996 issue of The American Rag. The note below was
From The 51st Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival
The 51st Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival In Davenport, Iowa, got under way, as usual, with a free concert at the Putnam Museum on Thursday afternoon,
From The 2022 Glenn Miller Festival
On the second weekend in June I attended for the first time the Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda, Iowa, his birthplace, an event that has
From the 2022 Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival
The weather gods smiled on this year’s Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival on June 1-4 in Sedalia, Missouri. After a cold front dumped 2.9 inches of
One Step to Chicago: The Legacy of Frank Teschemacher and the Austin High Gang
The Gin Bowlers • No Mashed Potato
Andrew Dickeson’s Blue Rhythm Band • Swingin’ The Blues
Red Bean ’n’ Rice Jazz Band• Once More from the Beginning! Vol. 2
Mosaic Box Set • Classic Black & White Jazz Sessions
Roy Palmer • The Almost Forgotten New Orleans Hot Trombonist
Scott Hamilton and Duke Robillard • Swingin’ Again
The Crane River Jazz Band • Live At The 100 Club 1976
Crazy Rhythm: My Journey from Brooklyn, Jazz and Wall Street to Nixon’s White House and Beyond…
Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist: My Jazz Memoirs by Scott Yanow
New Orleans Music Observed: The Art of Noel Rockmore and Emilie Rhys
Life Through The Eyes of a Jazz Journalist: My Jazz Memoirs by Scott Yanow
Wingy Manone: Profiles in Jazz
Wingy Manone had an appealing image of a happy intuitive musician, a primitive who one day woke up and started playing the trumpet for the
Bing Crosby: Jazz Singer
In his career, Bing Crosby showed that he could sing practically everything other than opera. Whether it was classic American pop tunes, traditional Irish songs,
Profiles in Jazz: Charlie Barnet
When one thinks of the top swing era bandleaders, the names of Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and Harry James
Oh, What a Night!
It seems that during the annual hurricane season, New Orleans and the French Quarter delight in providing lots of distractions to benefit both local musicians,
Late Summer Events in New Orleans
From French Quarter Festivals and Offbeat Magazine: Satchmo SummerFest presented by Chevron returns for two full days of music, food and celebration! Every year we
Hot Jazz in the Hot (but Dry) Desert
Starting the summer back in Arizona, the May meeting of the Arizona Classic Jazz Society in Chandler, Arizona, featured Cheryl Thurston’s annual birthday party celebration
Bix: “Ain’t None Of Them Play Like Him Yet!” (1981) on DVD
It would be impossible to put together a documentary on the brilliant cornetist Bix Beiderbecke today without relying exclusively on third-hand accounts. Since Bix passed
Catherine Russell, Marcus Roberts Celebrate Ellington at Carnegie
For the first time since 2020, now able to return to Carnegie Hall after the long pandemic “intermission,” the American Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leon
The Adrian Cunningham Trio Swings at Shanghai Jazz
For almost 30 years Shanghai Jazz in Madison New Jersey has been sought out by both musicians and fans of various jazz styles. Tom Donohoe
Rare Ragtime on Phonograph Records
Since the introduction of the phonograph, syncopated music was commonly recorded. But often while flipping through collections of classic ragtime sheet music, it seems odd
Len Spencer Goes on Tour
In 1899, recording artist Len Spencer decided to make a bold move: take his small group of phonograph friends on tour in a minstrel troupe.
New York City Trip Wrap-Up
Even with all the adventures I had in NYC, as described in the previous three articles, there are still a few things I have not
Sinatra, Lee, and . . . Eilish?
My one concert of 2022 was at The Hollywood Bowl and it was an evening to be remembered. A tribute to two icons of jazz:
What’s in a Name?
In general, artistic “titles” such as actor, dancer, painter, potter can have a set of preconceived notions or stereotypes that go along with them. I
Chick Singer Jokes and Other Clichés
Oh, the chick singer jokes…..“if they ask me I could write a book.” From day one I was educated about how to avoid being the
Ada Leonard Part Two, 1943-55 and The Sharon Rogers Band Overseas, 1945-46
The all-female Big Band of Ada Leonard (see Part 1) was the best-known of around 100 “all-girl” Swing orchestras playing for the troops during WWII.
Ada Leonard and the All-American Girl Orchestra, Part One 1940-43
Bandleader Ada Leonard was a dancer, singer and show business professional who led the first all-female Swing orchestra touring Army training camps during WWII filling
The Real Billie Holiday, Part Three – 1950s
Billie Holiday (Eleanora Fagan, 1915-59) continued a busy schedule of recordings, concerts, radio broadcasts, television appearances and international tours in the 1950s. Publication of her
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
How to Impress Your Date with Modern Jazz
So you’ve just met that special someone, but you’re worried they might be a little “out of your league.” You’ve taken them on a few
The Age We Live In
After many years touring in the US, playing traditional jazz festivals, cruises and what have you, there’s an unavoidable truth that we’ll have to address
Take Me to the Promised Gland
It is always a pleasure to receive comments from readers. This past month I was delighted to hear from an old friend in Sweden, Peter
Goat Glands, Border Blasters, and the Carter Family
As a child in 1949, I had a routine of surreptitiously going into the living room after everyone was asleep to listen to late night
Show Business Neighbors
When Joe Bebco forwarded an inquiry about Max Morath from Anne Phillips recently, I anxiously responded. Anne and her husband, bassist Bill Phillips, were neighbors
Pianist and Clarinetist Butch Thompson has Died
Minnesota based pianist and clarinetist Butch Thompson passed away on August 14th, he was 78. He was most widely known as the house pianist and
Iowa Bandleader Kenny Paulsen has died
Davenport Iowa based bandleader Kenneth R. “Kenny” Paulsen passed away on July 10th, he was 82. He had a career in law enforcement, working for
San Francisco Mourns Jazz Legend Pat Yankee, 94
The jazz community lost a true legend with the passing of vocalist-bandleader Pat Yankee on Memorial Day, May 30, at the age of 94. The
