The Story of The Salty Dogs
With the War over, it was time for everyone to get on with their lives, including, in many cases, going back to college to finish
The Curious History of “Oh, Didn’t He Ramble”
Among traditional New Orleans jazz classics, “Oh, Didn’t He Ramble” has to rank near the top in popularity. “When the Saints Go Marching In” and
George Orendorff: Louis and the ‘Lucky’ Break
Along with the dearth of jazz clubs around the country, especially clubs which feature anything resembling traditional jazz, another venue for the music that has
Before Sinatra, there was Al Bowlly.
Al Bowlly (7 January 1898 – 17 April 1941) is widely regarded as the premier singer of the pre-World War II dance band era in
Codification of Jazz Solos
A codified solo provides the audience with the experience of hearing something they’ve become familiar with through recordings. Jazz musicians, among themselves, have always loved
Popular Song and the Alchemy of Jazz
It’s easy to think that the group of songs we call “Standards” and the “Great American Songbook” emerged with a quality of “timelessness” directly from
Announcing The Syncopated Times Radio Network
The Syncopated Times Radio Network, with the call letters of WSNY, is a new internet radio station founded by the editors of The Syncopated Times
1811/Kid Ory House Opens to the Tune of ‘Muskrat Ramble’
It had been a long time coming, but the 1811/Kid Ory Historic House in LaPlace, Louisiana, swung open its doors to visitors for the first
A Musician’s Life During a Pandemic
For many people, the COVID-19 Pandemic has meant simply working from home instead of going into the office. But those of us who make our
Danny Tobias: Trumpeting and Teaching
Danny Tobias has been a fixture on the jazz scene for a long time, playing with Kenny Davern, the Midiri Brothers, and many others. Unlike
Dan Gabel Champions Big Band and Vintage Jazz
Growing up in Massachusetts, Dan Gabel was introduced to the mellow sounds of Tommy Dorsey’s trombone at the age of 10 when he was in
Corina Kwami Quenches the Thirst for Jazz … and Water?
Jazz is pretty powerful stuff: it can move us to tears, or it can move us to dance all night long. But can it help
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 #33 White New Orleans Dixieland, Part 2
Set forth below is the thirty-third “Texas Shout” column, the conclusion of a two-part essay that first appeared in the September and October 1992 issues
Texas Shout #60 Learning To Play, Part 3
Set forth below is the sixtieth “Texas Shout” column. The concluding installment of a three-part essay, (Part 1, Part 2,) it first appeared in the
A cold live show with Champian Fulton
Like many of you since the onset of COVID, I’ve been itching to be able to attend live music events and festivals. There just haven’t
Charlotte Dickison on her 25 years with the Olympia Jazz Festival
Charlotte Dickison retired as director of the Olympia Jazz Festival after the 2019 edition. She made many friends from all over the US and Canada
Joan Dragon: From Your Father’s Mustache to Suncoast
Suncoast Jazz Festival director Joan Dragon has had a long and varied worklife, in and outside the music world. Having never attended this festival, I
Adam Swanson • An Evening in the Diamond Belle Saloon
House of the Black Gardenia • The New Lowdown
Moonshine Rhythm Club • Spirits of Rhythm
The Grand St. Stompers • Swing in Place Vol. 1 & 2
Barrelhouse Wailers • Day In Day Out
Andy Aitchison Quartet • You Ain’t Never
The Duke Ellington: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings 1927-73
Paolo & Stephanie • I Love Erroll, I Love James P.
The Lady Swings: Memoirs Of A Jazz Drummer
Film Noir Style: The Killer 1940s by Kimberly Truhler
Jazz and the Jazz Age by Daniel Hardie
Heart Full of Rhythm: The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong
Louis Prima: Profiles in Jazz
Throughout his long career, Louis Prima was a New Orleans-based trumpeter, a good-humored singer, and a lovable personality. While his wide-ranging career can easily be
Johnny Hodges: Profiles in Jazz
He had the most beautiful tone of anyone ever on alto-sax and possibly of all saxophonists (although Stan Getz on tenor came close). When he
Yank Lawson and Bob Haggart: Profiles in Jazz
Trumpeter Yank Lawson and bassist-composer Bob Haggart, while having separate careers, were musical friends and collaborators for nearly six decades. They came together during at
Quarter Notes: Bits and Pieces
The Preservation Hall Foundation has started a new virtual instruction program with lesson plans that apply to K-12 educators, students, and parents. Access is free
Mardi Gras Reads
The streets of the French Quarter will be quiet this year as all parade permits and celebrated balls have been cancelled and outside gatherings will
Museums and Meetings and All That Jazz
The New Orleans Jazz Museum is strategically located in the Old U.S. Mint—built in 1838—at the juncture of the French Quarter and Frenchmen Street where
The History Behind “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”
Billie Holiday has inspired a number of books–often with conflicting views–that try to get a handle on her tumultuous and complex life. There’s an autobiography
With CalBal Live, We Need Not Stop Dancing
As much as I’ve missed dancing during the pandemic—more than I can express, really—it’s not something I’ve sought out online. People have put a ton
From the Virtual West Coast Ragtime Festival
I remember reading Bill Hoffman’s fine column last year in The Syncopated Times describing his first visit to a West Coast Ragtime Festival (WCRF) and
Hager’s Two Dollar Overtures
In 1903, two of the major disc record companies ventured into unexplored territory: long playing records. The Victor talking machine company and Columbia phonograph company
Bass Drum Conundrum
In the 19th century, the bass drum in military bands was essential. The use of bass drums continued into the earliest days of recording, but
Milo and Rega
Justin Ring had a lot of love to give in his long life, as he cared for so many close friends and family. Later in
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
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
The Triumph and Tragedy of Bunny Berigan
Bunny Berigan is best remembered for his hit recording of “I Can’t Get Started” on which he played trumpet and sang. He was one of
Lyle “Spud” Murphy: Unsung Hero of Swing
Arranger, composer and multi-instrumentalist Spud Murphy wrote 600 charts for the top Swing orchestras of the 1930s, creating colorful and dynamic arrangements that shaped the
Casa Loma Orchestra: A Vanguard of Swing
At the outset of the Swing era, Casa Loma Orchestra set the highest standards for superb musicianship, arranging, presentation, sweet ballads and hard-driving dance rhythms.
Saxophone Repair
As professional musicians, our instruments are our tools of the trade. So, it’s important to keep that instrument in the best possible working condition. Regular
Busking is the New Normal
Over the past Spring in New York, I spent time busking in Central Park with some old friends, many of whom I haven’t played with
My Time With The Nighthawks
Such is the nature of pandemia—with its unapologetic ravaging of one’s gigging calendar—that to find inspiration, it can be useful to look backwards. And lately
Carolina ’Cue Wars…
I believe I have made more valuable and lasting friendships in the past year of so-called social isolation, than I have made in the past
TST 5th Anniversary Project
As I begin writing this column for February, we are only a week into the new year. However, I have already had what will be
5th Anniversary of The Syncopated Times
It doesn’t seem like five full years since the first issue of The Syncopated Times began appearing in our mailboxes. Since the February 2016 issue,
British Trad Jazz Pioneer Chris Barber has Died
Chris Barber, one of the most important figures in the history of British jazz, and a pioneer of both the Trad Jazz and Skiffle crazes,
Remembering Ted Huff and the Elkhart Jazz Festival
A little over 30 years ago, Ted Huff and I met as a result of our mutual interest in jazz, both playing it as a
Janice Cleary, Sheet Music Collector, dies at 96
Well known sheet music collector and music aficionados Janice Cleary died February 8, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska, she was 96. She had recently donated her
