Doc Cheatham on Armstrong, Goodman, and his Early Career
Following are excerpts from the Fillius Jazz Archive interview with Doc (Adolphus Anthony) Cheatham (1905-1997) New York City, July 28,1995: First recordings Monk Rowe: Can
Elusive Syncopations: In Search of 1920s and 1930s Jazz in Korea
It all began last December. Down and beyond the bustling streets of South Korea I roamed. In all aspects of auditory senses, the atmosphere was
A Century of ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’
There are songs that have entered the jazz vocabulary and never left: “Body and Soul,” “Stardust,” “Autumn Leaves,” and many others. We call these tunes
100 of The Hottest Classic Jazz Albums of 1945-2025, Part 5: 1995-2025
What are the most exciting and essential classic jazz recordings that have taken place since the end of World War II? An impossible question to
Composer/Conductor Will H. Dixon: An Unsung American Original
Will H. Dixon was born August 29, 1879, in Wheeling, West Virginia, into a musically inclined African American family. His father, John H. Dixon, was
Jazz on the High Seas: Musicians On Their Jazz Cruise Experiences
If, like me, you love many styles of jazz, you probably look at ads for various jazz cruises and start planning or wishing. I’ve experienced
John Pizzarelli: Rhythm is his (Family) Business
John Pizzarelli’s memoir, World on a String makes it seem that his destiny was written in “gallons of red sauce simmering in immense vats on
John Joyce: A Punk Rocker Embraces NOLA Street Jazz
“No one rises so high as he who knows not whither he is going.” – Oliver Cromwell Early days as a punk in Minneapolis Born
Stacey Kent: An International Career Sparked by Serendipity
Her story reads something like a fairy tale: Young scholar becomes overnight international jazz star. It even includes the element of the unknown singer championed
Bix Society Joins Forces with Common Chord for 55th Bix Fest
Common Chord and the Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Society are excited to announce a merger of the two organizations. After years of close partnership, Bix Society
2nd Jazz Jubilee Central Coast to run October 17th through 26th!
The Basin Street Regulars Hot Jazz Society is thrilled to announce the 2nd Jazz Jubilee Central Coast 2025, a vibrant celebration of jazz music stretching
Royal Society Jazz Orchestra Bids Farewell After Five Decades of Great Music
After delighting audiences across the globe for nearly half a century, the legendary Royal Society Jazz Orchestra has announced its retirement at the end of
From the 2025 Central PA Ragtime Festival
The 16th Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival took place, as usual, at several venues in Huntingdon County on September 18-21. While most events
Cat and the Hounds at Birdland
There is a question in Judaism that’s asked once a year: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” It refers to the festival
Jazz Travels: Louis Haunts and Cellar Boys
As I hinted last month, there is a cadenza to my time at the Bix Beiderbecke festival. On my way to Rhinelander, WI, where I
Glenn Miller: A Memorial
Art Van Damme • The King Of Jazz Accordion
Tatum Langley • Tatum’s Swingin’ Session!!!
Presenting Don Goldie
Loren Schoenberg and his Jazz Orchestra • So Many Memories
Judy Whitmore • Christmas
The Mad Hat Hucksters • Holly Jolly Christmas
Chelsea Reed and the Fair Weather Nine • The Christmas EP
I Touched Every Base: The Autobiography of Blue Steele
The Boswell Legacy (Second Edition)
Jazz Education & The Jazz Barn
Ink: The Indelible J. Mayo Williams
The Count Basie Trombonists 1936-40
When one thinks of the classic Count Basie Orchestra of 1936-40, the tenor-saxophonists (Lester Young and either Herschel Evans or Buddy Tate), the trumpeters (most
A ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Jazz Musicians?
Only one U.S. president came close to becoming a jazz musician. Bill Clinton has often humorously stated that, while playing the tenor-sax as a teenager,
John Hammond: Profiles in Jazz
For the 100th article in my series of Jazz Profiles, this is the first time that a non-musician is the subject. John Hammond is considered
Autumn in New York? No, New Orleans!
Although the government shutdown was in effect, our flights to New Orleans were very much on time. We unpacked and immediately walked the two blocks
An Ode to an Oyster…
Getting ready to spend a few weeks in New Orleans and already craving some oysters! Our go-to place is Acme Oyster House on Iberville near
Jubilee…Yes, It Was a Jubilee!
Labor Day weekend brought us to Sacramento for the Hot Jazz Jubilee and its 10th annual event. It was fantastic and with four separate venues
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 #41 Blues
Set forth below is the forty-first “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the June 1993 issue of the West Coast Rag, now known as
Texas Shout #43 Downtown New Orleans Style Dixieland
Downtown New Orleans, you see, offers a significant proportion of something for everyone. If you like virtuoso soloing, you have Armstrong, Noone, Bechet, and Morton;
Jazz is Where You Find It: Fest Jazz 2025 in Brittany
It has been our pleasure over the years to combine sight-seeing trips abroad with visits to diverse jazz clubs, festivals, and concerts in Ascona, Edinburgh,
‘We Go for That’: The Redwood Coast Music Festival (Oct. 2-5, 2025)
My title comes from a Thirties phrase for “I really like that,” found in a wonderful Frank Loesser left-handed love song (“Your fuzzy hair, your
King of Them All: The Story of King Records (2025)
People interested in popular music always welcome films that dig into the history of the music they love. A recent documentary about King Records, King
Blues Songs at the Turn of the 20th Century
We all know the blues, a musical genre that includes a 12-bar verse and chorus. While this is true, in the early 20th century, this
The Early History of the Saxophone on Record
There was a time when the saxophone was a very obscure, regional instrument. The instrument only became one of the most utilized at the beginning
The Whistling Bureaucrat: John Yorke AtLee
Acoustic recordings of whistlers aren’t for everyone, but there was one whistler who I would consider many levels better than the others. He had a
‘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
‘Smiley’ Wallace, Beloved in Ragtime Community, Dies at 93
When Mary Grace Lanese called to tell me “Smiley” Wallace had died at age 93, on October 2, delightful memories of a long friendship with
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
Frank Ward (1930 – 2025)
On October 5, 2025, jazzman Frank Ward died. Frank was a greatly admired cornetist who was a longtime member of the historic Cakewalkin’ Jass Band.
Herb Gardner (1936 – 2025)
Trombonist and pianist Herb Gardner, a fixture of the New York and New England traditional-jazz scenes for more than six decades, passed away on September
David W. “Smiley” Wallace Jr. (1932-2025)
David W. “Smiley” Wallace Jr., a lifelong champion of ragtime and early jazz in the Kansas City region, died on October 2, 2025. He was 93.
