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
C’est Si Bon: Capital Focus Jazz Band in France
An article in the July ’24 issue of The Syncopated Times about a French jazz festival caught my eye. “We really try to put the
Andy Stein: Renaissance, Rock, Schubert, and the Nighthawks
Andy Stein will never forget that day in 1979. “I was walking through a street fair in New York and heard the Manhattan Rhythm Kings
Gabrielle Lee Carries Harlem’s Legacy Into the Present
Gabrielle Lee is a modern-day “Blackbird,” her voice and presence carrying the glamour, grit, and history of Harlem’s celebrated nightclub era and its performers into
Tony Desare: ‘Doing What I So Enjoy!’
When asked for a self-assessment, singer-pianist-composer Tony Desare responded, “I’m just a kid from Glens Falls, New York when fell in love with jazz at
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
It’s Happening (Again!) in Sun Valley
The website for the 36th Sun Valley Jazz Festival describes the annual event in the Idaho Rockies as a vibrant celebration of music. Over the
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
From the 2025 Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival
The 54th Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival in Davenport, Iowa continued its tradition of excellence on July 31-August 3 at the perennially over-cooled Rhythm City Casino.
From The 2025 Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival
The 51st Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, MO took place, as usual, from Wednesday through Saturday, May 28-31. There were a couple events on
Pete Allen • New Orleans Wiggle
Cat & The Hounds
Glenn Crytzer Songbook Series, Vol. 1
Lizzy & The Triggermen • Live at Joe’s Pub
Hannah Gill • Spooky Jazz Vol. 3
The Jelly Roll Jazz Band • Tradding Uncharted Ground
Duke Ellington • Great Times
John Petters • Swinging Down Memory Lane
Jazz Education & The Jazz Barn
Ink: The Indelible J. Mayo Williams
The Hipster’s Legacy: A Memoir of Dreams, Jazz, and Family in 1960s California
Glenn Miller Declassified by Dennis M. Spragg
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
Bassists of the 1920s
While the string bass was part of the early New Orleans jazz scene from its start, with Jimmy Johnson (1876-1937) and his bass being seen
Bix Beiderbecke: Legend, Reality, and Legacy
Bix the Cult Figure A legend among many musicians and fans even during his relatively brief life, Bix Beiderbecke was jazz’s first cult figure. After
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
Jazzin’ In July!
The Century Room in the downtown Hotel Congress was again the venue for a terrific Sunday Gospel set! A lazy afternoon saw the Gospel According
Downtown: Where All the Lights Are Bright!
In Downtown Tucson, the Hotel Congress is definitely the “place to be” with several onsite music venues at any one time. Recently the lobby area
Texas Shout #55 “Traditional”
Set forth below is the fifty-fifth “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the October 1994 issue of the West Coast Rag, now known as
Texas Shouts #17 & #18 Favorite Musicians
Set forth below are the Seventeenth and Eighteenth “Texas Shout” columns. They first appeared in the May and June 1991 issues of the West Coast Rag,
Texas Shout #15 How to Improvise Solos
Set forth below is the fifteenth “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the March 1991 issue of the West Coast Rag, (now Syncopated Times.) Because
Pershore 2025: Jazz on a Summer’s Day
How many concerts could you stand in one afternoon? Before August I’d have said two, perhaps three; that four would have my backside numb and
Doreen’s Jazz, Rising Stars Heat Up a Cold Night in Rome, NY
It is nearing 100 degrees as I write this, oppressively humid. I have Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans, vol. 33 “Walkin’ Through The Streets,” her latest
Annie and the Hedonists at Caffè Lena
Caffè Lena, Saratoga Springs, May 31, 2025 Many of the songs we choose to sing spring to our lips because they’ve been drilled into our
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
Banjo and Vocal Records
The banjo was an essential mode of entertainment in the latter 19th century, but often it was accompanied by other instruments, usually piano. There were,
‘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
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
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
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.
