April 2025 ushers in Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), a nationwide celebration of America’s homegrown musical treasure. Launched in 2001 by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, JAM invites fans and newcomers alike to immerse themselves in jazz’s vibrant legacy.
Look around your area for live performances, listening parties, workshops, discussions, and educational events celebrating JAM and a century of jazz. If you don’t find them put a bug in the ear of any local organization or venue that should be marking the occasion. Who knows, next year you could be the one who brought a band to town.
This year, as we build toward International Jazz Day on April 30, 2025, we turn the spotlight on landmark jazz recordings from 1925—pivotal works that laid the foundation for the genre’s global ascent and recognition as a uniquely American art form which captured the genre’s early brilliance and still inspire a century later. These historic cuts, which will enter the public domain on January 1st, 2026, include:
“The St. Louis Blues” by Bessie Smith (recorded January 1925) – The “Empress of the Blues” delivered a soul-stirring rendition of W.C. Handy’s classic, backed by Louis Armstrong on cornet.
“Cake Walking Babies (From Home)” by Clarence Williams’ Blue Five (recorded January 1925) – Featuring Eva Taylor and a young Louis Armstrong, this lively track epitomized the era’s exuberant stride.
“Yes! I’m in the Barrel,” “My Heart,” and “Gut Bucket Blues” by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (recorded November 1925) – A groundbreaking moment to be followed with many more the following year.
“The Charleston” by James P. Johnson (Piano Roll Recorded in 1925) – a global hit that popularized the Charleston dance, exemplifying stride piano style.
“Sugar Foot Stomp” by Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra (Recorded May 1925) – this arrangement of King Oliver’s “Dipper Mouth Blues” is a cornerstone of early big band jazz.
“Davenport Blues” by Bix Beiderbecke and His Rhythm Jugglers (Recorded January 1925 – Bix’s first recording as leader.
“Dinah” by Ethel Waters (Recorded October 1925) – popularized the tune and bridged jazz and popular music.
“Pussy Cat Rag” by Halfway House Orchestra (Recorded January 1925) – some of the earliest jazz recorded in New Orleans.
“She’s Crying For Me” by New Orleans Rhythm Kings (Recorded January 1925) – one of the last recordings from the original incarnation of the band.
The recordings of 1925 marked a turning point in jazz history, blending the raw energy of the early years of jazz with the explosion of virtuosic talent that would close the decade. They remain essential listening for understanding the genre.
Joe Bebco is the Associate Editor of The Syncopated Times and Webmaster of SyncopatedTimes.com
