Glenn Miller: A Memorial
Scott Yanow
November 30, 2025
CLASSIC JAZZ ALBUM OF THE MONTH No swing band during the big band era had more hits than Glenn Miller’s, not Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw,
CLASSIC JAZZ ALBUM OF THE MONTH No swing band during the big band era had more hits than Glenn Miller’s, not Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw,
Art Van Damme (1920-2010) may not have been the first jazz accordionist (Buster Moten took short solos with his brother Bennie’s band in the 1920s),
Tatum Langley is a Chicago-based singer who has performed both in jazz and in musical theater settings including in London and Australia with Postmodern Jukebox.
Trumpeter Don Goldie (1930-95) is probably best remembered for his association with Jack Teagarden for he was a member of the trombonist’s last working group
Eddie Sauter (1914-81) was one of the most innovative arrangers to come up during the Swing era. In addition to his work for Artie Shaw
Judy Whitmore’s Christmas sits in a different universe from the other holiday records in this batch, but that isn’t a drawback. She’s not trying to
The Mad Hat Hucksters have always been a band that treats swing as a living vernacular rather than a museum dialect, which is why holiday
Having nine players instead of her usual smaller lineup gives Chelsea Reed’s The Christmas EP a warmth and fullness that feels exactly right for the
Note: I have learned since writing the below that rights holders, aka record labels, are putting out releases on Bandcamp under the artist’s name, giving
A big clue to understanding this band lies in the fact that Bob Crosby isn’t on the box set’s cover. It’s the first artist-centered Mosaic
Alexander Peskanov is a Ukrainian composer, pedagogue, and powerhouse pianist. His 2004 recording of Scott Joplin for Naxos (Naxos 8.559114) is highly virtuosic, sometimes to
The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band was founded and is co-led by pianist Conal Fowkes and trumpeter Simon Wettenhall. Long-time musical friends, they were
Discovering a band that resonates with you is like the early days of a love affair, everything after is measured against that spark. You discover
When Caity Gyorgy won her second JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year, jealous critics crawled out of their hidey holes to diminish
When it comes to dancing, I don’t get around much any more. I had the option of going out last weekend, but I opted to
You’re probably not going to like this set. But I don’t want to underestimate you. To make the critical balancing act worse, I don’t want
I love comparing the myriad recordings of Scott Joplin’s music, particularly the more comprehensive collections of his work. Thus I am pleased to evaluate Alessandro
The names of the personnel on this CD, with the exception of two, Pete Allen (leader of the Dukes of Wellington band) and Roger Marks
The group Paul and His Gang is best known in the United States for its 1996 Stomp Off recording Take Your Tomorrow. The band was
Harry James (1916-83) was not only a virtuoso trumpeter with his own exciting style but the leader of the most popular big band of 1942-46
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Two of the finest stride pianists to emerge during the mid-to-late 1940s (along with Dick Wellstood and Don Ewell) were
Back in 1976, the British clarinetist and soprano-saxophonist Pete Allen left his day job to join Rod Mason’s group. By the fall of 1978, Allen
In the 1960s and ’70s, it was very rare for any African-Americans, other than survivors from the early days, to be playing Dixieland and pre-swing
When we’ve covered Glenn Crytzer over the years it has usually been to focus on his original material and his full orchestra, but if you’re
