Album Reviews

With the rapid evolution of jazz and the emphasis on coming up with new ways to play the music, there have been periods when certain

Hello, reader—it’s been a while. (Happy New Year, by the way!) A while since I wrote, a while since I danced—a while since I did

Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano have created something truly special with their new album, Painting the Town. Celebrating two decades of marriage and a deep

Of the fourteen tracks on this CD, ten have not been previously issued. The four tracks previously issued (on Southland LP 220: Mike Lala and

Throughout his career and during the nearly 60 years since his death, Paul Whiteman (1890-1967) and his music have been both overrated and underrated. The

By the time that the concert on Live In Paris (from Apr. 24, 1962) was performed, Louis Armstrong had been a world traveler for quite

JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH The music at the Super Bowl halftime shows are famous for being pretty forgettable (some would say horrendous) except for

It is my pleasure to introduce Gavin Rice to our readers. Here at The Syncopated Times there is nothing that thrills us more than to

Polish trombonist Dzimek Markiewicz is one of the best friends of this paper, having been a listener to Andy Senior’s RADIOLA! program for years ahead

Among the long runningest of the many traditional jazz bands that have achieved extreme longevity is the New Orleans Rascals of Osaka, Japan. Americans who

Jazz Classic of the Month The Jubilee radio shows, which were aired during 1942-53 and were at their prime during 1943-46, were geared towards African-American

[The EP referenced in the below review is now sold as a full 11 track album called Winter’s Day.] Gunhild Carling is a bit of

In recent columns for The Syncopated Times, I have reviewed reissues compiled by Alan Eichler for the Jasmine label of Nat and Freddie Cole’s lesser-known

A consistently stirring trumpeter who caught the tail-end of the trad jazz boom in England and has since worked as a writer, broadcaster, and the

Terry Waldo, who is now 80, has been a very busy and major classic jazz pianist and bandleader since the mid-1960s, several years before he

“My merry Oldsmobile!” As rare as it is to hear that phrase nowadays, is to find an authentic 21st century jazz orchestra, unitedly perfecting the

“Just relax and play,” (John) Hammond instructed them. “No engineers in sight, no flashing lights—nothing but music. Only, please keep cigarettes off the piano.” The

Last month I reviewed Matthew de Lacey Davidson’s double album The Graceful Ghost. This month my focus is on another multi-disc set issued by Davidson

It’s crazy to me that eight years into reviewing for The Syncopated Times the only previous time I covered After Midnight was their Christmas album.

I’m not a natural ragtime fan, at least not the music most people think of when they hear the word. Solo piano ragtime often feels

My review column hasn’t visited the West Coast in a while, which would seem strange to readers who have had a jazz rag in their

A slight stretch for this column, the Blue Moon Marquee is a spirited New Orleans blues band. On New Orleans Sessions which has the music

There is no point in mincing words. The Joymakers’ Down Where The Bluebonnets Grow is one of the hottest jazz records of the year. The

There’s this internet meme from 2019 (bear with me) which goes, “Wake up babe, new just dropped.” The catchphrase implies insomnia-inducing levels of excitement about