Album Reviews

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

Lizzy & the Triggermen have always blended vintage swagger with contemporary stagecraft, and their new Live at Joe’s Pub set captures the band landing that

As I write this, it’s September 2. The weather in southwest England is mostly still good, with mid-afternoon temperatures regularly approaching 25℃. But meteorologically speaking,

When I’m reviewing a record, I’ll often comment on how professional the production sounds. It’s always noted as a positive—from a quick word search of

JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH In 1950, Duke Ellington’s son Mercer and journalist Leonard Feather founded the Mercer label. The small company lasted for less

John Petters is a veteran British jazz drummer who has appeared on quite a few hot trad jazz sessions starting in 1977. Self-taught, he has

Omer Simeon (1902-59) was one of the top jazz clarinetists to emerge during the 1920s yet he is overshadowed in the history books by such

There is a tension in traditional jazz between recreation and creation. Colin Hancock has always lived on the rarer side of that line, not content

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was one of America’s great gospel singers, arguably its greatest gospel singer. She was also an accomplished jazz and blues musician, as

At a dinner party hosted by Scott Asen, the founder of Turtle Bay Records, pianist-singer Champian Fulton and altoist/clarinetist Klas Lindquist performed a set of

While a number of British trad jazz players are fairly well-known in the US, Roger Marks is not one of them. He enjoys considerable acclaim

One of the finest ragtime ensembles around today, the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra was founded by Andrew Greene in 2010. The group has a gigantic

In 2007 the late Big Bill Bisonnette issued, on his Jazz Crusade label, a CD he titled Slip Horn (JCCD 3119) as part of his

When one thinks of such songs as “About A Quarter To Nine,” “She’s A Latin From Manhattan,” “Is It True What They Say About Dixie,”

JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Duke Ellington could have made his debut at Carnegie Hall during Benny Goodman’s historic concert in 1938 that did include

So, my new friends in that local jazz trio which was seeking a pianist have heard me play keys and they have yet to ghost

Terry Waldo, a major classic jazz pianist and bandleader since the 1970s (remember his series of highly enjoyable Stomp Off albums of 1979-89?) is now

Husband and wife pianists Paolo Alderighi and Stephanie Trick, have often toured and performed while sharing a single piano. While their four-handed concerts are quite

The Lou Gold album is also pure gold. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I’ve known about Gold’s records for most of my life—you can find them

Transcribing 78 rpm records and renovating the original audio quality is often very tricky, unless you are a trained professional. In short, don’t try this

My introduction to Frank Westphal’s work was a 78 rpm record I used to have in my collection, called “The Duck’s Quack” which I thought

I had heard and owned some recordings by the “Dixie Daisies” over the years but didn’t really know anything about them until listening to this