Album Reviews

The 2016 debut of The Dime Notes made a splash in the London traditional jazz scene. The team of pianist Andrew Oliver and David Horniblow

It was the best jazz group on record in 1923 and was considered a sensation among up-and-coming Chicago jazz musicians. King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band

I like the oldies. Back when I hosted a swing radio show, I had a strict limit of two modern tracks per broadcast—the rest was

There are so many guitarists in Europe currently playing in the Django Reinhardt style that there are always new talents to discover. Guitarist Fapy Lafertin,

In 2018 Ted des Plantes launched a label, TdP Productions, to release new material from his own collection of live tapes and studio outtakes as

One of the top swing/mainstream cornetists from England, Digby Fairweather has had several overlapping careers. Born in 1946, Fairweather led Dig’s Half Dozen starting in

Fess Williams (1894-1975) was definitely the product of a different era, a clarinetist and alto-saxophonist who mixed together hot jazz with comic effects, music with

As soon as I started writing for The Syncopated Times fans of Sinne Eeg began sending me emails to insist I needed to cover her.

Pierre Christophe obviously loves the playing and music of Erroll Garner. On Tribute To Erroll Garner, he often sounds just like the pianist, emulating the

Champian Fulton is a favorite of our readers, and appears frequently at the classic jazz parties and jazz society events they attend. Though her albums

If you’re a swing dancer, you know how frustrating it is when the band booked for an event hasn’t been briefed on what good dancing

I’m over it now but about a decade ago I went through a few year stretch where my most listened to new groups played what

Bean Soup is a quintet comprised of tenor-saxophonist Michel Bescont, trumpeter Michel Bonnet, pianist Jacques Schneck, bassist Leigh Barker, and drummer Stephane Roger. On Odidrep

The French Preservation New Orleans Jazz Band, while not well known in the U.S.A. other than, perhaps, in New Orleans itself, enjoys wide recognition in

Bill Brunskill got involved in the jazz scene about the same time as Chris Barber and members of the Barber band along with others of

Last month I reviewed the latest album from the French group Les Rois du Fox-Trot, a group formerly fronted by Jean-Pierre Morel. Morel is also

The River Raisin Ragtime Revue is a Michigan based orchestra that puts on exciting community events to educate the public about the American popular repertoire

A superb guitarist in the Django Reinhardt style, Angelo DeBarre (who was born in 1962), has been a major force in the European jazz scene

“A Spoon Full of Sugar” sounds like a jazz song title, doesn’t it? Turns out the familiar tune from Mary Poppins also swings, at least

Sidney Bechet (1897-1959) was one of the true masters of not only New Orleans jazz but all of jazz history. While the soprano-saxophonist and clarinetist’s

Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys have always had a few Jewish novelty numbers in their book. They use them to bring levity to their

It has been nice to have another visit with the Dixie RB Five. Though I passed the review of their first album along to Scott

Samoa Wilson is a singer with a real feel for vintage material. She has had a long association with guitarist-singer and jug band leader Jim

Emily Asher was featured on our cover last month so I won’t spend too much time on her background. A daughter of the Northwest traditional

For two chaps with a guitar and a washboard, Martyn Roper and Jack Amblin—a.k.a. the Washboard Resonators—can really belt it out. They’ve proved as much

Gene Austin (1900-72) was arguably the first great crooner. During a period when many of the male pop singers used on pop and jazz recordings

While many of the studio recordings from the prime years of the British trad movement (1950-65) have been superbly compiled and reissued by the Lake

This concert for the BBC Jazz Club program opens with what to Chris Barber fans will be the familiar signature tune of the band, “I

A casual listen to Paul Bocciolone Strandberg’s Narcisse Jazz Band’s Look At The World And Smile reveals an excellent eight piece group consisting of cornet,

Les Rois Du Fox-Trot is a 10 piece French dance band. Once led by cornetist Jean-Pierre Morel,  they are still a world class outfit worthy

Some sequels are unwarranted and altogether unwelcome: A second coronavirus outbreak. World War II. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. But there was one return I was

Lizzy and the Triggermen were on a major upswing when the pandemic hit. They’d been selling out shows at larger and larger venues around LA

St. Louis has had a uniquely bluesy and sassy revival jazz scene for going on 70 years. I’m happy to say the younger generation, led

During 1913-14 the African-American bandleader James Reese Europe recorded eight groundbreaking selections with his Society Band, some of which contained basic improvising and the strong

If you enjoyed Doro Wat’s self titled debut CD you are going to love their latest— Meet Us At The Lost Love Lounge. Recorded before

Of all of the swing era big bands, only two were together nonstop into the 1970s: Duke Ellington and Les Brown. Ellington kept his high-priced

The St. Louis Steady Grinders is a duo comprised of Ethan Leinwand’s piano and singer Valerie Kirchhoff. While Ms. Kirchhoff has been performing in the

This is a delightful trio album with Rebecca Kilgore providing vocals and occasional guitar, Dan Barrett and trombone and Paolo Alderighi on piano. Since I

Stu Pletcher (1907-78) was never a major name and he had a surprisingly brief career in the spotlight. His son, Tom Pletcher, had a more

When it comes to performing music from the 1920s and ’30s, there are several viable approaches. Some musicians closely copy the arrangements and sometimes the

Hard as it is to imagine an in person jazz event these days I’m going to dream big. Someday I hope to see an old

I’d set out to review the new album from the Dirty River Dixie Band for the July issue. I’m glad I waited. In June, before

During 1948-55, trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton led what was arguably the top British traditional jazz band. His group, which teamed him with clarinetist Wally Fawkes, performed

Formed on May 5, 1945, just a few days before the official end of WWII, the Dutch Swing College Band is still playing all these

Peggy Lee (nee Norma Deloris Egstrom) was one of the vocalists who made their mark with big bands in the 1940s. Some of these included

When Lil Hardin Armstrong’s name is mentioned, many, if not most, people probably think immediately of Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five’s piano player or Armstrong’s second

Don Vappie, who is interviewed in this issue, has had a long career for a man of 64. He drifted into traditional jazz from other

This album is vol. 1, “Then,” of a two-volume set of the Easy Riders Jazz Band on the Jazz Crusade label, titled “Then” and “Now.”

This album is vol. 2, “Now,” of a two-volume set of the Easy Riders Jazz Band, “Then” and “Now,” on the Jazz Crusade label. (“Then”

As a pianist, I’m drawn to any album which puts the storehouse center stage. It’s rare that I’ll get excited about a Benny Goodman, Louis

As an alto-saxophonist, arranger, composer and bandleader, not to mention trumpeter, Benny Carter (1907-2003) recorded many classics during his 70-year career (1927-97). Further Definitions is

Despite writing over 600 songs, many of them “hits,” as the booklet notes inform us, Walter Donaldson never seemed to become a household name. This

While vocal groups are very common in pop music, jazz vocal groups have always been rarer. Duchess is a collaboration between singers Amy Cervini, Hilary

Kenny Ball (1930-2013) was one of the top stars of the British Trad Jazz movement. A colorful trumpeter, a personable singer, and a witty personality

Trust a Japanese band to take what you and love, tune it up and hand it back better than ever, all shiny and new—in a

Even experts on jazz history may not be that acquainted with Johnny Letman (1917-92). An excellent swing trumpeter who also had a bit of New

I knew of Peter Bergin as a fine performer from his YouTube postings, so I was delighted to learn he was recording an album utilizing

Of all of the New Orleans players associated with Wynton Marsalis, clarinetist Dr. Michael White has been the most consistently involved in playing traditional New

Seeing that this group is led by trombonist Geoff Cole and also has Tony Pyke on clarinet might prompt one to think of the early

When Django Reinhardt passed away in 1953, almost no guitarists in the world sounded like him. His influence was far overshadowed by that of Charlie

The Archeophone label makes early recordings available to the public accompanied by comprehensive liner notes that are often nominated for Grammy’s. Past efforts have included

For all the gigs and festivals which have inevitably been cancelled in recent months, there sure have been a lot of great dancing records released—as

Trad jazz was so popular in England by the early 1960s that it is not surprising that its top musicians and bands appeared in quite

This double-disc set is a reissue of what were originally issued as two separate CDs, titled Jumpin’ in Irigny—JCCD 3110 vol. 1 and JCCD 3111

Of all the things being cancelled by you-know-what, the saddest to see knocked on the head would undoubtedly be Shirt Tail Stompers’ tenth birthday bash

British trombonist-bandleader Chris Barber, who recently turned 90, retired from playing last year after a 70-year career. But even though he has stopped performing, it

Glenn Crytzer, facing all the musical hurdles that everyone is right now put on his bandleader hat and assembled an all-star team that could rise

Clarinetists Acker Bilk and Wally Fawkes both carved out important niches in the traditional jazz world of Great Britain. After a period working with Ken

There’s a very good reason that you’ve most likely never heard of violinist and bandleader Nat Brusiloff. Brusiloff, born Naucham Brusilovsky in Russia in 1904,

Throughout his life, Scott Joplin sought to have his ragtime music accepted as American art rather than have it considered mere entertainment. It was a

Jesper Thilo, who was a month shy of his 78th birthday when he recorded Swing Is The Thing in 2019, has been an important swing-based

There’s something particularly appealing about live recordings right now, when we can’t go out and enjoy bands in person. A 1961 record of Chris Barber

The Syncopation Society of Berlin is a collaboration of jazz and swing artists who even in normal times work to promote and support each other’s

One of the finest clarinetists of the past 30 years, Tim Laughlin long ago developed his own sound within the New Orleans jazz tradition, inspired

Cliff Jackson (1902-70) was one of the great stride pianists to emerge from the 1920s. Despite that, Jackson recorded exclusively during 1924-27 as an accompanist