Album Reviews

Luis Russell (1902-63), who was born in Panama and came to New Orleans with his family after winning $3,000 in a lottery, moved to Chicago

40 years ago, guitarist-singer John Pizzarelli led his first album, I’m Hip (Please Don’t Tell My Father). The still-youthful performer (the son of guitarist Bucky

For Satchmocracy Volume II, trumpeter-arranger Jerome Etcheberry put together a rather unusual tribute to Louis Armstrong. He utilizes an eight-piece group consisting of himself and

At first glance, the idea of Ann Hampton Callaway paying tribute to Peggy Lee may seem a little odd. Callaway is a powerhouse singer with

JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Between 1949-69, Lester Koenig ran the Good Time Jazz label, a company that released some of the best New Orleans

The pool of young trad jazz musicians in New Orleans is so deep that I am continuously finding new ones. This is especially true when

If I was to describe the Pacific Six’s latest record as a no frills, economy size, value pack of swing and blues, you might well

In New Orleans today there are several bands and independent musicians who are taking advantage of the city’s attraction to tourists who want to hear

The Chicago Stompers celebrate 20 years together on their new album Greatest Hits. Rather than your typical hits album, collecting previous recordings, these are new

I’ve mentioned my fondness for Bugsy Malone twice in previous record reviews, but nowhere was the reference more relevant than it is here. In both

Two planned albums from Dot Time Records include recently uncovered recordings of Luis Russell found in the closet of a working musician of the period.

Through more than three decades of recordings, we’ve come to expect excellence from Rick Benjamin’s Paragon Ragtime Orchestra. Even with that history in mind, this

It is almost criminal that in seven years the name Jeremy Mohney has never appeared in the pages of The Syncopated Times. A creative young

On French Onion Superman, veteran banjoist David Bandrowski (in his recording debut as a leader) sought to explore a wide variety of New Orleans jazz.

Clinker advertise themselves as a “ragtime quartet”, which leaves a lot of what is remarkable about the band and their music unsaid. This is somewhat

Blossom Seeley (1886-1974), like the better known Sophie Tucker (who was six months older), was a vaudeville performer with a strong voice (a necessity in

While rummaging through the CD section of a local used book store, this writer (a stride piano freak) ran across this item, which he hadn’t

Edward and Perlina Coles must have done something right. Although Edward (a minister) and Perlina (a singer in choirs) would have preferred that their children

JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981) was one of the truly great songwriters from the era of the Great American Songbook. While most

Nine concerts; 31 jazz legends; 86 different songs; twelve hours of music on ten CDs. The statistics are staggering. These are the long-neglected 1950s Jazz

I’m quit possibly Frog and Henry‘s biggest fan. Their albums are a revelation, perfectly tuned to my sensibilities. Their sound is unlike any other band

The Gypsy Jazz movement of the past 30 years has resulted in scores of rewarding albums by guitarists who are inspired by Django Reinhardt. Some

The Secret Six (named after abolitionist John Brown’s Secret Society of Six) has been active since its formation in 2020. A fixture in New Orleans

Alice Spencer’s career in music stretches back to the early 90s and a rock band in St. Louis called Three Merry Widows that earned a