Back in the 1990s a group of guys played in a Django devoted string group with an unusual instrumentation. Where an unpright bass might be
Jimmie Noone (1895-1944) was one of the most influential jazz clarinetists of the 1920s, and is considered by many to be one of the big
I’m used to receiving albums from well intentioned and often self financed older musicians who are, to put it nicely, over proud of their accomplishments
It’s a strange year in New Orleans. The last time Mardi Gras was officially cancelled was 1979. That year the police union was on strike
Minnesota has a remarkable traditionally jazz history full of larger than life figures. The Hall Brothers Band and their Emporium of Jazz makes up a
Some bands, sadly most bands, will peak in their first few albums, but certain groups just keep getting better. We are blessed that New Orleans
In 2007 singer-saxophonist-accordionist Matt Tolentino formed the Singapore Slingers. A type-of community band based in Dallas, in addition to its leader, the Slingers consist of
The Gramophoniacs present themselves in suit clothes, but not in an overtly vintage style, noddingly so only in the choice of cut. They are one
Some recordings grab listeners from the first note. Lucky Day does just that and never lets go. The Brahmin Bellhops, a group of top classic
We’ve covered the Syncopation Society before. They’re a Berlin based collective of traditional jazz and similar artists working to promote each other. They leverage the
George Barnes (1921-77) was a pioneer of the electric guitar. In fact, he claimed to be utilizing a pickup and an amplifier on his guitar
I love a three-piece jazz combo. More so than a big band, if I’m honest, although saying so feels blasphemous: as a swing dancer, surely
Imagine having Rossano Sportiello drop by your house and spontaneously decide to play your recently-tuned piano in your living room for an hour or so.
Since this album is a “retrospective,” drawing from previously recorded and issued material in the thirty year period 1923-1953, Sidney Bechet devotees will undoubtedly already
Clarence Williams was one of the most prolific bandleaders on record during the 1920s and early ’30s. Not counting sessions recorded using pseudonyms, during 1923-31
Long time readers will know that we’ve been following Colin Hancock for almost all of our five years. Back in 2016 we discovered him as
One of the best known of the British traditional jazz musicians is the late Ken Colyer (1928-1988), and interest in his recorded output has not
Although it was a lucky break when drummer Chick Webb (1905-39) hired Ella Fitzgerald to be his band’s vocalist in 1935, it was his ironic
Since Chris Barber has retired from playing, one might expect that there would be no more “new” Barber CDs forthcoming, but that would be a
On this recording we hear Humphrey Lyttelton (1921-2008) being just a little retrospective in that he returns to the style of jazz of his early
I have yet to watch Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Netflix, though I am familiar with August Wilson’s play, have tuned into conversations about the
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen And waste its sweetness on the desert air. ― Thomas Gray, An Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard
Pianist Chris Hopkins, an American who has spent much of his life based in Germany where he leads Echoes Of Swing, meets up with three
It’s not often a traditional jazz band of conventional size—six or seven pieces, usually—lacks a horn in its front line, but such is the case
