Album Reviews

For a good many years, now, I have been a fan of Kid Thomas and his various bands; so when I first heard about this

In 2012, Paul Adams of Lake Records issued a three-CD set titled British Traditional Jazz – A Potted History, which consists of 73 tracks in

On Feb. 11, 1940, a new weekly radio program made its debut. Called The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street, it was a satire

Reedsman Evan Arntzen is ready to make a splash in the jazz world with his third release as leader, a gem of an album on

Singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III, called “The Poet Laureate of Family Dysfunction” by Rolling Stone magazine, might not spring to mind as someone that you’d expect

In the 1960s, Pete Fountain was the second best-known active clarinetist in the US, only behind Benny Goodman. His brand of New Orleans jazz was

Sometimes one just has the need to hear riotous Dixieland, particularly the style of music where there are lots of notes played at rapid tempos

Scott Yanow reviewed the latest from the Singapore Slingers back in February but I’ve been enjoying this album so much I thought I’d give it

Tis Autumn is Marty Elkins’ fifth album. The first on her new label Elktone Records after four releases on the popular Nagel-Heyer label gained her

Hailey Brinnel is an up-and-coming singer and trombonist who has lots of potential. Originally from Philadelphia, she has worked with the Diva Jazz Orchestra, Anat

Has any jazz musician been emulated after their passing as much as Django Reinhardt? Ironically, when Django died in 1953, hardly any guitarist sounded like

Nothing about this album looks like something we would normally cover. It’s modern in appearance, has a full marketing team behind it, is a likely

All being well, the socially distanced performance of jazz will soon be a thing of the past. Musicians will be able to gather again, arranging

There have been many tributes to Louis Armstrong through the years. Satchmocracy by the Jérome Etcheberry Popstet is one of the more unusual ones. When

Captain John Handy (1900-71) stood alone in the New Orleans revival movement. Virtually the only significant alto-saxophonist playing traditional jazz in the 1960s, Handy’s hard-charging

There are two distinct knots of extraordinary traditional jazz interpreters in Europe right now. One contingent consists of Andrew Oliver, Nick Ball, David Horniblow, Dave

A recording star ever since she signed to the Capitol label in 1944, Peggy Lee was the epitome of the cool-toned singer, one who sang

Anthony Fuscaldo is a New Jersey based guitarist and composer. He has found success scoring films and documentaries, receiving accolades at film festivals in several

Adam Swanson is a brilliant pianist who loves to entertain audiences. His mentor was the late Johnny Maddox and, like Maddox, he performs ragtime, early

I had “Viper Mad” stuck in my head throughout the month of December and I have this album to blame! It features the hottest contemporary

So this rotten thing seems set to follow us, in one strain or another, into the long-awaited year of 2021—the blockade on gigs, festivals and

I’ve been waiting a long time to review Swing in Place. Or maybe it just felt like a long time, in this Groundhog Day mush

The Ventura based Barrelhouse Wailers have been delighting dancers and lovers of high times around Southern California since 2013. It’s a wonder they haven’t become

British violinist Andy Aitchison grew up loving the playing of Stephane Grappelli, yet the music on his LeJazzetal release You Ain’t Never is not a