The Messy Cookers have been heating up the New Orleans night since 2012. Led by trumpet player Alex Owen and including on this album Crescent
During October and November 1957, trombonist Jack Teagarden and pianist Earl Hines co-led an all-star group that toured England and France. In ways, the sextet
Ziggy Elman (1914-68) could have been a contender but he waited too long to start his own big band. Born Harry Finkleman, he learned to
For the 78 RPM record collector there is something missing from nearly all new recordings of early jazz. No, I don’t mean the hiss and
As I noted in my review of their last album, Take Your Time And Fly, The Smoking Time Jazz Club are a hardworking New Orleans
Annie and the Hedonists can be found all over upstate New York and New England sharing their brand of upbeat American music at civic concerts
There has been a cloud of concern in the traditional jazz community about how the movie Bolden would portray our music. I am relieved to
A new CD of Max Morath’s compositions played by Sue Keller and Jeff Barnhart includes liner notes written by Morath. The notes provide an insight
While in her teens Alex Pangman became enthralled with the jazz of Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden and period singers including Mildred Bailey, Julia Lee,
Roger Wolfe Kahn was the son of millionaire banker Otto Kahn. He loved jazz from an early age (as did his father) and, while he
The Planet D Nonet is a swing band from Detroit founded by drummer RJ Spangler and trumpeter James O’Donnell. They maintain a pretty heavy gig
A brilliant pianist who first played at Carnegie Hall when he was nine, William McNally is not only an expert on ragtime but on its
Her story has become increasingly well-known during the past decade. The daughter of pianist-arranger Luis Russell (who during 1929-31 led one of jazz’s great bands)
In Duke Ellington’s career, it is not an exaggeration to say that he and his orchestra were in their prime from mid-1926 when they found
I landed on this album because of the cover art. With Nipper in a bite cone staring at the Hi-Fi. It’s gotta be good. Jacob
Joe Venuti, the first and some would say best jazz violinist, recorded consistently brilliant performances both as a leader and a sideman during 1925-35. The
Terry Lightfoot (1935-2013) was a significant British trad clarinetist and bandleader for several decades. After leading a band in 1952 and serving in the RAF,
The Whitley Bay Jazz Festival, held in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the north of England has been well known for many years. Mike Durham, a great devotee
Tuba Skinny’s latest CD entitled Some Kind-a-Shake, contains 14 tracks and is remarkable for four reasons. First, it was recorded at The Living Room Studio
Writing about a new Tuba Skinny album presents a “Rolling Stones” problem. Everyone already knows about the band so there is nothing left to do
The West Coast traditional jazz scene has been gaining steam recently with phenomenal new bands stepping up as many from a previous generation retire. I’m
Joe “King” Oliver’s innovative and influential recordings from 1923 with his Creole Jazz Band are his most famous sessions but he proved to be an
Drummer Benny Amón, who is originally from Davis, California, moved to New Orleans in 2011 and has been an important part of the local scene
Johnny Dodds had such a distinctive style on clarinet in the 1920s, that during his lifetime very few (other than Jimmy O’Bryant) tried to sound
