Album Reviews

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

I have often thought of Molly Ryan as a jazz singer who has some similarities to Helen Ward (best known for singing with Benny Goodman

Herb Gardner is an important trombonist and pianist who probably felt like he was a little too late as the youngest man in the room

I haven’t done anywhere near as much social dancing as I expected to, lately. When social distancing prevented it, I thought I would die without

Among those music makers who figured largely in the New Orleans jazz revival, no one stands taller than George Lewis. Until the traditional jazz revival

One facet of my working life which I may not have shared with you before—for there’s been no reason that I should, up to now—is