I first noticed Hannah Gill in a fundraising video she made with Glenn Crytzer in support of his double disc release of originals and swing
Tenor saxophonist Houston Person is one of the most soulful jazz players on the scene today. He is a musician who pays close attention to
Note: John Gill is a multi-instrumentalist with wide-ranging musical tastes. However, he is best known as an authority on San Francisco Style Jazz and also
If you can imagine turning on the radio and hearing a song you wrote credited to someone else, you’re probably a believer in the concept
At some point, you may have heard some jazz educator rabbit on to a group of students with a speech like, “jazz is a group
The San Diego Jazz Party began in 1988 and recently celebrated its 32nd anniversary on the weekend of February 21st at the lovely Hilton San
Edward Elzear “Zez” Confrey was born in Peru, Illinois, on April 3, 1895. Zez grew up in a musical household in which his older brother,
This is the Festival Roundup as it was way way back in the sad days of quarantines and face masks. To see our current and
There have long been two extreme schools of thought about trumpeter Bunk Johnson. His most partisan fans thought of him not only as a genius,
My eyes are drilling into a Walgreens cashier as she chats up a small boy with his family. I look to the other person in
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Mamie Smith’s first records. In February of 1920, Mamie Smith made history as the first black woman to
I grew up in the 1940’s reading science fiction stories of time travel and of mysterious flying carpets. Today as I sit here in still
To the Editor: Enjoyed the March issue of Syncopated Times (as usual). Just want to point out a misidentification in New Orleans Music Observed: The
At my advanced age, the thing I like about jazz parties is that they are held in a single venue (usually a hotel ballroom with
Concealed in the shadows of Jazz and Blues history are dynamic women who nurtured, guided and developed the music. Several of the most talented and
There is no point in attempting my usual meandering approach to the topic that preoccupies all of us at the moment. Just as unnecessary travel
Leslie Carole Johnson was the founder and editor of The Mississippi Rag from 1973 until shortly before her death in 2009. In January 2007, she attended the IAJE
The Fillius Jazz Archive, a priceless oral-history collection at Hamilton College, is 25 years old this March. Under the guidance of saxophonist-educator Monk Rowe, the
On March 24th 2018 we announced the launch of Syncopatedtimes.com on our Facebook page. At the time we only had 300 followers. A total of
Jazz Oracle was always a classy label. Their reissues, which were produced by Colin J. Bray, John Wilby and the late John R.T. Davies, featured
The CD notes tell us that Dick Hyman made partial arrangements of these pieces, setting up a platform for improvisation. When clarinetist Ken Peplowski arrived
What is the best way to spend a Thursday night on the California Central Coast? The best way is by a warm fire, with a
On the second weekend in February the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Fresno was filled with the “Sounds of Mardi Gras.” All four venues are located
While Lu Watters was the leader of the pioneering and highly influential Yerba Buena Jazz Band starting in 1941, he retired prematurely in 1950 to
While Dick Hyman has often concentrated in recent decades on playing classic jazz, stride and swing, he is a very rare pianist in that he
Clancy Hayes was a unique figure in jazz history, one of its first singer/songwriters and an underrated and versatile musician. He was part of the
While the classic Red Nichols and his Five Pennies sessions are in the Brunswick series, Nichols was so prolific during the 1920s that there is
In Jan. 1934, trombonist Jack Teagarden, in what he thought was a very good move that would let him ride out the Depression, signed a
When one listens to the 27 selections on Grey Gull Rarities, it is easy to conclude that Grey Gull was one of the top jazz
The mere announcement of a new Fat Babies album should inspire most readers of The Syncopated Times to run out and buy it. They are
I haven’t been this excited about discovering a new band in a long time. I mean T-shirts and bumper stickers excited. Part of my interest
I can thank drummer Hal Smith for sending this great little album my way. Without his endorsement I might have easily skipped over it in
The Funkrust Brass Band is a 20-piece “post-apocalyptic disco-punk brass band playing all original music with megaphone vocals, heavy tuba bass lines, thundering percussion and
Russell Welch is a name that comes up again and again as I explore the new crop of New Orleans musicians. I’m delighted to cover
At 62 Tim McInnes felt pursuing his musical ambitions had become now or never. He revisited his childhood Schaum method piano training and began to
One of the earliest second-generation ragtime performers, Gale “Gaslight” Foehner died on February 9th this year. He was 91. His career as a ragtime pianist
“The Man on the Street”, Mal Sharpe, died on March 10th, he was 83. As he told it he moved to San Francisco after seeing
Sterling Nelson, founder of what one national columnist hailed as “the best jazz festival anywhere!”, died February 22, just two days short of his ninety-first
Guitarist Charlie Baty died on March 6th at 66. In 1976 he founded Little Charlie and The Nightcats with harmonica player and vocalist Rick Estrin.
A Dazzling Duo: Paolo Alderighi and Stephanie Trick, interview by Bill Hoffman
“Just a Little While to Stay Here”, by Michael Steinman
Hustling for Jazz in Times of Crisis, by Colin Hancock
John Gill: Traditional Jazz’s Stomper in Chief, interview by Hal Smith
The (Postmodern) Ballad of Hannah Gill, by Joe Bebco
Houston Person: “It’s Been a Wonderful Journey”, by Lew Shaw
Copyright Law and Jazz: A Very Mixed Bag, by Stephen Provizer
Fillius Jazz Archive at Hamilton College celebrates 25 years, by Russ Tarby
Jazz Jottings, by Lew ShawJazz
Birthday of the Month: Zez Confrey, illustration by Joe Busam
Final Chorus, compiled by Joe Bebco
The Professor is IN: How to Be the Star of the Band, by Adrian Cunningham
Dynamic Women of Early Jazz and Classic Blues, Pt.1, by Dave Radlauer
Perry Bradford Recalls Fred Hager, by R.S. Baker
Quarter Notes: The San Diego Jazz Party, by Shelly Gallichio
Keep Your ?#@*&%! Distance!, by Randi Cee
Profiles in Jazz: Bunk Johnson, by Scott Yanow
Blowing off the Dust: Experiencing the Ragtime World at Home, by Larry Melton
Festival Roundup
Readers’ Letters
Counterpoint by Dick Hyman and Ken Peplowski, review by Edward A. Berlin
Nights at the Turntable, CD reviews by Scott Yanow
The Syncopated Bookshelf: Sweet Thunder by Jack Chambers, review by Joe Bebco
Fresno’s 2020 Sounds of Mardi Gras is a Big Hit!, by Linda Shorb
Cardinals Host Carl Sonny Leyland and St. Louis Steady Grinders, by Shonda Croly
Off the Beaten Tracks, CD reviews by Joe Bebco