Artist Profiles

Singer Risa Branch is a fighter. As a self-proclaimed “former professional advocate,” she’s fought for civil rights, animal welfare, and gender equality around the United

They say it takes a village to raise a child. What does it take to raise a jazz musician? For bassist, vocalist, and composer Katie

Of the many activities disrupted by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, partner dancing might not have been the biggest loss, but it was among the most

Sometimes you meet people whose real age doesn’t seem to match the one listed on their driver’s license. Singer-actor Nicolas King is one of those

Gary Smart is 77 years young, and a musician who can do almost anything. He can compose “modern” ragtime; do improvisations that sound like Karlheinz

Seeing The UnSwung Heroes in concert was an emotional roller coaster. Their website promised a New Orleans-style “Dixieland” outfit (forgive them the term—we haven’t really

Many of us have not heard from Matthew de Lacey Davidson for some time. Though he is now retired from performing, his ragtime recordings are

The pandemic has brought naught but misery to a lot of musicians, no doubt about it. When artists look back on these two years—and hopefully

Keenan McKenzie has his own bands: the Riffers are a popular dance-oriented swing combo with a three-horn front line, while the Keenan McKenzie Orchestra is

For some musicians, jazz is the music they play but for multi-talented Gunhild Carling, jazz is her life. She grew up surrounded by it and

What is authentic swing music? It depends who you ask. Plenty of modern outfits advertise themselves as “authentic” swing musicians—many of them function bands, sporting

While The Syncopated Times this year celebrates its fifth anniversary, Jane Monheit marks her 20th year as a professional jazz singer with the release of

The Fungus Five plus Two (“our music grows on you,”) the Gutbucket Syncopators, Waldo’s Ragtime Orchestra, and The Gotham City Jazz Band are only a

Ask a top swing dancer (or any swing dancer) what first brought them to the hobby, and most will reply: “the music.” Less often does

“I’m going to miss this epidemic,” more than a few jocular Facebook and Instagram visitors are sentimentally waxing about the eventual end to the miraculous,

Danny Tobias has been a fixture on the jazz scene for a long time, playing with Kenny Davern, the Midiri Brothers, and many others. Unlike

Growing up in Massachusetts, Dan Gabel was introduced to the mellow sounds of Tommy Dorsey’s trombone at the age of 10 when he was in

Jazz is pretty powerful stuff: it can move us to tears, or it can move us to dance all night long. But can it help

Was your 2020 a bit of a let-down? Mine was. I’d just moved to a new city. I had big plans for my little business,

When Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor occurred December 7, 1941, I was ten years old. I had an older brother who graduated from high school

Multi-talented Ramona S. Baker is the daughter of Clint Baker (“Preserving the Fire of Early Jazz,” TST, June 2020) and sister of Riley Baker (“Swingin’

A new, informed, traditional-jazz/blues/ragtime duo is not taking New York’s shutdown sitting down, but they are taking it in their “stride.” Against all odds, they’re

For the years when Jean and I could stay awake until after 11:00 pm, we were big fans of The Tonight Show, especially its band;

It’s tempting to describe Jen Hodge—female bassist, bandleader, composer, arranger and singer—as a rare phenomenon. But that’s not how she saw herself, growing up surrounded

When the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, like thousands of musicians, Tony DeSare saw his jammed packed tour schedule quickly dwindle down to

Lew Shaw thanks his lucky stars that he was born in 1926. That meant he came of age—as a man and as a music fan—at

Benedikt Brydern is the rare musician that has carved out a niche in hot jazz and swing and is also in demand in other genres.

Michael Steinman is a videographer and writer whose JAZZ LIVES blog attracts avid readers from around the globe. Hal Smith: For those who have been

Pre-Banjo Years  Music and playing music came fairly early in my life, but not on the banjo. I vaguely remember taking a year of piano

Back in my disc jockey days in the ’90s, when I read about jazz in Chicago, one name kept appearing: Franz Jackson (November 1, 1912

David Sager is rightfully acknowledged as one of the best currently active jazz trombonists. But he also has excellent credentials in other areas of the

Pianist Ray Skjelbred is now in his 60th year as a professional jazzman. In this second of a two-part interview, he discusses the many people

Guitarist-drummer-vocalist Dave “Pappy” Stuckey is also a bandleader, and he is greatly admired by musicians, dancers and listeners across several genres. Dave is also—literally—an award-winning

Pianist Ray Skjelbred is now in his 60th year as a professional jazzman. In this first of a two-part interview, he discusses his formative years,

The Tenement Jazz Band is so trad that it’s barely even online, despite being only a two-year-old project with a mostly thirty-something line-up. Google them

Multi-instrumentalist Riley Baker is a California native. He is the son of musician Clint Baker and the brother of  TST contributing writer Ramona Baker. Riley

Thirty-three year-old guitarist/banjoist Arnt Arntzen, younger brother of reedman Evan Arntzen, has quickly established his own presence in New York. Evan was featured in this

This summer, trombonist/singer/composer Emily Asher had planned on touring with her band Garden Party, in support of the group’s newest album If I Were a

Pianist Steve Pistorius has honored the New Orleans Jazz tradition since the 1970s as a piano soloist, sideman, bandleader, and educator.  Hal Smith: What was

Global pandemics aside, the Mint Julep Jazz Band is enjoying great demand. With band members featured at North Carolina’s Lindy Focus—one of the planet’s biggest

There may be some question about whether certain singers are “jazz” singers, but there is no question about Sheila Jordan’s jazz bona fides. She has

I asked multi-instrumentalist Don Vappie some questions about his life growing up and becoming a musician in the Crescent City. (His latest release, The Blue

Hal Smith: You are best known among Traditional Jazz fans as a cornetist, but can you tell us about the instrument you started with? Chris

Vocalist Roya Naldi, in her mid-twenties, is probably not a household name among Syncopated Times readers—yet. This interview will hopefully change that. She has just

Not meaning to offend any of my bass-playing friends, I’ve often wondered what motivates a musician to want to play the bass and have to

Tuba player David Ostwald got hooked on Louis Armstrong and his music at age 15. “I went to Sam Goody’s (remember record stores?) to buy

Clint Baker is one of the most important musicians in the contemporary Traditional Jazz and Swing world. Besides being a first-class musician (a multi-instrumentalist), he

At 30 years of age, British bandleader Alex Mendham is too young to have seen any of the swing band leaders of the 1920s, ’30s,

Imagine Django Reinhardt jamming with Frank Sinatra. That’s not too much of a stretch in describing The Black Market Trust, a fast-rising quintet out of

Pianist Kris Tokarski honors the traditions of keyboard masters from New Orleans to Bop. Though he is only 31, Kris has already performed extensively in

In early November, Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi were my house guests for several days while they played concerts in the area. That made them

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 YouTube views are any indication Tatiana Eva-Marie leads one of the most popular traditional jazz bands going. A Swiss-born actress and vocalist she’s on

Looked at one way, Shirt Tail Stompers are a “London-based jazz and swing band” (so says their website). Looked at another way, they’re better described

John Royen is one of the premier stride pianists active today. His background includes work with some of the best-known Traditional Jazz performers in the

A founding member talks about the group’s history and its enduring appeal The Manhattan Transfer is the most successful vocal jazz group in music history.

Present-day fans of Harlem Stride who are familiar with European pianists such as Rossano Sportiello, Louis Mazetier and Paolo Alderighi may want to make the

Early in his career, at places like Your Father’s Moustache and The Salty Banjo, Jimmy Mazzy carved out a place for himself on the bandstand

Aussie swing singer Greg Poppleton is lauded by critics for his “authentic” vocal stylings. But the radio DJ and actor—whose screen credits include Moulin Rouge

The great jazz pianist Jess Stacy told his biographer, Keith Keller: “Nick Fatool was always 100 per cent of what a good drummer should be.”

For some musicians, good enough just ain’t good enough—only perfection will do. In his autobiography Trumpet on the Wing, Joe Manone remembers Bix Beiderbecke chastising

In September 1956, Albany, NY-based clarinetist Skip Parsons played his first gig with his Riverboat Six at the Van Schoick Tavern in Cohoes, N.Y. He

While in Davenport for this year’s Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, I had the opportunity to sit down with drummer Hal Smith to discuss his

Syncopated Times readers all agree: when it comes to music, the oldies are the best. Singing sensation Cate Cody takes this mantra to extremes, with

One can’t imagine the vintage music scene today without the influence of Don Neely, the founder of the long-running Royal Society Jazz Orchestra. The California-based

Duke Ellington is remembered as perhaps swing’s greatest bandleader. But prodigious pianist Mary Lou Williams—who also wrote for Earl Hines, Benny Goodman, and Tommy Dorsey—was

Researching Terry Myers can be a bit exhausting, especially his last 35 years or so. I’ve never encountered a musician who has played in and

I first met guitarist Molly Reeves at the Norwegian Seamen’s Church during Jazz Fest in 2015. She played with Norbert Susemihl (tp) and Orange Kellin

Not many 27-year-old performers have a professional career spanning over a decade and a half, including a performance at Carnegie Hall with Michael Feinstein and