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
