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
My television was on, but I wasn’t watching—until the talent of Laurence Juber demanded my attention. His finger style guitar playing was stunning. My ears
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
This profile was published in our predecessor, The American Rag, in October 2010. Ted Shafer died August 7, 2019, read our obituary, written by Bert
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
Few jazz fans would argue the value of ragtime, including both its continued popularity and its huge contribution to the early development of jazz. And
Britain has a few reasons to be blue. Our economy is shrinking. Our politics is an international joke. And the weather this summer has been
To have known Trebor Jay Tichenor is to have known a ragtime legend. In fact, this St. Louisan might have been a ragtime original had
Chicago’s reputation in the Jazz world is indisputable. Often considered the nursery of jazz, many of the greats came here, called it home and nursed
“I’ve always preferred the New Orleans style. That’s what real jazz is as far as I’m concerned.” — Earl Scheelar This year’s Cline Wine and
The Washboard Resonators are a joke. Or rather, they were supposed to be—Leeds City Stompers musicians Martyn Roper and Jack Amblin plucked the alias out
Those who have been moved by the lyrically sensitive compositions of David Thomas Roberts and have found them to stimulate mind and soul will understand
When asked what attracted them to jazz, the response you get from Pete and Will Anderson is “The jazz bug hit us very early on.
Nicola Farnon is surely living most musicians’ dream. In demand throughout Europe, the well-travelled jazz singer and bassist toured Ukraine last month. She has played
I first heard trumpeter Bo and drummer Bill Winiker play at a wedding in the late 1970s and they were terrific. They swung like crazy
There are two ways you can approach getting into a young band who, in the span of five years, has produced more than ten releases—roll
March 17th marked the 100th birthday of the late Nathaniel Adams Coles, aka Nat “King” Cole, and guitarist-vocalist John Pizzarelli isn’t letting that important milestone
Trombonist Russ Phillips has yet to figure out what the word “retirement” means. Even before he retired from his day job as a production and
When I see the long lists of famous musicians from New Jersey, it makes me wonder whether it’s all coincidental or, maybe, there’s really something
“… One afternoon, back in Port of Spain, Trinidad, I met four scientists in a bar, they were on their way to West Africa to
Singer Catherine Russell is jazz royalty, a queen of jazz, soul, and blues. Her crown comes not only from her immense talent as a vocalist
You may have already stumbled upon Kristen Mosca on Youtube. Out of a handful of pianists drawing attention for their video posts, she seems to
After making a living as a musician for 48 of his 61 years and having performed in 101 countries around the world, you’d think Danny
