The Basin Street Regulars Hot Jazz Society is thrilled to announce the 3rd Jazz Jubilee Central Coast 2026, a vibrant celebration of jazz music stretching from San Luis Obispo County to Santa Barbara County. This multi-venue, area-wide “à la carte” festival runs from October 18th to October 27th, 2026, featuring
The Century Room downtown is a go-to place on hot summer nights in Tucson. Besides showcasing our local talent, there are many visiting artists on their way to Phoenix or Las Vegas or Los Angeles, that Artistic Director Arthur Vint manages to capture along with their talents for special evenings
Kansas City was one of the centers of jazz during the 1920s and ‘30s. One of the main benefits of having a corrupt political boss (Tom Pendergast) running the city during 1926-39 was that Prohibition was completely ignored and entertainment was needed around the clock to keep the nightclubs and
It’s part of the human experience to encounter people who have major impact on your life. For most of us, it’s our parents. And for the fortunate among us, it’s close friends and mentors. Henry Blackburn was both the latter to me. In 1988 my very good friend Bill Barnes
When historians think of the first famous drag queens, most will consider the liberated ones of the 1920s. Usually Julian Eltinge and Gladys Bentley come to mind, but there was one much earlier who had become famous as a “female impersonator” long before making records. He remained mysterious throughout his
Dear faithful readers, each month I share anecdotes, observations, remembrances, or adventures that try to live up to the title of my column. While I’ve only scratched the surface of the possibilities, this month I have an extra special inspiration to share. During my now 45 years of performing as
Michael Chisholm’s Brazos (2014) is my favorite piece from the collection of rags commissioned by Danny Matson. Its abundance of earthy dominant seventh chords and melodies tracing the tones of those chords are clues to the influence of Jack Rummel and Brun Campbell. The 8 measure G7 C7 F7 B-flat
Charles Luckyth Roberts, better known as Luckey Roberts, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 7, 1887, and was playing piano and acting professionally with traveling Vaudeville and Black minstrel shows in his childhood. His mother died shortly after his birth and his father engaged the Ringolds, a show-business family,
I have almost as much respect for billionaires as I do for Joey Chestnut, the guy who wins the hot dog-eating contest at Coney Island every Fourth of July. At least his senseless gluttony is entertaining; it’s something he works at assiduously. I find it hard to imagine eating more
Jeff Barnhart: Hal, we’ve received some great feedback regarding Clancy Hayes Trilogy in this column and I believe that pattern will continue with the figure you suggested for this month’s offering: the great musician/composer/producer Fred Rose. While Clancy is today more widely known than Fred, the tunes Mr. Rose composed
BIX BEIDERBECKE JAZZ FESTIVAL (Davenport, IA) July 30-Aug. 1 Join us once again at Rhythm City Casino in Davenport as we celebrate a new era of the Bix Jazz Festival! Since 1971, the Bix Jazz Society has preserved the music and memory of Bix Beiderbecke through the annual Bix Jazz
TST readers will be happy to know that reedman Dan Levinson is back in action after six months following a medical procedure that cast doubt on his future as a musician. Dan has been a clarinetist and saxophonist with Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks for over 30 years. He had to give
Between about 1890-1910 there was a lively, successful Black theatrical-vaudeville-minstrelsy scene, centered in New York, but active throughout the country. Author Daniel E. Atkinson tells that story through the life and career of George Walker, a name which if it’s known, is likely because of his close association with Bert
In the 1940s and especially the 1950s, Anita O’Day (1919-2006) was one of the great jazz singers. Her scatting, placement of notes, and ability to swing at every tempo put her at the top of her field. While she was often masterful on the bandstand, she was not too wise
In my review of Richard Ekins’ 2024 book The Genesis and Exodus of Preservation Hall: The Ken Grayson Mills Story (The Syncopated Times, Jan. 2025), I ended by saying, In closing the final chapter of the book, Ekins alludes to “a forthcoming companion volume, The Birthing of Preservation Hall: the
A reasonable guess is that Oscar Peterson made over 200 recordings under his own name—we’re talking albums here, not singles—but the number goes up to over 500 when you include the sessions at which he was merely (merely!) a sideman. Hence the challenge of narrowing the selection process. Mosaic Records
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Pee Wee Erwin (1913-81) was a solid swing trumpeter who was a bit overshadowed during his long career. While he worked with the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey Orchestras, in both cases he succeeded the much more famous Bunny Berigan. Erwin also worked with Joe
Duke Ellington’s orchestra has always been a difficult ensemble for other musicians to emulate closely. Ellington’s band, whether in the 1920s or the ’60s, featured very individual voices that his arrangements somehow managed to blend together to form its own unique musical identity. Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra
The two-CD set Accentuate The Positive put out by Songbook Ink contains 21 classics from the Great American Songbook, all of which are familiar songs that are given superior and swinging treatments. In addition to revisiting the classic tunes, this twofer gives listeners an introduction to quite a few up-and-coming
Bing Crosby (1903-77) always enjoyed singing with his fellow vocalists. The most popular singer in the world during the 1930s and ’40s and a household name for the past 95, Bing Crosby recorded a very wide variety of material throughout his life. While he began as a jazz singer as
On her previous recording called Brass, Bria Skonberg put the focus on her trumpet playing with only one song including her singing. Her new CD, Indigo, takes the opposite approach by showcasing her vocalizing although there are also a few fine trumpet solos heard along the way. Bria Skonberg is
Imagine if Jelly Roll and his Red Hot Peppers of 1926 had had the opportunity to record 13 additional selections. What if cornetist George Mitchell, trombonist Kid Ory, and clarinetist Omer Simeon (or Johnny Dodds) along with Morton in a four-piece rhythm section had had a few more sessions in
It can’t have been easy for the kid who later became known as Little Jimmy Scott. Born in Cleveland in 1925, Scott’s mother died when he was 13 and his father deserted the 10 kids. He was born with Kallman Syndrome, which causes delayed or absent puberty. Four feet, 11
Albert A. “Al” Vollmer, founder of the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band and a tireless advocate for classic jazz, died July 3, 2026, at 97. Born in London to Swedish parents and raised near Stockholm, he came of age during the traditional-jazz revival that swept Europe in the 1940s and
Leo Rayhill, the longtime Syracuse jazz broadcaster whose Sounds of Jazz became a fixture of Central New York radio, died July 2, 2026, he was 98. Born in Utica, New York, in 1928, he discovered jazz early, listening to piano players in the Black neighborhood where his father’s business was
Musical theater historian Robert Kimball died on July 2 at the age of 86. Born in New York City in 1939, Robert Kimball graduated from Yale College in 1961. The genesis of his career as a musical theater historian dates back to his undergraduate studies at Yale, where he wrote
Tim Coakley, a Capital Region jazz drummer, broadcaster, organizer, and longtime newspaper man, died in July 2026. He was 88. Born in Utica, New York, Coakley came up listening to local players such as J.R. Montrose, Sal Amico, Sam Mancuso, and Ronnie Zito, and was largely self-taught as a drummer.
Vol. 11, No. 8
Reedman Dan Levinson’s Back (and Ready to Play)!, by Lew Shaw
Remembering the Remarkable Henry Blackburn, by Kid Dutch
There’s Big Fun in Pismo: Jazz Jubilee Central Coast, by Rhonda Cardinal
Jazz Travels: Dan Announces His Return, by Bill Hoffman
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Luckey Roberts, illustration by Sara Lièvre
Static from My Attic, by Andy Senior; illustration by Mark Bodē
Final Chorus, compiled by Joe Bebco
My Inspirations: Nothing Beats Experience, by Jeff Barnhart
Ragtime Vignettes: Brazos, by Brandon Byrne
Quarter Notes: Hot Summer Nights = Hot Jazz!, by Shelly Gallichio
The First Drag Queen on the Phonograph, by R.S. Baker
Profiles in Jazz: Andy Kirk and Jay McShann, by Scott Yanow
Festival Roundup, compiled by Michael Buonaiuto; art by Joe Busam
Ain’t Cha Got Music: Fred Rose, by Jeff Barnhart & Hal Smith
Nights at the Turntable, CD reviews by Scott Yanow
We Deserve an Oscar: Classic Peterson Trio Sessions, by B.A. Nilsson
The Syncopated Bookshelf, reviews by Provizer, Thompson, & Yanow