Andy Senior

Andy Senior is the Publisher of The Syncopated Times and on occasion he still gets out a Radiola! podcast for our listening pleasure.
Al Bowlly

Al Bowlly

Al Bowlly was born January 7, 1898, in Lourenço Marques (today Maputo) in Mozambique. His father was Greek and his mother was Lebanese. They met

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I am not a Robot 🤖

In the interval between publishing the previous issue and the current one, a little something called ChatGPT has come into being. It bids fair to

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Sonny Greer by Joe Busam

Sonny Greer

William Alexander “Sonny” Greer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on December 13, 1895 (according to most sources). Sonny Greer met and befriended Edward

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Willie "The Lion" Smith by Joe Busam

Willie “The Lion” Smith

William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith was born on November 25, 1897, in Goshen, New York. Young Willie began playing piano when he was six

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Andy Senior and Russ Tarby

What Do I Owe You?

As I write this month’s column, it’s challenging to find words to express the depth of my gratitude. I am deeply thankful to all those

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Arthur Fields

Arthur Fields

Arthur Fields was born Abraham Finkelstein in Philadelphia on August 6, 1888, with his family relocating to Utica, New York, shortly thereafter. Young Abe was

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Genre Fluid

Have I told you lately that contention makes me tired? Just when I think it’s possible to pause and enjoy a moment of relative serenity,

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Vic Burton

Vic Berton

Vic Berton was born Victor Cohen in Chicago on May 7, 1896. Vic grew up in a middle-class household, though one with a streak of

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Alberta Hunter

Alberta Hunter

Alberta Hunter was born April 1, 1895, in Memphis, Tennessee. She never knew her father, and was not happy with her stepfather. She left home

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Easter Eggs

I was lucky to grow up in a community that was ethnically (if not racially) diverse. Certain nationalities predominated, and in the cul-de-sac where I

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