Seger Ellis
Andy Senior
June 30, 2021
Seger Pillot Ellis was born July 4, 1904, in Houston, Texas. As a teenager, Seger much admired the local pianists in the city, Jack Sharpe,
Menu
Seger Pillot Ellis was born July 4, 1904, in Houston, Texas. As a teenager, Seger much admired the local pianists in the city, Jack Sharpe,
The reader will note that a rather morbid undercurrent has run through this column over the past two months. In May, I noted the death
Don Murray was born in Joliet, Illinois, on June 7, 1904, and attended high school in Chicago. In his teens he earned a reputation as
Stan McDonald, best known globally as a traditional jazz musician for his soaring and passionate soprano saxophone and clarinet inspired by Sidney Bechet, died on
By the time you hold this paper in your hand, I will have achieved the grim distinction of being exactly the same age New Yorker
Cheers for Terry Waldo! To the Editor: I enjoyed the recent article about Terry Waldo by Larry Melton and Neal Siegal published in the April
I was reminded of my favorite childhood reading material this past month when I heard that Frank Jacobs, the extraordinary writer of light verse and
If Kevin Keaton has his way, you’ll soon be able to pop into your grocer’s dairy case for a snack and some tunes. Keaton, the
Jimmie Noone was born April 23, 1895, in Cut Off, Louisiana. Noone started playing clarinet after his family moved to New Orleans in 1910. By
I’ve been putting off writing this column until the last minute—almost until I am physically unable to write it. (That would be an excellent method
Jean Goldkette’s date and place of birth remain a matter of conjecture. According to Wikipedia, he was born March 18, 1893, though May 18 of
I’m going to veer wildly off-format here in order to fulfill a promise I made in this column last month. Last year, a subscriber named
Lillian Hardin was born February 3, 1898, in Memphis, Tennessee. Lillian received piano tutelage first from her third-grade teacher, eventually matriculating at a more formal
I was deeply honored this month to receive a message from the legendary jazz writer, editor, archivist, and producer Dan Morgenstern, who offered his kind
I begin to think I should rename this column “The Crisis of the Month.” A crisis is not necessarily a bad thing, but it demands
This month we celebrate one of our own: Lew Shaw, who turns 95 on January 14, and whose latest installment of Jazz Jottings may be
Jabbo Smith was born Cladys Smith in Pembroke, Georgia, on December 24, 1908. After the death of his father, his mother found it increasingly difficult
As I begin this column, it approaches six o’clock in the morning of my printer’s deadline. If I was able last month to glide to
Joe Sullivan was born Joseph Michael O’Sullivan in Chicago on November 4, 1906. The last of nine children, Joe demonstrated serious musical ability at an
This month’s paper, late though you may receive it, is something of a miracle. One week before this writing I was in a state of
Eddie Lang was born Salvatore Massaro in Philadelphia on October 25, 1902. His personal and musical history is inextricably linked with that of Joe Venuti,
I realize that most readers turn to this column with the expectation of somewhat light-hearted commentary, so I am reluctant to unpack this month’s stock
When I published my first issue of The Syncopated Times, I worked to compensate for the variables and uncertainties involved in getting started. Not the
Vaughn De Leath was born Leonore Vonderlieth in Mount Pulaski, Illinois, on September 26, 1894. At age 12, Leonore relocated to Los Angeles with her
