Jazz from a Dying Planet?
Andy Senior
August 27, 2021
In my capacity as publisher of The Syncopated Times, one of the duties I must fulfill is that of cheerleader for the music. It’s necessary
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In my capacity as publisher of The Syncopated Times, one of the duties I must fulfill is that of cheerleader for the music. It’s necessary
It often happens that, when I need to cleanse my palate of the taste of drudgery that this gig engenders, I will browse our local
Helen Kane was born Helen Claire Schroeder in New York City on August 4, 1904. Her first stage experience was in school theatricals, but by
Elliot Lawrence, one of the last-living bandleaders of the Big Band Era, died on July 2, 2021. He was 96. Lawrence was born Elliot Lawrence
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
