As a pianist, I’m drawn to any album which puts the storehouse center stage. It’s rare that I’ll get excited about a Benny Goodman, Louis
Trust a Japanese band to take what you and love, tune it up and hand it back better than ever, all shiny and new—in a
For all the gigs and festivals which have inevitably been cancelled in recent months, there sure have been a lot of great dancing records released—as
With the exception of a few lady pianists, Swing Era women sang while the men played; that’s what some less academic, coffee table jazz histories
Of all the things being cancelled by you-know-what, the saddest to see knocked on the head would undoubtedly be Shirt Tail Stompers’ tenth birthday bash
There’s something particularly appealing about live recordings right now, when we can’t go out and enjoy bands in person. A 1961 record of Chris Barber
I didn’t realize just how much I need dancing in my life, until I could no longer do it. I knew I loved it, but
As a Brit, when I think of US national parks I think Yosemite—thousands of miles of lakes, trees, bears, and continent-threatening supervolcanoes. (Keep an eye
There is a persistent myth, especially among younger swing dancers, that 1942 marked a watershed in Britain’s toe-tapping habits. That was the year the US
Looked at one way, Shirt Tail Stompers are a “London-based jazz and swing band” (so says their website). Looked at another way, they’re better described
Swing dance instructors, like other kinds of teachers, should be a nurturing, accommodating influence. The needs of the student should come first and the expert
Colin Yates’ musical resume straddles the Atlantic, encompassing two very different styles. He was born in South Yorkshire, a county famed for collieries and their
I do most of my swing dancing in Sheffield, South Yorkshire—proud home of British steel, a hub of the Industrial Revolution and birthplace of Arctic
Of all the Lindy Hop videos on all of YouTube, one stands out as my clear favourite. Shot at Lindy Focus XI in 2013—at the
Like many of his musical peers, Joseph “Wingy” Manone had an enthrallingly eventful rise to fame; a rollercoaster railroad ride, documented in his 1948 book
Aussie swing singer Greg Poppleton is lauded by critics for his “authentic” vocal stylings. But the radio DJ and actor—whose screen credits include Moulin Rouge
Greg Poppleton vividly remembers the day he fell in love with jazz. Aged just three, he saw a Louis Armstrong soundie on TV, replacing a
For some musicians, good enough just ain’t good enough—only perfection will do. In his autobiography Trumpet on the Wing, Joe Manone remembers Bix Beiderbecke chastising
Syncopated Times readers all agree: when it comes to music, the oldies are the best. Singing sensation Cate Cody takes this mantra to extremes, with
Ask a Lindy hopper to describe blues dancing and most will evoke spacious ballrooms, the lights turned low in the wee small hours after most
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
While soldiers fought across Europe, one American jazzman wrote a song urging leaders to “Stop the War.” But was Wingy Manone sincere in his plea?
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
Famed Harlem Ballroom to Throw Open its (Digital) Doors Once More In May of 1937, around 4,000 swing fans crowded a ballroom to see two
