Jim Fitzgerald and Sorta Dixie
Lew Shaw July 30, 2021
Jim Fitzgerald was happiest when he was on the bandstand playing for an appreciative audience. Speaking of that special connection between musician and listener, he
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Jim Fitzgerald was happiest when he was on the bandstand playing for an appreciative audience. Speaking of that special connection between musician and listener, he
Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks were together for the first time in 15 months on June 10 for a recording session at The Power Station
2021 marks the 80th anniversary of the Stan Kenton Orchestra, which debuted as the Artistry in Rhythm band on Memorial Day of 1941 at the
For the past 20 years, morning commuters on their way to work in the San Francisco-Oakland area have gotten, as one writer put it, “an
Sad news that Arthur’s Tavern, the historic blues and jazz club in New York City’s West Village for over 70 years, has officially closed. The
My only contacts with Dr. W. Royal Stokes, who passed away last month at the age of 90, were an occasional exchange of emails, but
In an attempt to address the shortfall in “honest, reliable guidance in matters of music and culture,” noted jazz writer-author Ted Gioia has launched an
F. Norman Vickers, the jazz ambassador and moving spirit behind Jazz Pensacola, is one of 23 individuals who are the 2021 recipients of the JJA
Here’s the post-Valentine’s Day wish of every jazz musician: Roses are Red, Violets are blue— We just want some gigs (And a festival or two).
As someone who has had a lifelong love affair with jazz, an interesting question came up in a ZOOM interview I recently had with Dan
Growing up in Massachusetts, Dan Gabel was introduced to the mellow sounds of Tommy Dorsey’s trombone at the age of 10 when he was in
Al Bowlly (7 January 1898 – 17 April 1941) is widely regarded as the premier singer of the pre-World War II dance band era in
Joining Scott Whitfield as a 2021 inductee into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame is Brad Roth, who for the past 20 years has
Pop music has had its popular sisters’ vocal groups over the years: the Boswell sisters from New Orleans, known for intricate harmonies and rhythmic experimentation;
In late November, the City of New Orleans announced regulations regarding the permitting process to host live entertainment in indoor and outdoor settings. All live
Joseph Brem, a past president of the Arizona Classic Jazz Society, passed away on November 22 in Scottsdale, AZ, he was 90 years old. A
With just about all of the 2020 festivals and jazz parties scheduled since March going virtual or being postponed until late 2021 or 2022, the
Two individuals who have long championed the legacy of Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke are the recipients of the 2020 Bix Lives Award, chosen by the Board
We are saddened by the news of the passing of legendary drummer Viola Smith, who died October 21 at her home in Costa Mesa, California.
Scott Anthony is known to jazz fans as the leader of the Golden Gate Rhythm Machine and the guitarist in Bob Schultz’s Frisco Jazz Band.
Regina Bain has been named the new executive director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, the National Historic Landmark dedicated to the cultural, historical and
After eight long months of cancellations and dark venues, there is at last a glimmer of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. With
Known for its musical heritage, Mason City has produced a number of successful performers and educators and is the site of the annual North Iowa
A spokesman for the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) was quoted in a story carried by National Public Radio last month stating that without federal
Checking on the status of the few festivals scheduled to take place during the remaining months of 2020 is akin to reading the final chapters
Norman Vickers is known as a harmonica-playing physician who was a pioneer in his field in his adopted city, and who for the past 40
Not meaning to offend any of my bass-playing friends, I’ve often wondered what motivates a musician to want to play the bass and have to
As most of you know, I’ve been writing musician profiles for various publications for the past 35 years. The musicians who were interviewed candidly discussed
My “beat” for this newspaper over the past 35 years has been to travel about the country chronicling jazz events, attending festivals and jazz parties,
Guitarist Jared Engel is one of the more than 175,000 residents of New York City, considered the epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United
Imagine Django Reinhardt jamming with Frank Sinatra. That’s not too much of a stretch in describing The Black Market Trust, a fast-rising quintet out of
As panic over the coronavirus sweeps the globe, much of the focus is on the broader economic effects on businesses or venues that have had
Michael Cogswell, founding Executive Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum died on April 20th at 66 years old. The cause was complications from bladder
Ellis Marsalis, Jr., New Orleans, pianist, educator, NEA Jazz Master and the patriarch of a musical family, succumbed to the Covid-19 coronavirus on April 1st.
Recognizing their “unique and enduring contributions to the living history of jazz,” the late Mat Domber and his wife Rachel are the recipients of the 2020 Satchmo Award
Tenor saxophonist Houston Person is one of the most soulful jazz players on the scene today. He is a musician who pays close attention to
At my advanced age, the thing I like about jazz parties is that they are held in a single venue (usually a hotel ballroom with
From the dusty recesses of my jazz history archives, I recently came across a slim 32-page pamphlet published in 1942 entitled “America’s Band Leaders” by
One of my favorite songs is “Once in a While.” Or should I say that two of my favorite songs are “Once in a While”
It all began innocently enough in the late 1960s when Dave Oppermann, a business person by day and a sing-along piano player by night, and
The Barbary Coast Dixieland Jazz Band holds a special place in Minnesota music history—and not just because its members were inducted into the Minnesota Music
The Barbary Coast Dixieland Jazz Band holds a special place in Minnesota music history—and not just because its members were inducted into the Minnesota Music
Bucky Pizzarelli died on April 1st, 2020, he was 94. Lew Shaw interviewed him for this profile when both men were 88. Read our obituary
As is its annual tradition since 2005, the San Diego Jazz Party conveys the title of “Jazz Legend” on one of its participating musicians. At
Longtime pianist-arranger John Sheridan has assumed leadership of the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, which will continue its bi-weekly gigs at San Antonio restaurants as well
The jazz community lost a true icon with the passing of Jim Cullum in August. In light of Jim’s lifetime commitment to the performance, promotion,
A Re-ordering of Priorities . . . I have been fortunate in chronicling jazz events and personalities for this paper and its predecessors over the
When asked what attracted them to jazz, the response you get from Pete and Will Anderson is “The jazz bug hit us very early on.
When Sam Pilafian was 11, he was told that if he switched from the accordion to the tuba, he would always have friends. When he
Earl A. McKee July 12, 1931-April 11, 2019 How sadly coincidental that charter High Sierra Jazz Band member Earl McKee passed away one day before
Trombonist Russ Phillips has yet to figure out what the word “retirement” means. Even before he retired from his day job as a production and
Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) is celebrated every April in recognition of the significant contribution that jazz music has made to society. First established in 2011
As the High Sierra Jazz Band closes out its 42-year run on the festival circuit this month at their home base in Three Rivers, California,
After making a living as a musician for 48 of his 61 years and having performed in 101 countries around the world, you’d think Danny
In a One Day University lecture, University of Maryland professor of music Anna Celenza identified three musical masterpieces that changed America. Stating that “music does
Connie Jones died in his sleep on February 13, 2019. The following profile ran in the April 2015 edition of our predecessor The American Rag, it
Considering his stature as one of the top swing-oriented drummers and one who uplifted the Count Basie Orchestra of the 1970s, it is surprising that
It has taken two years and $3 million, but the 61,000 items which comprise the Research Collections of the Louis Armstrong House Museum have been
Around five o’clock on Sunday, April 14, 2019, in the Three Rivers Lions Arena in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, when Earl McKee
It is apparent that the story about bandleader Glenn Miller’s disappearance over the English Channel during World War II has no end. The latest version
Paul Daspit has retired as director of the San Diego Thanksgiving Festival, a position he has held since 2011. Taking his place is Bill Adams,
As we go to press, The Syncopated Times has learned that Kenyon Adams, a multi-media performance artist and curator, will be named director of the
For the past 20 years, Dave Robinson has been the leading advocate in promoting the concept that traditional jazz should be a vital part of
Ehud Asherie has definitely taken a circuitous route to becoming a professional musician. The 39-year-old pianist was born in Israel, lived in Italy for six
Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, “Little Eddie” Metz was given his first pair of drumsticks at the age of three
The Map In 1932, E. Simms Campbell, considered the first commercially-successful African-American illustrator, created a map of a two-block area of Harlem between Lenox Avenue
One of the things that interests and intrigues me most as I have interviewed and written about more than 100 musicians in the past decade
It’s a special time for festival goers when they are introduced to a band they haven’t heard before that suddenly gets everyone excited, fills the
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem, New York and spanned the 1920s into the mid-1930s. It
An Enlightened Jazz Era The Berkshires of Western Massachusetts with its historic landmarks, museums, and performing arts venues have long been a vacation mecca for
Vince Giordano has received the New York Hot Jazz Festival’s first Lifetime Achievement Award. September also marked the fifth anniversary of Vince and his Nighthawks’
If you believe in the tried-and-true, be aware that there are eight festivals and one jazz party coming up in the next two-and-a-half months that
I first heard Turk Murphy’s band back in my sportswriting days when I was in Cleveland, Ohio, to cover a college football game in 1949.
If you’ve ever attended a John Pizzarelli concert, you know you get a lot of conversation and banter along with some swinging tunes and vocals.
Australian-born Adrian Cunningham got hooked on jazz early in life listening to his father’s collection of 78 RPM records. As he began to achieve success
For more than four decades former Stan Kenton lead-trumpeter Mike Vax has traveled the United States and overseas preaching and playing the Jazz Gospel. So
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