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
The Jazz Journalists Association has recognized 27 “activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz” from 23 cities as its 2020 Jazz Heroes. The list
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
