We all know about Louis Armstrong’s mobster managers and the vicious knifing of vocalist Joe E. Lewis in 1927 in Chicago. We remember that Al
Beginning in the 1920s, as a Black middle class began to emerge across America, widespread automobile ownership opened new opportunities to travel. But Jim Crow
With a crystalline voice inspired by none other than Ella Fitzgerald, London jazz singer Cherise Adams-Burnett makes a spectacular film debut fronting a hot combo
Clarinetist and bandleader George “Skip” Parsons, died April 21, following a stroke. He was 86. For 66 years, Skip Parsons’ Riverboat Jazz Band reigned as
When rocker Lenny Kravitz announced the winner of the 2022 Grammy Awards’ Album of the Year on April 3, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena
In early April, The Jazz Journalists Association announced its 2022 class of 28 Jazz Heroes, among the honorees was Syncopated Times publisher Andy Senior. The
Dave Davies shines as one of Ithaca’s most talented and most versatile musicians. In recent years, he’s best known for his work with the Gypsy
Relentlessly repetitive commercials are one of the most irritating aspects of television. Especially egregious are personal injury attorneys, supplemental Medicare plans, auto insurance and Car
Bandleader, songwriter and cellist Leo Crandall died suddenly on May 29, in Syracuse, N.Y. He was 67 years old. Born in Detroit, he moved to
Jazz drummer Al Hartland died May 23 of heart disease, in Ithaca, N.Y. He was 71. Born Alexander S. Micucci in Philadelphia, Pa., Al grew
Over her 50-plus-year career, Maria Muldaur has worked with dozens of musical giants and geniuses, from Ry Cooder to Duke Robillard to Jerry Garcia. She
When an iconic female vocalist steps up to front the world’s spunkiest, funkiest trad-jazz combo, musical fireworks soon ensue. The icon is jug-band veteran Maria
It had been a long time coming, but the 1811/Kid Ory Historic House in LaPlace, Louisiana, swung open its doors to visitors for the first
Arnold Koch, the former manager of the Salt City Five (later the Salt City Six) died Jan. 13 at his home in Melrose, Mass. He
Lew Shaw thanks his lucky stars that he was born in 1926. That meant he came of age—as a man and as a music fan—at
In the 1930s, Louis Armstrong was sittin’ on top of the world. Fronting big bands such as Carroll Dickerson’s Windy City outfit and Luis Russell’s
–The 1947 film New Orleans altered jazz history by inspiring Louis Armstrong to form his small-group All-Stars, a format he maintained for the rest of
With public gatherings (including concerts and festivals) banned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, live music has faded into a mere memory. Orlando, Florida, jazzman Charlie
Annabelle Allan Short, known professionally as Annie Ross, died on July 21 in New York City, four days ahead of her 90th Birthday. She was
Update: Annie Ross Died on July 21st, 2020. As vocalese pioneer Annie Ross approaches her 90th birthday on July 25, she finds herself in need
A Happy Accident that Lasted a Lifetime For most of his musical career, Upstate New York banjoman Dick Sheridan has made his bones with trad-jazz
The Fillius Jazz Archive, a priceless oral-history collection at Hamilton College, is 25 years old this March. Under the guidance of saxophonist-educator Monk Rowe, the
Mardi Gras dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, such as the raucous Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. When
Lucien Barbarin, a hardworking trombonist and native son of New Orleans succumbed to prostate cancer on Thursday, he was 63. He was diagnosed last March
