Ever since she made her recording debut during 1981-83 and particularly since the early 1990s, Rebecca Kilgore has been one of jazz’s top swing singers.
By 1941, Lionel Hampton (who turned 33 that year) was quite famous. His exuberant playing with the Benny Goodman Quartet and Sextet and his series
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH One of the most remarkable reissues ever put out was the 21-LP box set The Complete Keynote Collection. Originally a
Ella Logan (1913-1969) was a versatile singer and actress who was always a bit difficult to pin down. She could sing jazz, dramatic ballads, songs
Founded in 2019, the Hot Toddies Jazz Band is a popular swing group based in New York that is led by drummer Patrick Soluri and
Some recordings are a pure joy to hear. The French Preservation Hall New Orleans Jazz Band specializes in music that at its best is a
The Upbeat label has, under the guidance of its founder-producer Liz Biddle, been reissuing gems from the past in their “Great Jazz” series which is
There is no other performer on the jazz scene quite like Gunhild Carling. It is not enough that she is able to sing in several
Lionel Hampton, the first significant jazz vibraphonist in history, was a one-of-a-kind entertainer. He would do almost anything to excite audiences and it was impossible
The French violinist Mathilde Febrer has had a wide-ranging career. Although trained in classical music, jazz interested her much more. She has performed with rock
There has never been a shortage of Bing Crosby recordings that were readily available. The most popular (and one of the most versatile) singers of
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Benjamin Baruch Ambrose (1896-1971) who was known as Ambrose, was one of the top British bandleaders of the late 1920s
Thelma Carpenter (1922-97) was a fine singer and a skilled actress. She performed in New York City clubs as early as 1938, was discovered by
Nat King Cole (1919-65) had such success, first as an influential jazz pianist and then as a ballad singer, that he completely overshadowed the careers
Early Jazz, a paperback book by Fumi Tomita, has as its subtitle “A Concise Introduction, from Its Beginnings through 1929.” Tomita conceived of his book
He was billed as “the 20th Century Gabriel” because of his high-note work and flamboyant solos. Very popular during his heyday and the leader of
Trumpeter-singer Bria Skonberg continues to stretch herself on her latest recording, What It Means. While designed partly as a tribute to New Orleans, it features
TWO RELEASES FROM JAZZOLOGY Two CDs put out by Jazzology in 2020 are well worth discovering. Trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso and clarinetist Evan Christopher are among
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH George Bruns (1914-83),no relation to George Brunies, was the musical director and a major arranger for Walt Disney Studios from
Joe Mares, the younger brother of cornetist Paul Mares of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, played clarinet but did not record himself. More significantly, in
1944 was a rather busy year for pianist James P. Johnson (1894-1955). Johnson, if not the first (although he was the earliest on records), was
