Scott Yanow

He was Great Britain’s first major jazz star. Trumpeter-singer Nat Gonella (1908-98) could be thought of as the British Louis Armstrong since Satch was his

Producer John Hammond was always a major proponent of integration and of recognizing the greatness of the top African-American jazz artists. While still in his

It is felt by many that when one plays a rag, the pianist should stick exactly to the written music, treating it as if it

Trumpeter Danny Tobias is perhaps best-known for his association with the Midiri Brothers Sextet, but he has also led his own groups and worked with

The British Lake label, which has done an admirable job of reissuing and repackaging British traditional jazz from 1950-65 along with putting out newly recorded

One of the best known of the early traditional New Orleans brass bands was the Eureka Brass Band. Founded around 1920 by trumpeter Willie Wilson,

The GHB/Jazzology collection of labels includes Paramount. While Paramount is primarily known for its large assortment of classic and country blues recordings, it also documented

Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy is arguably Satch’s finest recording of the 1950s. At the time, the Louis Armstrong All-Stars included trombonist Trummy Young, clarinetist

George Buck (1928-2013) had quite a career as the head of GHB and Jazzology Records (both of which he founded) and other labels such as

In 2014, during the festival season in New Orleans, cornetist Jamie Wight invited some of his favorite musicians who were in town to do some

For 42 years Rich Conaty, who passed away near the end of 2016, delighted in playing rare recordings from the 1920s and ‘30s on his

Jimmie Noone (1895-1944) was one of the great clarinetists to emerge from New Orleans. Compared to Sidney Bechet and Johnny Dodds, Noone had a softer

The British Lake label has reissued hundreds of valuable sessions by most of the best-known and most influential trad players of the 1950s and ’60s

Due to the popularity of Dixieland and New Orleans jazz in the United States during the 1950s, bands were often featured on the radio, including

During October and November 1957, trombonist Jack Teagarden and pianist Earl Hines co-led an all-star group that toured England and France. In ways, the sextet

Ziggy Elman (1914-68) could have been a contender but he waited too long to start his own big band. Born Harry Finkleman, he learned to

The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra was the first jazz big band to really swing. Arranger Don Redman figured out how to get the large ensemble sounding

Lars Edegran’s Palm Court Jazz All Stars’ Hello Dolly gathers together some of the finest players on the New Orleans scene today. Edegran on piano

One of the most popular singers of the 1926-37 period, Ruth Etting (1897-1978) may not have technically been a jazz singer since she did not

Earl Hines (1903-83) was one of the top jazz pianists of all time. His ability to suspend time, taking potentially reckless out-of-time runs while never

Roger Wolfe Kahn was the son of millionaire banker Otto Kahn. He loved jazz from an early age (as did his father) and, while he

A brilliant pianist who first played at Carnegie Hall when he was nine, William McNally is not only an expert on ragtime but on its

Her story has become increasingly well-known during the past decade. The daughter of pianist-arranger Luis Russell (who during 1929-31 led one of jazz’s great bands)

In Duke Ellington’s career, it is not an exaggeration to say that he and his orchestra were in their prime from mid-1926 when they found

Terry Lightfoot (1935-2013) was a significant British trad clarinetist and bandleader for several decades. After leading a band in 1952 and serving in the RAF,

Starting in the late 1950s and continuing through the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, clarinetist Pete Fountain and trumpeter Al Hirt were two of the most

Canadian jazz singer Susie Arioli on her prior recordings has generally been teamed up with guitarist Jordan Officer, performing swing standards in intimate settings. Her

Pianist Brian Holland and drummer Danny Coots were getting ready to record their fifth duo album when, spontaneously on the day of the session, they

While he is well known in the classic jazz circuit as one of the top boogie-woogie and blues pianists around today, Carl Sonny Leyland (who

Sidney Bechet (1897-1959) was the first significant jazz horn soloist to be showcased on record, soloing throughout “Wild Cat Blues” and “Kansas City Man Blues”

Clarinetist Edmond Hall (1901-67) had a distinctive tone that was so passionate that he could easily cut through a large ensemble. While he played with

Joe “King” Oliver’s innovative and influential recordings from 1923 with his Creole Jazz Band are his most famous sessions but he proved to be an

Drummer Benny Amón, who is originally from Davis, California, moved to New Orleans in 2011 and has been an important part of the local scene

Johnny Dodds had such a distinctive style on clarinet in the 1920s, that during his lifetime very few (other than Jimmy O’Bryant) tried to sound

Doctor Jazz magazine from Holland, on their record label, recently compiled two fascinating sets that are filled with music that very few have heard. The

Strange as it seems, there was apparently plenty of rewarding jazz to be heard in Holland during the Nazi occupation of the 1940s despite rather

Bryan Wright’s Rivermont label has released many rewarding recordings featuring hot jazz combos, ragtime, and novelty ragtime pianists, bands from the 1920s, and other miscellaneous

After periods of time as the trumpeter with Stuff Smith’s Onyx Club Boys in the 1930s and as a key member of the Cab Calloway

Echoes of Swing is a European quartet comprised of Colin T. Dawson on trumpet and occasional vocals, altoist Chris Hopkins, pianist Bernd Lhotzky and drummer

Pianist Brun Campbell (1884-1952), a student of Scott Joplin, is the recent subject of a book written by Larry Karp called Brun Campbell: The Original

The 18 recordings of Madame Tussaud’s Dance Orchestra, the 16 best of which are included on Rockin’ In Rhythm, have always occupied an unusual place

The recent revival of 1921’s Shuffle Along, the first Broadway show to be written and performed by African-Americans, is a welcome event. The score by

Jimmy Lytell (1904-72) may be a largely forgotten name today but he was quite busy in the 1920s. He was a member of the Original

John Bunch (1921-2010) was already in his mid-thirties before he made his first recordings, but he lasted long enough to leave behind a strong musical

Ken Grayson Mills (1937-2004) is a name that should be known by anyone interested in New Orleans jazz of the 1960s. He helped found Preservation

King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band is rightfully one of the most celebrated of all New Orleans jazz bands. Their recordings from 1923 were groundbreaking. Not

A fixture on the New York jazz scene since the 1980s, Marty Elkins sang at Jimmy Ryan’s and Eddie Condon’s establishment in their last days,

Veteran clarinetist Ted Borodofsky, in the liner notes to his recent CD Remember The Music, says that he recorded the 16 standards because he feared

Bing Crosby could sing anything except opera and sound perfectly relaxed, whether it was romantic ballads, Irish songs, patriotic numbers, novelties, or swinging romps. The

Among his many projects for his Lake label, years ago Paul Adams acquired and reissued most of the British trad jazz recordings that were originally

The recording industry and films grew up together. As early as 1895, a composition called “The Kinetoscope Dance” (which was available as sheet music) referred

The earliest musical recording that I have heard is Issler’s Orchestra performing the “Electric Light Quadrille” from 1889. But this album comes close. Charles A.

For the past 30 years, Mosaic has been one of the truly great reissue labels, issuing limited-edition box sets that feature all of the music

Chris Barber has had a remarkably long career. The 86-year old British trombonist first led a trad band in 1953, one that was co-led by

Tropical Swing by a group called Hot Steel & Cool Ukulele is a gentle, friendly, and pleasing set of Hawaiian-inspired music. Hot Steel & Cool

Joe Daniels may not be remembered much today but he was one of Great Britain’s top jazz drummers for decades, starting in the mid-1920s. In

The Ramblers was a Dutch swing band that made its first recordings in 1929 and lasted until the mid-1950s. It is perhaps best known for