Scott Yanow

(Jazz Classic of the Month) Art Tatum was amazing. Arguably the greatest musician to ever perform jazz, Tatum could play piano with blinding speed and

Carl Sonny Leyland is well known in the U.S. as a powerful blues, boogie-woogie, and stride pianist as well as being a fine blues singer.

Neville Dickie, one of the top stride and boogie-woogie pianists of the past 50 years, has led at least 28 albums since 1966, having a

The Bunk Johnson Story would make for a fascinating movie. Born around 1889 (he claimed it was 1879 so he could say that he had

British bandleader-trombonist Chris Barber was very fortunate to have two great clarinetists in his band for extended periods: Monty Sunshine (1953-60) and Ian Wheeler (1961-68).

Trumpeter Ken Colyer (1928-88) always fought for what he believed in. From the start, he loved ensemble-oriented New Orleans jazz, and he never really veered

Imagine visiting a friend who owns a huge 78 collection, and enjoying an evening discussing music and life with him while your friend pulls out

Pete Allen, who plays most of the reeds but is best known as a clarinetist, first recorded with his brother banjoist Bernie Allen’s group in

Joe Licari has been a top clarinetist for over 60 years although widespread fame seems to have eluded him. How many musicians still on the

Since he burst upon the national jazz scene in the mid-1970s, tenor-saxophonist Scott Hamilton has been remarkably consistent. A world-class player from the start, he

With the popularity of Dixieland throughout the 1950s, there were occasional attempts to “update” the music and place the repertoire in a different setting. A

Vic Lewis (1919-2009) had his life changed when he first heard the music of Stan Kenton. From then on, he led modern jazz bands in

Johnny Guarnieri Plays Harry Warren is a single CD that has been reissued as a companion to the wonderful Guarnieri biography, Superstride by Derek Coller

Big Bill Bissonnette (1937-2018) made a major contribution to New Orleans revival jazz. In addition to being a fine trombonist most inspired by his idol

V-Discs (short for “Victory Discs”) hold a unique place in music history. During 1943-49, special recording sessions were held to produce 78s that were specifically

Trumpeter Frankie Newton (1906-54) receives career spanning treatment in his own three-CD set from the Acrobat label which has excellent liner notes by Paul Watts.

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