
Maxine Sullivan
Maxine Sullivan was born as Marietta Lillian Williams in Homestead, Pennsylvania, on May 13, 1911. As a teenager she sang on the radio in Pittsburgh

Maxine Sullivan was born as Marietta Lillian Williams in Homestead, Pennsylvania, on May 13, 1911. As a teenager she sang on the radio in Pittsburgh

Of all of the major jazz orchestra leaders of the 1930s and ’40s, Artie Shaw undoubtedly led the most big bands, six during 1936-49. His

JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH While New Orleans traditional jazz has had several major revivals from the mid-1930s on, the opening of Preservation Hall in

Ella Fitzgerald (1917-96) had a rough start to her life, living in poverty and actually being homeless for a period. However after winning the Apollo

It is certainly not an understatement to say that George Gershwin (1898-1937) accomplished a great deal during his 38 years. Ranging from popular songs to


A superb swing and classic pianist (he held his own with Dick Hyman on a duo piano album), Chris Hopkins is based in Germany where

The combination of tenor-saxophonist Harry Allen, pianist Rossano Sportiello, and drummer Bryan Carter (who takes an occasional vocal) is certainly a hit throughout their new

Bela Fleck has been undoubtedly the most remarkable banjo player of the past half-century, often taking his instrument to places it had never been before.

Oscar Moore (1916-81) will always be best remembered for being the guitarist with the Nat King Cole Trio during 1937-47. His tasteful and fluent guitar

Mary Lou Williams had a unique career. For much of her life she was called “jazz’s greatest female musician” but in reality she was simply

JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH George Buck (1928-2013) recorded and released so many rewarding New Orleans jazz albums throughout his life that it is easy

The Boswell Sisters (Connie, Martha and Vet) were arguably the greatest jazz vocal group of all time, ranking at the top with the Mills Brothers


With the rapid evolution of jazz and the emphasis on coming up with new ways to play the music, there have been periods when certain

Duke Ellington’s compositions have been sung so often, particularly those that he wrote prior to the early 1950s, that it is surprising that it was

Ricky Riccardi, who has his dream job as the Director of Research Collections for the Louis Armstrong House Museum, began his trilogy of definitive Louis

Albany Leon “Barney” Bigard was born in New Orleans on March 3, 1906. Bigard began on the E-flat clarinet when he was seven. He took

Throughout his career and during the nearly 60 years since his death, Paul Whiteman (1890-1967) and his music have been both overrated and underrated. The


By the time that the concert on Live In Paris (from Apr. 24, 1962) was performed, Louis Armstrong had been a world traveler for quite

JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH The music at the Super Bowl halftime shows are famous for being pretty forgettable (some would say horrendous) except for

It may seem surprising that Duke Ellington, who took over Elmer Snowden’s Washingtonians in 1924, did not have a regular vocalist until late in 1931.

Harry “The Hipster” Gibson (1915-91) was a unique character in jazz history. In some ways he was the jazz equivalent to rock and roll’s Jerry