In the 1930s, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire introduced and popularized dozens of songs that became standards. Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards (1895-1971) preceded them in
Ruth Etting (1896-1978) was the female equivalent of Bing Crosby during her peak years. Like Crosby, Etting gave jazz feeling and relaxed phrasing to pop
They were two of the finest saxophonists of the 1920s, ranking at the top with Sidney Bechet (soprano sax), Jimmy Dorsey and Johnny Hodges (alto),
If a poll were taken of jazz pianists, other instrumentalists, critics, and knowledgeable fans that asked who was the most remarkable jazz musician of all
Paying tribute to a jazz instrumentalist can be a tricky proposition, particularly if one plays the same instrument. A balance has to be found between
Noelle Goforth has a beautiful voice and a love for swing standards. On her CD ’Deed I Do, she performs a dozen of her favorite
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Jimmy McPartland (1907-91) played rewarding cornet solos for over a half-century. McPartland also took an occasional vocal and was always
2024 is the centennial of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody In Blue,” serving as an excellent excuse for exploring his music. Classical pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and pianist-singer
Listening to Al Jolson (1896-1950) is always a guilty pleasure for me. On the one hand, he was considered by many to be the world’s
1924 found America deep in the Jazz Age with speakeasies, bootleggers, and hot jazz as the soundtrack. Calvin Coolidge was president (winning re-election in November),
In music history, it ranked with Igor Stravinsky’s debut of The Rite Of Spring in 1913 and Bob Dylan “going electric” at the 1965 Newport
During the Swing era, bandleaders had a variety of different opinions about the importance of employing a female singer. Some, such as Artie Shaw, considered
Jimmy McPartland was born on March 15, 1907, in Chicago. Jimmy played violin as a child, and at 15 switched permanently to the cornet. In
Although I never thought that I would have the name of Elvis Presley in any of my Syncopated Times reviews, the recent compilation Inspiring Elvis
Few swing era sidemen had as much commercial success in later years as Jonah Jones (1908-2000). A hot trumpeter with Stuff Smith’s combo on 52nd
Jazz Classic of the Month Doc Evans (1907-77) was a reliably hot cornetist who spent much of his life living and playing in Minnesota. He
Pete Allen has been leading bands for 45 years and, although the personnel of his sextet has changed many times, his brand of joyful and
During the big band era, nearly every orchestra (swing or sweet) was comprised of male instrumentalists, a male vocalist (who was sometimes one of the
Drummer Hal Smith is involved with so many overlapping bands and projects (both as a leader and a sideman) that the only predictable aspect to
Don Byas (1913-72) was one of the greatest jazz tenor saxophonists of all time, but because he was in the shadow of Coleman Hawkins (his
Sidney Bechet (1897-1959) was a brilliant musician whose fascinating and sometimes dramatic life could make a great Hollywood movie. Born in New Orleans and self-taught
