Introduction Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow was a jazz musician/marijuana seller and author (with writer Bernard Wolfe) of a singular autobiography, Really The Blues. The book, set
One of the most popular pastimes in jazz is debating a musician’s status in the jazz pantheon. There are some about whom there is little
Interracial Jazz Recordings Before 1935: An Introduction Over the last 20 years, the trend has been to interpret jazz history through the lens of current
There aren’t many musicians still around who began their careers in the late 1940s. Far fewer have the incredible memory of bassist Bill Crow, who
One could fill a bookshelf with Louis Armstrong biographies, and any film that would tell the great man’s complete story would have to be many
While there’s a special place in cinematic hell reserved for characters portrayed as trumpet players (“The Trumpeter’s Cinematic Curse,” TST, August 2019), the perennial theme
The history of Jazz is rife with disreputable tropes—brothels, gangsters, dives and dope. But transgressive or not, jazz is an art that prizes finding your
Singer-lyricist-bandleader-entertainer, Noble Sissle occupies an unusual place in the world of ragtime, jazz and show business. He was one of the best-known musicians of the
Billie Holiday has inspired a number of books–often with conflicting views–that try to get a handle on her tumultuous and complex life. There’s an autobiography
A codified solo provides the audience with the experience of hearing something they’ve become familiar with through recordings. Jazz musicians, among themselves, have always loved
It’s easy to think that the group of songs we call “Standards” and the “Great American Songbook” emerged with a quality of “timelessness” directly from
This film has received a lot of kudos and I can understand why: it’s an excellent piece of filmmaking. There are no energy let-downs throughout
Cladys “Jabbo” Smith was born in 1908 and became a professional trumpet player at age 15. He showed up in New York City in 1925
There may be some question about whether certain singers are “jazz” singers, but there is no question about Sheila Jordan’s jazz bona fides. She has
With the recent passing of Johnny Mandel, I wanted to honor those gifted jazz musicians who, like Mandel, began as just another member of a
Peggy Lee (nee Norma Deloris Egstrom) was one of the vocalists who made their mark with big bands in the 1940s. Some of these included
I asked multi-instrumentalist Don Vappie some questions about his life growing up and becoming a musician in the Crescent City. (His latest release, The Blue
The role of each instrument in a jazz ensemble has changed as the music has changed, but the most dramatic transformation has been the role
If you can imagine turning on the radio and hearing a song you wrote credited to someone else, you’re probably a believer in the concept
This biography of jazz multi-instrumentalist Adrian Rollini has a long history. The book was started in 1980 by Dutch musician and jazz scholar Tom Faber.
We in the jazz musical world are tired of being ignored by the media moguls who feed the bottomless American appetite for reality TV. Ever
The great cornet player Rex Stewart, best known for his work with Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington, was also a prolific writer. He contributed to
We like to assume that the recorded body of American roots music-blues, jazz and “hillbilly”/country-accurately represents the best work of America’s diverse musical community in
Jack Sheldon (November 30, 1931-December 27, 2019) and Chet Baker (December 23, 1929- May 13, 1988) are two trumpeter/vocalists with a great deal in common.
