A Chiaroscuro Christmas
Scott Yanow
November 29, 2023
Jazz Classic of the Month There have been a countless number of jazz Christmas albums recorded and released during the past 60 years. One of
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Jazz Classic of the Month There have been a countless number of jazz Christmas albums recorded and released during the past 60 years. One of
The long-venerable practice of “ragging the classics” is at play in Bob Milne’s Christmas-themed CD Silent Night, Ragged Night. The disc contains fifteen popular Christmas
Founded in 2002, the River Rasin Ragtime Revue is one of the premier ragtime ensembles in the country. They have grown support in their local
The George Gee Swing Orchestra is the house band at Swing 46, a long-running nightclub in Times Square. Gee has been leading big bands since
How’s your French? Tea for 20’s is a traditional jazz band playing for swing dancers in Montreal. While their last full length album was a
Dan Gabel, the remarkable young man on the cover of our March 2021 issue, started a band while still a Dorsey obsessed 13 year old
A chanteuse from LA who performs under a single name, Jeudi likes to dig deep for vocal gems of the ’30s to ’50s. Her album
I reviewed a very special album from the UK-based Down for the Count a few months ago. They are a jazz collective, something like James
The Christmas albums I reviewed this year progressed from full band to big band to orchestra and on up to orchestra with strings and vocal
Last month I reviewed My Window Faces The South, a charming album of Western Swing and trad jazz from Sweet Megg, who has been recently
Tony Kieraldo is a pianist for Postmodern Jukebox, an outfit known for reimaging current pop songs as jazz age hits on YouTube. Since growing large
Strange as it seems, Louis Armstrong never recorded a Christmas album. Xmas records have become so common since the 1970s but they were rarer before
Greg Ruby is one of the most notable guitarists in traditional jazz right now. His albums are often much more than albums, full on projects
Christmas songs have always had chord changes that appeal to trad jazz and swing players (probably because many were written prior to 1950) and serve
One thing I’ve always appreciated from the Three Blind Mice is the sense of humor they bring to their playing. With Sébastien Girardot on bass,
A busy trumpeter on the New York scene, Benny Benack III is also an entertaining vocalist with a voice that, it so happens, is uniquely
We all know the Austin area is a young musician’s paradise, and that San Antonio has a rich tradition of great jazz most strongly associated
Since 1985 performances of Bending Towards the Light… A Jazz Nativity have been a staple of the season for residents of New York City. The
Want some traditional Christmas music that’s somewhat jazzy and doesn’t sound like what you’ll hear when shopping at your favorite department store? Like the challenge
In a normal year (if you can recall those), I’d call the holiday season peak swing dance. Sure, summer has its big camps with celebrity
La Lucha is an open-minded jazz trio based in Tampa Bay, Florida that consists of pianist John O’Leary, bassist Alejandro Arenas, and drummer Mark Feinman.
A hard working guitarist on the New York City scene Dave Stryker has released over thirty albums since arriving in the city in 1980. In
I’ve often pondered on the idea that I might have come from a different planet. Gradually but persistently, the evidence has been building for years.
Some of our readers have laser focused tastes in early jazz. You know who you are. For those particular moldy figs it can be hard
