I can’t believe that I ever functioned without Internet email, social media, and especially without the benefit of search engines and databases. As someone who
As a long-time jazz fan (over 70 years), I find that I’m no longer as distressed by the doomsayers who say “Jazz is dead!” or,
The Original Cornell Syncopators were founded in 2016 at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, by cornetist Colin Hancock with the goal of creating an ensemble dedicated
I confess it: I was not raised on jazz. My earliest memories have a soundtrack of fifties and sixties music, and my dance education began
With lyrics by Joan Javits, the niece of U.S. Sen. Jacob Javits, the 1953 song “Santa Baby” was a tongue-in-cheek Christmas-wish list sung by a
Raised in Melbourne, Australia, Simon Wettenhall rebelled against his family’s preference for classical music. “I was the renegade,” he says. Once he heard a Louis
In December it is customary to review the major events of the year but I’m far too off-put by this year’s chaos so I decided
Like the Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival that I reported on last month, Jeff and Joel’s House Party is a small event in
On Sunday October 23, 2016, the city of Philadelphia celebrated jazz guitar pioneer Eddie Lang (born Salvatore Massaro) with a mural located at 7th and
The title of a Thomas Wolfe novel published in 1940 told us that “You can’t go home again” but for 25 of the past 27
DANNY BARKER BANJO & GUITAR FESTIVAL. (New Orleans, La.) – Jan. 12-15. The third annual Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival will get under way
At the opening concert of this year’s Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, Missouri, Mayor Stephen Galliher announced that the Missouri State Legislature had
It’s been a challenging year. Look I’m not going to bore you with the details of that. It’s bad copy and no one likes a
As a bandleader performing for many swing dancers in recent years (in the US and worldwide), I’m inspired to see the reuniting of jazz and
I face the task of writing this essay with more than a little dread. Last month’s “Static” expressed my views concisely and effectively, and if
AL STEWART, 89, on Oct. 17 in Sarasota, FL. A first-chair swing trumpeter who for over 55 years played with some of the biggest names
Cabell Calloway III was born in Rochester, New York on Christmas Day, 1907. Cab’s family was upper middle class: his mother, Martha Eulalia Reed was
Dean Norman contributes a Christmas song he composed with the late Sister Jean Huling several years ago. He writes: “A few years ago, about 2005,
Citing a loss in sponsor revenue and donations, the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society has issued an appeal to members and volunteers to raise $50,000 to
Related stories: Sacramento Jazz Education Foundation Launches Instrument Match Program (2018) The former Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society Foundation has a new name. (Story from submitted
Sometimes our past lives come back to haunt us in strange ways. I’m not referring to anything paranormal. Reincarnation is a jolly concept but it
Bassist Alcide “Slow Drag” Pavageau was a member of Bunk Johnson’s band during 1944-46 and was a regular fixture with clarinetist George Lewis for decades.
Henry “Red” Allen (1908-67) was one of the greatest and most advanced of the early New Orleans trumpeters. He was always a bit of a
Any self-respecting swing fan should know about the Midiri Brothers. The twins, clarinetist Joe Midiri and vibraphonist Paul Midiri, are two of the most consistently
Woody Allen has long loved early jazz, whether it is Sidney Bechet, Django Reinhardt or virtually any of the giants of the 1920s and ‘30s.
Do you enjoy hot small-group swing? Then Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders’ self-titled CD is definitely for you. Bassist Gamble utilizes an octet or
In The Tradition/April In New Orleans is a single CD containing the music of two very complementary former LPs, both of which feature the frontline
It seems like all the good news this past month has come from Chicago. First, the Chicago Cubs broke a 107-year losing streak to win
Ken Peplowski assembled his team-mates for this charming CD and chose a variety of tunes, some of which are outside the usual jazz repertoire. His
Tom Jacobsen has lived many lives. He’s an archeologist, an author, a
“You see, art is a matter of mastering the devices of expression.
Looking back on the 2016 Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival with all
Vol.1, No.11 December 2016
Chloe Feoranzo: A Joyful Rustling among the Reeds, by Richard Simon
Hoosierland and Sunshine State Jazz, by Van Young
Brian Holland: Predestined to Perform, by Lew Shaw
The Legacy of Jazz: Embracing Diversity, by Stephanie Robinson
Looking Back at. . .1916? by Larry Melton
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Cab Calloway, illustration by Gary Price
Static from my Attic: A Hot Jazz Space for Civility, by Andy Senior
Final Chorus, Compiled by Lew Shaw
Jazz Jottings, by Lew Shaw
Jazz Travels: Jeff and Joel’s House Party, by Bill Hoffman
Festival Roundup, Compiled by Russ Tarby
Blowing off the Dust: The Power of Internet Connection, Larry Melton
No More Challenges!, by Randi Cee
The Professor is IN: On Jazz and Dancing, by Adrian Cunningham
What Louis Said: Solid Gassuh, by CD review Andy Senior
Murray Talks Music, book review by Joe Bebco
Book Reviews: Jacobsen and Karp, reviewed by Russ Tarby & Larry Melton
Nights at the Turntable, CD reviews by Scott Yanow
Enrapture by Ken Peplowski, CD review by F. Norman Vickers
Sacramento Society Seeks to Raise $50K, by Lew Shaw
“Santa Baby”,by Russ Tarby
“Santa Is on his Way” (song), by Dean Norman & Jean Huling
Scott Joplin Highway Designated, by Larry Melton
Baby Soda Trumpeter Digs “Jubilee Stomp”, by Russ Tarby
Jazz Gallery (photographs)
The Original Cornell Syncopators, by Colin Hancock
A Little off the Top (poem), by Andy Senior
What to Do Until the Piano Tuner Leaves, by Andy Senior