Meschiya Lake: ‘I’m Not Just a Jazz Singer’
Dave Doyle
November 30, 2022
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
Hotshot pianist Emmet Cohen brought his well-traveled trio with bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Kyle Poole to Ithaca College August 26, 2022, for a freewheeling
A Brief History of the Premier All-Women Swing Orchestra The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was a racially mixed sixteen-piece all-women Swing orchestra. The word ‘International’
Asked how he sees his multiple roles as a maker of music, historian, writer and educator, John Clark responded, “I love all kinds of music,
From 1960 to 1970, “Dixieland at Disneyland” was an annual event at the park. Walt Disney was a great fan of Traditional Jazz and Dixieland
This is the second in a five-part series covering the unique and very productive career of Duke Ellington. Ellington was 30 when 1930 began and
It was May 26, 1942 and 19-year old tenor-saxophonist Illinois Jacquet was set to be featured on “Flying Home” with the Lionel Hampton big band.
Jeff Barnhart: We return this month to conclude our exploration of the remaining sides by the New Orleans-based Halfway House Orchestra, recorded between October 1927
My first attendance at a live concert in months brought many emotions and memories. First, and foremost I was reminded how much pure joy radiates
Charles Leslie Johnson published his 1911 rag Cloud Kisser pseudonymously as Raymond Birch. Cloud Kisser is a lighthearted piece, yet has moments of surprising warmth
William Alexander “Sonny” Greer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on December 13, 1895 (according to most sources). Sonny Greer met and befriended Edward
In 1987, Charles H. Templeton, a 1949 graduate of Mississippi State University, donated his collection of 200 antique music players dating from about 1895 to
TUCSON JAZZ FESTIVAL (Tucson, AZ) Jan. 13-22 A week long city wide event with individually-ticketed concerts at the historic Fox and Rialto theaters, as well
In the late 1880s Thomas Edison perfected his phonograph, and set up the Edison phonograph works in Orange, New Jersey, and at the same time
It is glorious time of the year when summer (and hurricane season) ends, when strolls through the French Quarter are pleasant and when parading groups
I was aware musicians were streaming performances on FaceBook, YouTube, and similar, but I didn’t have the confidence (or the Wifi capability) to join in.
A chilly weekend in early November did not keep an encouraging number of traditional jazz fans from attending the 32nd annual Arizona Classic Jazz Festival
There are months (and this is one of them) when I feel I am at best a poor servant of Jazz. I’m like one of
Anybody who wonders why a band breaks up has never been in a real band. Allow me to give a great example. Before I moved
Beginning in the 1920s, as a Black middle class began to emerge across America, widespread automobile ownership opened new opportunities to travel. But Jim Crow
The world of Trad Jazz has lost another light. Jim Maihack died on April 30, 2022, of a massive brain hemorrhage that none of us
In the area of ragtime, Dave Jasen—who died Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at age 84—was an institution. He wrote the definitive books on the subject
“I could see that, if not entirely disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled.” P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters Dave Jasen always seemed
The Jazz Jubilee Team is working round the clock (literally) to bring you the best possible festival early next year, January 12th-15th 2023. All of
Clarinetist Pee Wee Russell (1906-69) and tenor-saxophonist Coleman Hawkins (1904-69), despite being active during the same decades, rarely crossed paths in the studios. On Nov.
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
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
While Benny Goodman recorded an enormous amount of music in his career, particularly if one includes radio broadcasts, transcriptions and live concerts, it is fairly
June Richmond (1919-62) is best remembered (if she is remembered at all) for being the first African-American singer to be part of a white big
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Al Hirt (1922-99) was one of the most popular of all New Orleans trumpeters. Blessed with phenomenal technique, he sometimes
There are many albums released each year by small and not so small labels featuring a talented female vocalist covering songbook standards. The promotors sending
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
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
In the past, Jonathan Doyle has lent his always aggressive tenor sax and clarinet playing to the traditional and classic jazz bands Tuba Skinny and
The High Standards’ latest release is a four-track EP called My Josephine, which isn’t much music to review. Fortunately the band completed a full-length, self-titled
Recently I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a British jazz fan. I’d heard a lot about the drive for authenticity, which seems
On this third volume of Once More from the Beginning! by the Red Beans ‘n’ Rice Jazz Band, only three members play on all 29
Vol.7, No.12 December 2022
Meschiya Lake: “I’m Not Just a Jazz Singer”, by Dave Doyle
Why Bands Break Up, by Jim Syoen
The International Sweethearts of Rhythm 1937-1949, by Dave Radlauer
The Story of Duke Ellington, Part 2: 1930-1939, by Scott Yanow
John Clark: Musician, Historian, Teacher, Author, by Lew Shaw
Didn’t He Ramble? Yes! I Heard That Muskrat Ramblin’ Man!, by Hal Smith
PBS Documentary Explores “Green Book” for Black Musicians, by Russ Tarby
Dave Jasen: A Remembrance, by Sam Carner
“The Song Is Ended…” James H. Maihack 1935-2022, by Wendy Maihack
Jazz Jubilee by the Sea Set to Make a Splash in 2023, by Rhonda Cardinal
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Sonny Greer, illustration by Joe Busam
Static from my Attic, by Andy Senior
Final Chorus: David Alan Jasen, by Larry Melton
Jazz Jottings: Back from the AZ Classic, by Lew Shaw
My Inspirations: Further Adventures of a Reluctant Luddite, by Jeff Barnhart
Ragtime Vignettes: Cloud Kisser, by Brandon Byrne
Quarter Notes: Autumn in…New Orleans!, by Shelly Gallichio
Zon-O-Phone: Universally Dysfunctional, by R.S. Baker
Ain’t Cha Got Music: Halfway House Orch, Pt. 2, by Jeff Barnhart & Hal Smith
Festival Roundup, compiled by Joe Bebco
Jazz Travels: Interview with Chip Templeton, by Bill Hoffman
Profiles in Jazz: Illinois Jacquet, by Scott Yanow
Blowing off the Dust: Lovestruck Balladeers and Young Pianists, by Larry Melton
Emmet Cohen Trio at Ithaca College, review and photo by John Herr
Nights at the Turntable, CD reviews by Scott Yanow
Doyle’s Discs, CD reviews by Dave Doyle
Off the Beaten Tracks, CD reviews by Joe Bebco
Once More from the Beginning, Vol. 3, CD Review by Bert Thompson
Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues, Movie Review by Steve Provizer
Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues: An Appreciation, by Michael Steinman
The Fed Hop, CD review by Ted des Plantes
