Royce Martin Charts a New Path for Ragtime
Bryan Wright
November 30, 2023
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Even in 2023 buying albums is one of the most direct ways you can support jazz. It’s also one of the most rewarding. While many artists self produce there are a few labels releasing albums that appeal to TST readers. I will explore them below and I hope you take
Grace Johnston could sing and swing a tune with a drive and delivery that almost transcended description. And she really WAS from Dixie! She was born in Crowley (Acadia Parish). Louisiana. on December 17, 1903 (the very day of the Wright Brothers historic flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina). She
As the year speeds to an end and we focus on holiday gaiety, I am reminded of a Christmas day anniversary that deserves acknowledgment. The release of George Roy Hill’s The Sting occurred on December 25, 1973, 50 years ago. Anticipating this column, I began to collect impressions about the
Jeff Barnhart: Welcome back, Hal! I couldn’t start this next topic without you!! In an earlier column (TST Jan–Feb 2023) we enjoyed a two-part exploration of Edward “Kid” Ory’s early years, especially his stints in the 1920s in Chicago as a sideman in such legendary bands as, among others, Louis
The flugelhorn has become a staple in the jazz brass player’s arsenal. Its large bore and conical tubing make the tone mellower than the trumpet and the cornet and especially favored in ballads and Latin tunes. What the jazz audience may not know is that the flugelhorn was already being
“Erickson, usually erroneously labelled a Dixieland jazzman, was in every way a comprehensive modern musician, performer and composer whose interests ranged from the blues to Bartok,” wrote Phil Elwood in the San Francisco Examiner. When the gifted musician committed suicide in late 1967 it was a great shock to the
In a word association game, it would not be unusual for the word Swing to be followed by that of Count Basie. For nearly a half-century and the 40 years since, Basie and his big band have symbolized swing. It has always been difficult to listen to Basie’s music and
The Redwood Coast Music Festival was an ecstatic experience, an overwhelming banquet of music and friendship. (If that seems hyperbolic, I can adopt Eddie Condon’s highest praise, “It didn’t bother me.) Before we get to the music, something about transportation and the town. If one flies to the festival, the
Very, very occasionally I receive fan mail from a reader who has enjoyed one of my articles. Often it’s about one of my “forgotten ladies” pieces—those deep dives into the lives of jazzwomen whose pioneering contributions have been all but neglected by the history books (often leaning heavily on the
Loose pages, handsomely hard-bound volumes with ornate covers, and every configuration in between of sheet music are stacked on floor-to-ceiling shelves, cascading out of boxes on top of filing cabinets, strewn across tables, and piled precariously on every available surface including the floor. Inching along the narrow path that wanders
October is definitely the most beautiful month in New Orleans and after a mild hurricane season but extremely hot summer, it was welcomed by all! The hotels were packed, the restaurants filled and the music was enthralling throughout the French Quarter. The New Orleans Jazz Historical Park has many classes
In 1908, a relatively small publishing firm named Seminary Music published a piece called “Pineapple Rag” by Scott Joplin. At this time, Joplin had freshly moved to New York City and decided to set up there. In the coming years they would publish some of Joplin’s most innovative works. This
Recently while working on the history of the 1974 Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, I was distracted by an article an old friend had written, and it paused my work abruptly. The article was by Ron Jennings and though I know I had always realized his journalistic talent; it was as
The 34th Arizona Classic Jazz Festival, held as usual at the Crowne Plaza Golf Resort in downtown Chandler on November 2-5, was blessed with beautiful weather and even better music. It followed its standard format of four sets on opening night, all in one venue, and then 27 and 28
Robert “Bob” Effros was born December 6, 1900, in London, England. His Russian Jewish parents emigrated shortly afterward from London to Memphis, Tennessee. Bob ran away from home at age eleven and was hired as a purser on a Mississippi riverboat. There he learned to play the cornet leading him
“Oh, your life must be SOOOO glamorous!!” Any full-time musician traveling to eke out a living has undoubtedly heard this phrase hundreds of times in response to the requested description of where they’ve been and where they’re going next. Any full-time musician reading this knows the bubbling statement above is
Recorded ragtime music is fortunate to have had several fine historians (see References). Several of these diligent men and women have given us fine discographies of the early performers and composers. Contemporary performer and researcher Ramona Baker has credited Edward Issler’s Orchestra with perhaps the earliest syncopated instrumental recording; a
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 songs played in Milne’s distinctive piano style, as well as three lovely carols composed by Milne himself. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, reimagined as
It’s never not a chaotic month. I spent much of November arranging to have this paper mailed from a new post office. The Syracuse newspaper group in whose wake I sailed switched to a different printer, and their new printer could not meet my needs. The old printer (with whom
Pianist Bob Ravenscroft has an impressive resume of having worked with countless musicians, both with his own combos and with the Christian ministry, Majesty. In 2004, he founded Music Serving The Word Ministries (MSW) where he continues to create and encourage others “to discover new and innovative ways for music
On Friday, November 10, Colin Hancock received a GRAMMY nomination as producer of Archeophone’s The Moaniest Moan of them All: The Jazz Saxophone of Loren McMurray, 1920-1922. As Colin announced on Facebook that afternoon, “The Moaninest Moan of Them All has been nominated for the 2024 GRAMMY for Best Historical
It has come to our attention that we have grossly mischaracterized the 2023 Central Pennsylvania Ragtime & American Music Festival in our review of the event published in November 2023. Festival Director Andrew Greene wrote to say, “The main issue with the article is this line: ‘A more significant impact
Dr. Lee Eliot Berk, the namesake and second president of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, was a champion of music who dedicated his entire career to music education and building Berklee into an internationally-renowned institution that today is the desired destination for countless music students from across the
Steve Caddick passed away on November 5th, he was 73 years old. He spent his last day singing his favorite songs surrounded by his family. A lifelong banjo player he first studied at the feet of his father, Bill Caddick. He began serious study at the age of nine. He
Chicago based jazz bassist John Bany died on 5 November 2023, he was 81. He was the fifth in a generational family legacy of bassists and tuba players. He studied under bassists at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and earned a degree in music from Miami University, in Ohio. After winning
Manfred “Manni” Selchow died on November 5th, he was 87. While he was a good enough pianist to earn a scholarship, Manfred Selchow quickly realized he would never be in the top tier of jazz performers, so he decided to instead become a top tier jazz supporter. His family fled
Samara Joy has been getting a lot of publicity in the jazz world lately, and rightfully so. She has a beautiful voice, a wide range, full knowledge of the jazz vocabulary, always swings, and seems to pick out the best note for each moment, placing each sound perfectly for maximum
One depressing trend emerging from some of my recent artist interviews—specifically those profiling younger women—is a fear that they will become unemployably elderly before reaching middle age. After battling for recognition all through music school, winning industry accolades and rave reviews, female singers and musicians in their twenties worry that
During 1936-40, violinist Stuff Smith led one of the hottest groups in jazz, a sextet (later septet) that teamed him in the frontline with the explosive trumpeter Jonah Jones. Violin-trumpet combos are actually quite rare. Violinists Joe Venuti, Svend Asmussen, and Eddie South seem to have never recorded in that
It’s rare, when I go out record shopping, that I’m looking out for big band stuff—by and large, I’m more interested in small combo music. Sure, I own plenty of Basie, Dorsey, Ellington, and Lawrence, but those LPs don’t get as much play as Ball, Cole, Jordan, or “McVouty.” I
Who was Cass Harrison? His two albums from 1956-57, The Duke And I and Wrappin’ It Up, feature him as an advanced swing pianist influenced a bit by Earl Hines while displaying his own adventurous style and musical personality. But why is he so unknown today? Relatively little is known
Paul Smith (1922-2013) was a brilliant pianist whose superb technique and swinging style often sounded a lot like Oscar Peterson, particularly on his many later recordings for the Outstanding label. Early on he worked with the Johnny Richards big band (1941). After serving in the military, Smith had stints with
Whoever composed the title to this CD was having a bit of fun. First is the playfulness of the rhyming “Marks/Sparks.” There may also be some punning in the title: “Sparks” could allude to what one finds in the tracks on this CD, supplied by Marks and his cohorts, and
Of all of the “ghost bands” that have survived their leader’s passing, the Count Basie Orchestra is the most successful. One of the few fulltime jazz orchestras around today, they have retained the classic Basie sound during the 40 years since Count’s death. Basie Swings The Blues is a bit
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 harmony section, I was readying myself for the Tabernacle Choir next when to my relief my final selection was a simple, and wonderful, piano and
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 Reese Europe’s Clef Club, with 20 musicians listed on the website. The group can fit any event from trio to BIG band and they have
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 of Christmas and winter-themed material doesn’t disappoint. The only tracks you are likely to recognize are the final two of 14: “I’ve Got My Love
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 and joined the Glenn Miller band on an international tour at 19. In 2010 he started the Abeltones, an 18-piece big band that is no
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 set of English language jazz standards their new Christmas record explores French Christmas songs that will be unfamiliar to most readers. It made for a
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 he was in college in 1979, making him older than I would have expected, and at Swing 46 since the early 2000s. The band specializes
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 Michigan community with exciting stage productions featuring dancers and period costumes while honoring golden era figures like Bert Williams and contemporary ragtimers like Reginald Robinson.
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 most fun and swinging is A Chiaroscuro Christmas which was released as a CD back in the 1990s. This compilation of recordings from 1973-94
Vol.8, No.12 December 2023
Royce Martin Charts a New Path for Ragtime, by Bryan Wright
Guide to Trad Jazz Record Labels, by Joe Bebco
Dusting off Sheet Music Collections in Blue Hill, Maine, by Terri Bruce
EUREKA! The 2023 Redwood Coast Music Festival, by Michael Steinman
Grace Johnston: “Dixie’s Duchess of Syncopation”, by David W. McCain
The Voyage of the Flugelhorn Through Jazz, by Steve Provizer
Digby Fairweather on Bebop, the Beatles, and British Jazz, by Dave Doyle
When Scott Joplin Made the Top 40: Fifty Years of The Sting, by Larry Melton
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Bob Effros, illustration by Joe Busam
Static from my Attic, by Andy Senior
Final Chorus, compiled by Joe Bebco
Jazz Jottings, by Lew Shaw
My Inspirations: Tempus Fudge It, by Jeff Barnhart
Ragtime Vignettes: Silent Night, Ragged Night, by Brandon Byrne
Quarter Notes: Meanwhile, Back in the Quarter, by Shelly Gallichio
Seminary Music and Recording the Fringes of Pop, by R.S. Baker
Rudiments of Ragtime: Installment 11: Ragtime Recordings, by Larry Melton
Jazz Travels: The 2023 Arizona Classic Jazz Festival, by Bill Hoffman
Festival Roundup, compiled by Joe Bebc0
Profiles in Jazz: Count Basie: Pt. 1-The Old Testament Years, by Scott Yanow
Blowing off the Dust: Ron Jennings: He Told Our Stories, by Larry Melton
“Willie the Master”: The Elusive Legacy of Bill Erickson, by Dave Radlauer
Ain’t Cha Got Music: Welles and Ory, Pt. 1, by Jeff Barnhart & Hal Smith
Correction and Apology to Central Pennsylvania Festival, by Andy Senior
Colin Hancock Gets GRAMMY Nod for The Moaniest Moan, by Andy Senior
Remembering Lee Berk, by Lew Shaw
Nights at the Turntable, CD reviews by Scott Yanow
Marks & Sparks, CD Review: by Bert Thompson
Masumi Ormandy, CD review by Dave Doyle
Angela DeNiro, CD review by Dave Doyle
