Jazz is Dead!
Caleb Chapman
March 1, 2017
“Jazz is Dead!” That’s what we are told time and again by the media, music publications and the general public. To satisfy my own curiosity,
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“Jazz is Dead!” That’s what we are told time and again by the media, music publications and the general public. To satisfy my own curiosity,
When he was a kid growing up in Rhode Island, Harry Allen played the hot corner. Now he plays a hot horn. The former Burrillville
Nat Hentoff told his readers early on: “I was introduced to jazz, and that’s become a basic concern and passion of mine ever since.” Hentoff’s
In the history of jazz, people who do not play instruments do as much, in different ways, to sustain the art without getting equal credit.
‘Oh! Didn’t He Ramble!’ Tom Jacobsen, the author of three important studies of contemporary New Orleans jazz, died Jan. 15, at his home in St.
I didn’t have far to travel to write this installment—25 miles to my hometown of York, PA—to interview my friend Bob Erdos. Bob, as many
It is significant that T.S. Eliot and Scott Joplin lived in St. Louis at the same time. In fact knowing of Eliot’s fascination with English
Robert “Bob” Effros was born December 6, 1900 in London, England. His Russian Jewish parents emigrated shortly afterward from London to Memphis, Tennessee. Raised in
Elkhart, Indiana has long been the major center in the United States for the manufacture of band instruments. Over the past century, the city has
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
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
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
Some of my earliest and most heart-warming musical memories revolve around waking up early on Saturday mornings so I could do two things: 1. watch
The swing and Lindy Hop community lost one of its great leaders when Dawn Hampton passed away September 25, 2016. Dawn, a musician, dancer, writer,
A literal King of Jazz has died. Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch and a great lover of jazz, passed away on
David Reffkin’s email on Tuesday, October 11th brought sad news: “Larry Karp died this morning at a hospital in Seattle…” Though I have read Larry’s
As the attendance of long withstanding patrons, musicians, volunteers, and trad jazz enthusiasts wanes, what does the future of the jazz festival community look like?
When I hear someone tell me, “I don’t care for jazz,” my first response is very direct: “Which kind do you dislike?” Many of my
Bringing Sophisticated, Cosmopolitan Swing to The Back Room Speakeasy in NYC For the past four years, Svetlana & The Delancey Five have been recreating a
Ragtime guitar, both classic and barrelhouse styles, has been around exactly as long as ragtime piano for exactly the same reasons. Entertainers in bars, sporting
“A horn is just like the voice. Person have no voice, they can’t sing.” – Edward “Kid” Ory. The question was: “How do you know
On August 11, my wife and I saw a screening of the much-hailed restoration of Universal᾽s 1930 Technicolor spectacular, The King of Jazz, featuring Paul
