Features

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.

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

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,

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

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

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

With many thousands of jazz concerts, festivals, and workshops worldwide, the passion for jazz has never been greater. That passion is shared by listeners and

Right around the mid 20th century mark, the Buffalo Public School System decided to include, as part of its comprehensive Physical Education Program, a course

The Riverside Jazz Party, hosted by Jeff and Carol Loehr, took place over the weekend of June 3-5, 2016 in Boise, Idaho. In the words

Once again, as has been tradition for the last 35 years, the melodious strains of Ragtime music reigned across the tiny town of Sedalia, Missouri

When Alida and Pieter Meijers first came to the United States from The Netherlands in 1968, they expected to stay only a year while Pieter

We’ve all experienced that innocent (or maybe not so innocent) crush on a teacher, that one instructor we lusted after while struggling through our academic

What if I told you that Grandma Moses (the early 20th century, self-taught, primitive painter) played a hot upright bass in Buddy Bolden’s and Fletcher

When Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle’s Shuffle Along made its Broadway debut in 1921, it ran for an amazing 504 performances and launched the careers

Long-time festival directors Flossie and Ken Coulter are enjoying the second year of their retirement as year-round residents of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. They are

Syracuse, New York’s hottest trumpeter is taking a stroll down the sweet side of the street. Brass-instrument Brahmin Jeff Stockham—a member of the Salt City

Most jazz lovers know the contributions made through our embrace of ragtime late in the 19th century, as well as the important efforts of New

1974 was a notable year for many reasons – The Rockford Files debuted on NBC-TV, Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency of the United States amidst

Have you noticed the slow trend of the older jazz festivals to add new genres to their lineups, especially the trad fests? Perhaps the closing

Where has the 20th-century soundscape gone? We’re less than two decades into the new millennium, and already I’m asking myself, “How fast are we forgetting

When we want to undertake a task that may be easily accomplished, we may call it a “cakewalk” or perhaps “a piece of cake.” But

Trumpeter Harry “Sweets” Edison, who joined the Basie band in 1937 when he was 19, was asked, “How much of the music played by the

Behind the Armstrong Singer’s Dealings with the famed Nightclub Owner and Oswald Killer. Most people associate Jack Ruby with the striptease shows that unfolded nightly

Jazz fans know Scott Anthony as the leader and banjoist-guitarist of the Golden Gate Rhythm Machine and a key member of Bob Schultz’s Frisco Jazz

Clint Baker and Alisa Clancy are the proud parents of 15-year-old twins, Ramona and Riley, who have shown a high degree of musical talent at