Features

Jazz history is not necessarily written by its winners, yet they still manage to dominate the narrative. There are certainly landmark musicians whose influence merits

Over the years, Adrian Cunningham has made his mark on the jazz scene. Knowing a bit of his background, I wanted to interview him, but

Hal Smith: During the seemingly endless nationwide lockdown, I have enjoyed one positive experience: participating in a series of video discussions regarding the Benny Goodman

Gus Haenschen (1889–1980) was once a highly prominent figure in popular music with his name-recognition reinforced by regular newspaper advertisements and occasional articles. From 1919

My wife Laura I lived in New York City for nearly fourteen exciting years, from early 1983 until the summer of 1996. It seemed that

For Britons, George Formby is seen as a national treasure. The comedian’s loving portrayals of hapless working-class characters has charmed countless filmgoers, and with statues

Saxophonist, Joseph Robert St. John had a thirty-year career in Manhattan and Detroit. His New York band battled the great Chick Webb Orchestra and shared a

Just over two years ago, I was contacted through my Drums In The Twenties website by a man called Bob Matthews. He was at that

Singer-lyricist-bandleader-entertainer, Noble Sissle occupies an unusual place in the world of ragtime, jazz and show business. He was one of the best-known musicians of the

Hal Smith: Last June, Kevin Dorn and I talked about some of the people who have influenced our own playing. That article received many positive

In our March issue, Dan Barrett recalled a gig with trumpeter George Orendorff and the story that George told about playing the trumpet break before

In 1991, I had been chasing the music of Joe “King” Oliver and Louis Armstrong for seven or eight years. By “chasing,” I mean I

As someone who has had a lifelong love affair with jazz, an interesting question came up in a ZOOM interview I recently had with Dan

With the War over, it was time for everyone to get on with their lives, including, in many cases, going back to college to finish

Among traditional New Orleans jazz classics, “Oh, Didn’t He Ramble” has to rank near the top in popularity. “When the Saints Go Marching In” and

Along with the dearth of jazz clubs around the country, especially clubs which feature anything resembling traditional jazz, another venue for the music that has

Al Bowlly (7 January 1898 – 17 April 1941) is widely regarded as the premier singer of the pre-World War II dance band era in

A codified solo provides the audience with the experience of hearing something they’ve become familiar with through recordings. Jazz musicians, among themselves, have always loved

It’s easy to think that the group of songs we call “Standards” and the “Great American Songbook” emerged with a quality of “timelessness” directly from

Bobby Hackett remains one of my musical heroes, and I cherish his recordings, the few times I saw him in person, and the sound of

This is part two of historical highlights of the Hall Brothers Jazz Band. Part one can be found in the December issue of TST, read:

The year 2020 will go down in jazz history as the one in which live music was silenced and dancing stood still worldwide. But it