Leah Bezin “The Heartbeat of the Band”
Andy Senior
February 1, 2016
Wende Harston, longtime vocalist for the Queen City Jazz Band, fell on hard times through a series of unexpected life events and bad luck and
In 1928, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians broadcast over WBBM from the Granada Cafe in Chicago. According to Guy’s 1975 memoir, Auld Acquaintance, the
When people ask pianist Ed Clute if he has been blind his whole life, he answers, “Not yet.” Ed is quite possibly the hardest-swinging stride
Over the years many New Orleans families have proudly passed down musical traditions from generation to generation. Names such as Tio, Dodds, Keppard, St. Cyr,
An accomplished and energetic touring musician, Rob Wright is a former member of the famed folk ensemble, The New Christy Minstrels. Having played in all
This was our very first Festival Roundup back in February 2016. It covered annual events held between February and May. The sad truth is that
This month we salute composer, teacher, arranger, and master of stride piano James Price Johnson, born February 1, 1894 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Johnson
It was a dream: my wife and I were in a large old auditorium which, instead of theater seating, had a polished hardwood dance floor.
Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on television, Butch Miles recalled “it was hard to believe but I marched in the Macy’s parade with the Charleston
Those of you who subscribe to The American Rag may be surprised to see The Syncopated Times in your mailbox. A word of reassurance is
Carol and Jeff Loehr who have masterminded the Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival for the past 12 years are expanding into the world of
Every jazz fan should visit the venerable Preservation Hall in the French Quarter of New Orleans at last once. It was 1961 that the late
During the 1930s Steve Cullen, Sr. led a successful dance band in New England, and before that played with one of the most popular groups
Bucky Pizzarelli suffered a mild stroke on October 29. Initial reports on his recovery were upbeat, but later were more guarded as he worked to
The Hot Club of Tucson is attracting a growing fan base down in Old Pueblo, This swinging trio that plays in the style of Django
Christopher Tyle revealed in a Facebook posting of his decision to retire from the music business, saying, “I have a progressive, genetic disorder called ‘hereditary
Putting together the paper you hold in your hand was no doubt the hardest work I’ve ever done in my life. Added to that, it
It was roughly 27 years ago that I received a letter from Woody Laughnan welcoming me as a subscriber and the Arizona correspondent of his
Bill Dendle is spearheading on-line GoFundMe fundraising campaigns benefiting two musicians and their families, namely the late Lee “Westy” Westenhofer and Jerry Krahn of the
As I rocket headlong through my fifties—fifty being an age when one supposedly begins to get all misty-eyed over the lyrics of “September Song”—I find
Bria Skonberg recently offered an update on what is going on in her young life, writing in a Facebook posting, “This Fall I’m really looking
Those who depend on the internet to stream the music they love may find that they have fewer choices this year, owing to a ruling
Against automatic banjo-trilobites wagging you haunt me; Were we young once—ever? I have gallstones older and smarter than the President. Yet the leather in the
I have never been particularly fond of getting out of bed in the morning—or in the afternoon, for that matter. My daily dilemma is: do
If pure, passionate and powerful horn-playing is your cup of tea, you owe yourself a big gulp of Live & Unplugged featuring Orlando-based trumpeter Charlie
Molly Ryan’s musical travelogue Let’s Fly Away is a jewel. The individual selections on the CD, all quite excellent, describe a dramatic trajectory within the
Peripatetic drummer Danny Coots, who travels the world from his home in Nashville, and stride pianist Brian Holland of Dallas have collaborated on four recordings,
We’ve all heard her, but do any of
Jimmy Van Heusen, literally and figuratively, led a
Jazz Tales from Jazz Legends, a new book
ROGER KRUM, 73, on Oct. 22 from kidney disease and related illnesses in Sacramento, CA. A graduate of Fresno State University with a Master’s degree
KITTY KALLEN, 94, on Jan. 7 at her home in Cuernavaca, Mexico. As a young girl from Philadelpia, she sang on The Children’s Hour, a
DALLAS “DAL” RICHARDS, 97, of prostate cancer on Dec. 31 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. A popular bandleader whose career spanned eight decades from the 1930s
New Orleans pianist Allen Toussaint died suddenly Nov. 9, 2015, while on tour in Madrid, Spain. A soft-spoken, sharp-dressing icon of the Crescent City music
Vol. 1, No. 1 February 2016
Leah Bezin: The Heartbeat of the Band, by Andy Senior
Allen Toussaint Memorial, by Russ Tarby
“Lucky” Lucien Barbarin, by Russ Tarby
Wende Harston: Reunited with Pet Parrot, by Lew Shaw
Rob Wright: Strives for Smiles, by Lew Shaw
“Whatcha Gonna Do When There Ain’t No Jazz?”, by Andy Senior
Lombardo Integrates Granada Cafe, by Andy Senior
Ed Clute: Sightless Stride Wizard, by Andy Senior
Jazz Birthday of the Month: James P. Johnson, by Gary Price
Static from my Attic, by Andy Senior
Jazz Jottings, by Lew Shaw
Hot Jazz Breaks/Trading Fours, by Russ Tarby
Festival Roundup, by Russ Tarby
Final Chorus, by compiled by Lew Shaw
Molly Ryan, review by Andy Senior
Allred and Bertini, review by Russ Tarby
Coots, Reiss, and Holland, review by Lew Shaw
New Bio Focuses on Billie Holiday’s Music, review by Russ Tarby
Jazz Tales from Jazz Legends, review by Russ Tarby
Jimmy Van Heusen, review by F. Norman Vickers
Bria Skonberg: Jazz and Social Conscience
GoFundMe Campaign Benefits Musicians’ Families
Why “The Syncopated Times”?, by Andy Senior
Changing of the Guard, by Lew Shaw
Big Bands Boosted in New England, by Russ Tarby
Chris Tyle Retiring Due to Health, Lew Shaw
Whatever Became of Nostalgia?, by Andy Senior
“We’re Burning Daylight Here!”, by Andy Senior
The Nineteen-Twenties Seen as an Entertic Disease of Trilobites (poem), by Andy Senior
Publisher’s Coda, by Andy Senior
