Janet Klein and Her Parlor Boys have long been a cornerstone of the hot jazz community, unearthing forgotten tunes with wit and heart. They have had around 13 albums releases and innumerable performances in 27 years, with connections into both older and now younger generations. Janet Klein was one of this paper’s first profiles way back in 2016. In 2020 she released a fun album of Jewish vaudeville material called Yiddisha Follies as well as a tribute collection featuring 17 songs written or sung by long time Parlor Boy, the late great Ian Whitcomb.
Their two 2025 Bandcamp releases, Humming to Myself, a four-song EP, and Mutiny in the Parlor, a full album, keep that tradition alive. Dave Doyle reviewed Mutiny in the Parlor in the May issue, so while I have some things to say about that one, this review lingers on the EP. It’s a charming set of recordings from 2001 and 2012, driven by the Mighty Wurlitzer organ at El Segundo’s Old Town Music Hall.
A cozy time capsule into an earlier moment for the band and even earlier one for Janet Klein, Humming to Myself’s four tracks capture the Parlor Boys enjoying a unique musical experience. Recorded privately, without an audience, just the band and the organ in the Old Town Music Hall, it is no wonder they wanted to share that experience with us all these years later.
The EP features Corey Gemme (cornet, clarinet), Marquis Howell (up
