Sam Post’s Ragtime Obsession
Larry Melton
January 1, 2018
New Jersey Jazz Society starts 2018 in style with Big Apple all-stars They’ll be jumpin’ for joy in Jersey in January when a seven of
Guitarist and fellow-Mississippian Mundell Lowe died on December 2nd, 2017 at age 95. My encounters with Mundell were brief but meaningful and I’d like to
Mere days after the announcement of the permanent cancellation of America’s Classic Jazz Festival in Lacey, Washington [Editors note: It made a comeback in 2019],
Wynton Marsalis thinks he’s on the right track at Lincoln Center. The talented New Orleans jazz trumpeter initiated a jazz program at Lincoln Center for
The Cakewalkin’ Jass Band pack Tony Packo’s in Toledo, Ohio, for their 50th anniversary celebration. From left: Russ Damschroeder, trombone; Dave Kosmyna, cornet; Buddy Lopez,
After Bruce Boyd Raeburn moved to New Orleans in 1971 to work on his doctoral dissertation in United States Cultural History at Tulane University, he
The New Wonders, a septet led by cornetist Mike Davis (featured on the cover of our November 2017 issue), have unofficially released their first self-titled
Renowned pop and jazz vocalist Keely Smith, died on December 16, 2017, in Palm Springs, California. Her passing at age 89 was due to “apparent
Updates: Olympia’s American Classic Jazz Festival Announces 2019 Return, & Olympia Jazz Festival Names New Director, Will Host Bert Barr Tribute and Last Uptown Lowdown Concert
There’s a magic moment in jazz…a small window of time…between the musicians taking the stage and counting off the first tune. It may not seem
Since this is a nationwide newspaper, I normally don’t report on local jazz events unless it’s to draw your attention to a noteworthy individual or
The First Star Drummer He was the first drummer to be considered a superstar and a matinee idol. Before Gene Krupa hit it big with
This is The Festival Roundup as printed in our January 2018 issue, the most recent roundup can be found by clicking Events on the menu.
To say the Road of Life is bumpy might be the understatement of the year. For me personally, the last two years have been like
Bulee “Slim” Gaillard was born on January 4, 1916 in Detroit, Michigan—according to some sources. Other sources (including Gaillard himself) indicate that he was born
I was visiting recently with a friend about angels. Not the Gabriel types, with trumpets blaring, or the ones like Clarence waiting to get their
During the season in which I write this, it is almost impossible to avoid Charles Dickens’ inky thumbprint on our culture. There is a pervasive
Try this on your piano: It was at a drive-through I met her— She caught me quite by surprise; Her voice through the speaker came
Pianist Jeff Barnhart and guitarist Spats Langham, both of whom sing in their own charming way, love playing together. They enjoy coming up with obscure
No, the music on The Unheard Artie Shaw does not contain new recordings by the great clarinetist. Instead, the set released by the Hep label
Peggy Lee (1920-2002) was at one of her highpoints of her career in 1955. Her prime singing years were during 1942-68 and in 1955 (the
Bud Freeman (1906-91) was one of the greatest tenor-saxophonists of all time. When he emerged in the late 1920s, his only competition on tenor was
With the success of Louis Armstrong’s recordings for Okeh, several other labels in 1929 signed promising trumpeter-vocalists in the hope of equaling Armstrong’s success. Victor
A Summer Night’s Magic, on Rivermont Records, is a set of piano solos by blind virtuoso Ed Clute, performed at his home in Watkins Glen,
Cornell student (and up and coming phenom) Colin Hancock has released Wild Jazz, his first album with the band he formed to commemorate the centennial
Jerry Krahn’s New Orleans Parlor String Band has released a six-song promo CD that I very much enjoyed. With this disc, Jerry is reviving a
In anticipation of reviewing Here We Go! I found myself excitedly in line at the Pulaski Meat Market, a landmark institution anchoring a quiet corner
MUNDELL LOWE, 95, Died on Dec. 2 in San Diego. Considered one of the most sophisticated guitarists in jazz, he was known for his impeccable
GEORGE AVAKIAN, 98, died on Nov. 22 in New York City. One tribute on his passing stated, “The story of George Avakian is the story
JOHN COATES, Jr., 79, died on Nov. 22 in Scranton, PA. Phil Woods said “People don’t know how good a pianist John Coates is.” Coates
JON HENDRICKS, 96, died on Nov. 22 in New York City. A member of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, he was one of the originators of
DELLA REESE died on Nov. 19 in Los Angeles, she was 86. Born Delloreese Patricia Early, she began singing in her hometown of Detroit when
FRANK GRECO, died of congestive heart failure on Nov. 2 in Hemet, California, he was 88. Originally from Warsaw, Indiana, he learned to play the
Table of ContentsVol.3, No.1 January 2018
Sam Post’s Ragtime Obsession, by Larry Melton
Cakewalkin’ Jass Band Celebrates 50 Years, by Lew Shaw
Jazz and Pop Diva Keely Smith Passes, 89, by Andy Senior
Bruce Boyd Raeburn: Dr. Jazz Retires, by Lew Shaw
Chewin’ on the Chicken Fat, by Russ Tarby
Remembering Guitarist Mundell Lowe, by F. Norman Vickers
Sacramento Music Festival Defunct after Four Decades, by Andy Senior
Static from my Attic, by Andy Senior
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Slim Gaillard, illustration by Gary Price
Jazz Jottings, by Lew Shaw
Blowing off the Dust, by Larry Melton
Jazz Travels with Bill Hoffman
Profiles in Jazz: Gene Krupa, by Scott Yanow
Festival Roundup, compiled by Andy Senior
Final Chorus, compiled by Lew Shaw
Bump in the Road, by Randi Cee
The Professor is IN- Preparing for the Count Off, by Adrian Cunningham
A Handy Man Around the House (1922), cartoon by Clare Briggs
Cohen on the Telephone & Yes, We Have No Bananas, cartoons by John Held, Jr.
“A Bird in a Cage Making Minimum Wage”, song by Andy Senior
Albums:
Nights at the Turntable, by Scott Yanow
Off the Beaten Tracks, by Joe Bebco
New Wonders Release Debut Album, by Andy Senior
Nurturing the Future of Jazz, by Russ Tarby
2018 Olympia Jazz Festival Cancelled, by Lew Shaw
