Bassist Jen Hodge is in the Groove!
Dave Doyle
December 31, 2020
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Jeff Barnhart: Well, Hal, I am excited to delve into Euday Bowman’s “12th Street Rag” with you! Before we start chewing over the myriad interpretations
Born in 1996, in Louisville, Kentucky, Matthew Rivera is making jazz vibrate to new audiences in many ways. I met him first as a sound-phenomenon
At the outset of the Swing era, Casa Loma Orchestra set the highest standards for superb musicianship, arranging, presentation, sweet ballads and hard-driving dance rhythms.
Charlotte Dickison retired as director of the Olympia Jazz Festival after the 2019 edition. She made many friends from all over the US and Canada
If one does not recognize the name of Coot Grant and her vaudeville partner Kid Wilson, aka Sox Wilson and other aliases, one can be
January 10, 2021, Another Milestone Anniversary Not To Be Forgotten The centennial of the Jazz Age is upon us, and it has been commemorated with
Lew Shaw thanks his lucky stars that he was born in 1926. That meant he came of age—as a man and as a music fan—at
In my opinion, King Oliver doesn’t really receive the credit he is due. He’s all too often treated as a “stop along the way” for
A chronological list of all of our final chorus remembrances from 2020.
“No time to find excuses for sounding like crap anymore”. Drew says while practicing on his self-tuned 1934 Lester Studio Upright made in his hometown,
Here in the UK, speech isn’t entirely free. The right to offend whomever we want isn’t enshrined in statute, as in the US Constitution. We
When the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, like thousands of musicians, Tony DeSare saw his jammed packed tour schedule quickly dwindle down to
The Grammy Awards telecast doesn’t offer much for jazz fans, particularly not for fans of early jazz styles. But there are a couple of winners
Buried within the Stimulus Bill is a 15 Billion dollar lifeline for venues that host live events. Jazz societies that pay performers to appear at
Jazz’Edit is a project by European record collector Jean-François Villetard to help publish important books about jazz history in the limited quantities the market will
It’s easy to have a great idea. Seeing the idea to fruition is another thing entirely. I couldn’t tell you how many podcasts and similar
Pioneering dancer Norma Miller—dubbed the “Queen of Swing”—has been honored with a memorial alongside those of King Oliver, W.C. Handy, Duke Ellington and other jazz
Trumpeter Yank Lawson and bassist-composer Bob Haggart, while having separate careers, were musical friends and collaborators for nearly six decades. They came together during at
It doesn’t seem like five full years since the first issue of The Syncopated Times began appearing in our mailboxes. Since the February 2016 issue,
The New Orleans Jazz Museum is strategically located in the Old U.S. Mint—built in 1838—at the juncture of the French Quarter and Frenchmen Street where
In late November, the City of New Orleans announced regulations regarding the permitting process to host live entertainment in indoor and outdoor settings. All live
Such is the nature of pandemia—with its unapologetic ravaging of one’s gigging calendar—that to find inspiration, it can be useful to look backwards. And lately
I begin to think I should rename this column “The Crisis of the Month.” A crisis is not necessarily a bad thing, but it demands
This month we celebrate one of our own: Lew Shaw, who turns 95 on January 14, and whose latest installment of Jazz Jottings may be
In the 19th century, the bass drum in military bands was essential. The use of bass drums continued into the earliest days of recording, but
I remember reading Bill Hoffman’s fine column last year in The Syncopated Times describing his first visit to a West Coast Ragtime Festival (WCRF) and
Events that have officially cancelled or switched to a live stream format are included below. Do not interpret an event not being on this list
Pianist Chris Hopkins, an American who has spent much of his life based in Germany where he leads Echoes Of Swing, meets up with three
Although it was compiled 35 years ago and released by the DRG label, the two-CD set Ridin’ In Rhythm is still difficult to top. At
A highly appealing singer who has overcome some major health problems to make a full comeback, Deborah Silver had strong success with her previous album,
Drew Nugent learned piano as a child and was initially attracted to ragtime. As a teenager, he added the cornet while his interest shifted towards
Duke Ellington had many sidemen who stayed with him for lengthy periods, topped by baritonist Harry Carney who was part of the Duke Ellington Orchestra
Axel Schlosser is a talented trumpeter from Germany. While he played the clarinet and saxophone early on in a Dixieland band, he switched his focus
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen And waste its sweetness on the desert air. ― Thomas Gray, An Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard
It’s not often a traditional jazz band of conventional size—six or seven pieces, usually—lacks a horn in its front line, but such is the case
This CD picks up where the same group’s previous one, Jazz Crusade JCCD3079, left off, the first six tracks here being from that same recording
When “Louisiana” and “music” are mentioned in the same breath, for many people the conjunction suggests “jazz.” But Louisiana is also known for bluegrass, blues,
Following the release about a year ago of the CD New Orleans Jazz: Remembering Doug Kennedy, a tribute to their late banjo/guitarist, the West London
I can’t imagine that any other cultural phenomenon has had the same impact as jazz, worldwide. I know I’m expected to think that, as a
Carol Leigh (Whitman), highly-regarded classic jazz vocalist, died December 22nd. Carol was a consummate performer of both familiar and obscure 20’s jazz and blues tunes,
Alto Saxophonist and flautist Jeff Clayton died from Kidney cancer of December 17th. He was 66 years old. He trained on oboe and English horn
Sadly, Steve Radeck informs us that “Professor” Don Burns has died at the age of 81. Don was a familiar ragtime entertainer in western New
Jack Kuncl, 86, passed away December 7 from complications of Coved-19. He was best known as the banjoist with the Salty Dogs Jazz Band since
Joseph Brem, a past president of the Arizona Classic Jazz Society, passed away on November 22 in Scottsdale, AZ, he was 90 years old. A
Vol.6, No.1 January 2021
Jen Hodge is in the Groove! byDave Doyle
Ain’t Cha Got Music: Twelfth Street Rag, by Jeff Barnhart & Hal Smith
Jazz Reporter Lew Shaw Still Active at 95, by Russ Tarby
James P. Johnson and the Birth of Modern Jazz Piano, by Scott E. Brown, M.D.
Long Live the King (Oliver, That Is)! by Chris Tyle
Songs To Think About … But Perhaps Not Dance To, by Dave Doyle
Tony DeSare: Songbook Comforts in Quarantine, by Brian R. Sheridan
Apostle of Shellac: Matthew “Fat Cat” Rivera, by Michael Steinman
Casa Loma Orchestra: A Vanguard of Swing, by Dave Radlauer
Norma Miller Honored With Jazz Corner Monument, by Dave Doyle
Some 2021 Grammy Nominees We Can Root For, by Joe Bebco
Bipartisan “Save Our Stages” Act Provides Grants to Venues, by Joe Bebco
Dan Zeilinger Interviews the Greats on Trad Jazz Podcast, by Joe Bebco
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Lew Shaw, illustration by Joe Busam
Static from my Attic, byAndy Senior
Final Chorus, compiled by Joe Bebco
The Professor is IN: My Time With the Nighthawks, byAdrian Cunningham
Jazz Jottings, by Lew Shaw
Quarter Notes: Museums and Meetings With All That Jazz!, by Shelly Gallichio
The Bass Drum Conundrum, by R.S. Baker
Jazz Travels: The First Lady of Olympia Jazz, by Bill Hoffman
Festival Roundup, compiled by Joe Bebco
Profiles in Jazz: Yank Lawson and Bob Haggart, by Scott Yanow
Blowing off the Dust: 5th Anniversary of TST, by Larry Melton
The Virtual 2020 West Coast Ragtime Festival, by Larry Melton
Netflix’s Ma Rainey an “Excellent Piece of Filmmaking”, by Steve Provizer
Nights at the Turntable, CD reviews by Scott Yanow
Syncopated Bookshelf: Film Noir Style, review by Laura Boyes
CD review: I’m in NOLA by Crawfish Wallet, by Dave Doyle
