Fats’ ‘Rhythm’ Sideman Remembers Waller, Recording in the 1930s, and Going Electric I was lucky enough to play with Al Casey, the legendary Fats Waller
Summer of ’41, before senior year in high school, I worked as bellboy at a resort hotel in Lake Junaluska, NC, a Methodist Chatauqua some
The eleventh edition of Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party was two years in the making but definitely worth the wait. Like most such events,
To those who would deem ragtime deceased, Bob Darch, pianist and entertainer from the revival era, had a ready rejoinder: “Ragtime Dead? Hell, it ain’t
Duke Ellington’s accomplishments, innovations, and sheer productivity as a bandleader, pianist, arranger and composer were so vast that one or two articles cannot do justice
Once again it was our pleasure to spend a week of relaxation with a group of brilliant musicians at the annual JazzFest at Sea in
Introduction On March 12, 1928, Paul Whiteman and the musicians in his orchestra went to the Victor recording studios in Liederkranz Hall, 58th Street between
We all know about Louis Armstrong’s mobster managers and the vicious knifing of vocalist Joe E. Lewis in 1927 in Chicago. We remember that Al
When one thinks of the top alto-saxophonists of the swing era, the names of Johnny Hodges, Benny Carter and perhaps Willie Smith (from the Jimmie
Jeff Barnhart: Hal, we’re beginning 2023 with a look at one of the most influential, colorful and exciting musicians in Jazz history; trombonist Edward “Kid”
With a new year upon us, often we think of what will be entering in its centennial year. In 1923, the Okeh record company went
I was delighted to receive an email from Walter Ray last week regarding my TST column on contemporary performances of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha. He is
My review in these pages of the 2019 West Coast Ragtime Festival began with this statement: “Sometimes too much of a good thing is, well, too
Here I am. Just about three years later still not doing much of anything. And unlike many of you it took me until a few
The Arizona Classic Jazz Society held it 33rd annual Festival in Chandler, Arizona, in early November much to the delight of its many members and
Al Bowlly was born January 7, 1898, in Lourenço Marques (today Maputo) in Mozambique. His father was Greek and his mother was Lebanese. They met
Two events in which I was invited to take part in November and December of last year prompted me to look at where OKOM is
This Detroit classic from 1898 is one of the earliest and best examples of a Ragtime waltz. Though the influence of Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf
In the interval between publishing the previous issue and the current one, a little something called ChatGPT has come into being. It bids fair to
TUCSON JAZZ FESTIVAL (Tucson, AZ) Jan. 13-22 A week long city wide event with individually-ticketed concerts at the historic Fox and Rialto theaters, as well
This past September, a gaunt Ken Peplowski appeared as the special guest of Frank Vignola at the outdoor Morristown New Jersey Jazz & Blues Festival.
I well remember several major jazz celebrities bemoaning the fact that the jazz community had failed to properly honor Louis Armstrong before he died in
This festival was started in 1980 by Dr. Harry VanVelsor, a local dermatologist, and consummate jazz lover. Harry’s devotion to Dixieland and Traditional-style jazz greatly
In early January 2016, newly-minted publisher Andy Senior began to edit and lay out his first issue of The Syncopated Times after buying The American
Louise Tobin, the last surviving musician to have recorded in the 1930s, died on November 26th; she was 104. Her place in popular history was
Peter Sokolow, a bridge between the classic era of Klezmer and the revivalists of today, has died. Born in 1940, by the 1950s he was
Banu Gibson became a major attraction at jazz festivals in the early 1980s and has long been one of the top singers on the classic
Notes From A Jazz Life, Volume 3 is the third twofer that draws its material from trumpeter-cornetist Digby Fairweather’s earlier records. While one would expect
British pianist Ray Smith has worked and recorded with Ken Colyer (1968-81), cornetist Steve Lane, the London Ragtime Orchestra, cornetist Rod Mason, Bent Persson, and
The teaming up of New Orleans clarinetist George Lewis and England’s Ken Colyer always made perfect sense. Colyer (1928-88), who was always a proponent of
Tex Beneke (1914-2000) certainly had an odd career. One of the main stars of the Glenn Miller Orchestra during 1938-42 where his good-natured singing and
To read David Bandrowski’s musical biography you’d be shocked to find that after 30 years French Onion Superman is his debut album as leader. A
A decade ago Cassidy Holden led a group called Cassidy & the Orleans Kids. It featured some of the best young players in New Orleans.
I first heard this record on the same day I was scheduled to interview the lady on its cover. Isobel had only recently come to
Crawfish Wallet is a hot jazz quartet out of Bordeaux, France featuring banjo, bass, trombone, and a washboard in the hands of a talented vocalist
I’m always in two minds about whether to call a jazz tune a “banger.” On the one hand, I’d like to think I’m a bona
Vol.8, No.1 January 2023
Jack Amblin on Playing “Stadium Jazz” with PMJ, by Dave Doyle
Jimmie Lunceford Plays a “Colored Dance”: Summer 1941, by Henry Blackburn
A Conversation with Guitarist Al Casey, by Mike Lipskin
Anatomy of a Song: Paul Whiteman’s “When”, by Albert Haim
The Story of Duke Ellington, Part 3: 1939-1951, by Scott Yanow
Organized Crime Nurtured Early Jazz—and Then Some, by Russ Tarby
West Coast Ragtime Fest: A Ragtimer’s In-Depth Review, by Fred Hoeptner
Seven Days of Jazz at Sea, by Frank Farbenbloom
Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party 2022, by Russ Shor
2022 Giants of Jazz Concert Honors Rufus Reid, by Schaen Fox
Nights at the Turntable, CD reviews by Scott Yanow
Doyle’s Discs, CD reviews by Dave Doyle
Off the Beaten Tracks, CD reviews by Joe Bebco
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Al Bowlly, illustration by Joe Busam
Static from my Attic, by Andy Senior
Final Chorus, compiled by Joe Bebco
My Inspirations: How to Pass the Torch of Syncopation, by Jeff Barnhart
Ragtime Vignettes: Echoes from the Snowball Club, by Brandon Byrne
Quarter Notes: Classic Jazz in Chandler. AZ!, by Shelly Gallichio
Okeh: Breakthroughs and Changes in 1923, by R.S. Baker
Festival Roundup, compiled by Joe Bebco
Jazz Travels: 2022 West Coast Ragtime Festival, by Bill Hoffman
Profiles in Jazz: Jimmy Dorsey, by Scott Yanow
Blowing off the Dust: SIU-C’s 1972 Treemonisha, by Larry Melton
Ain’t Cha Got Music: Kid Ory, Part 1, by Jeff Barnhart & Hal Smith
New Year’s Evolution, by Randi Cee
Rudiments of Ragtime: Installment One, by Larry Melton
The Syncopated Times Celebrates Seven Years of Publication
Ken Peplowski’s Bouncing Again!, by Schaen Fox
The North Carolina Jazz Festival: A Brief History, by Richard Schmetterer