Born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1921, Tommy Gwaltney was, by his teens, a competent reed player, working in dance bands while he was at college. Told that he might as well play music, “because you’re not doing anything with your grades”, he left college in 1941 and began playing professionally
Hannah Horton is an award winning saxophonist, composer, bandleader and successful recording artist. She has played alongside Amy Winehouse. She won a Parliamentary Jazz award in 2023 and has played at Ronnie Scott’s, the 606 Club, and the Royal Festival Hall. BBC Music Magazine said: “Rising star Hannah Horton is
Drummer Lewis Nash is noted for his adaptability to a wide range of musical genres and having one of the largest discographies in jazz to his credit. He’s played on over 600 recordings (including 10 Grammy Award winners and numerous Grammy nominees) throughout his 45-year career. He has the distinction
At 4 am on a Monday last year, I ambled down the front steps of the Village Hotel, humming “Clap Yo’ Hands” from Michael McQuaid’s Roger Wolfe Kahn set. That was my first time at Whitley Bay, and I was a convert by the end of day one. “I’m coming
Planning for the 2026 Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival is in full swing following the merger of the Bix Society with the Quad Cities’ Common Chord organization. (Details concerning the merger were published in the December issue of The Syncopated Times). With more human resources available than ever, the Bix Society
In 2023, I published my findings on the actual birth and death dates of pioneer blueswoman Mamie Robinson Smith (“Mamie Smith: Always ‘The First Lady of the Blues,’” TST, Sept. 2023). After decades of wrong and contradictory dates (including those on her grave marker), I was able to determine that
Pianist Marty Napoleon had a long life, ample musical talent, a successful career, a strong memory, and a gregarious personality, so he was a joy to be with. His family had emigrated from Sicily to New York at a time when anti-Italian prejudice was strong, and the name Napoli did
While jazz continues to thrive, it doesn’t get much mainstream media attention. However, there was a time when the clarinet, sax, and the trumpet were pathways to stardom. And this didn’t only happen during the swing era, with the likes of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Harry James, and the Dorseys.
The day before Thanksgiving my wife and I went to the local arts center for a showing of the best movie I am likely to see for a while. It’s not likely to prosper at the box office owing to its lack of explosions and flying superheroes, and the demographic
William Edward “Wild Bill” Davison was born January 5, 1906, in Defiance, Ohio. Davison early on displayed a love for music, as well as a natural ability to master musical instruments. He first learned to play the mandolin, guitar, and banjo. At age 12 he learned the cornet, his instrument
I’m aware that the Traditional Jazz festival circuit has been around a long time. One of the earliest festivals was the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee in California which began in 1974. According to past festival officials, at one time the event was considered the second largest music festival in the US
Jeff Barnhart: Happy New Year, kind and faithful readers! Everything old is new again here at the Ain’t’cha Got Music (AGM) studios and Hal and I are continuing our trip down memory lane, sharing reminisces about live traditional jazz performances that influenced us at a (much) earlier age! I’ll remind everyone
In this column I have written several times about singer Len Spencer, and you’d think there wasn’t much more to say about him, but he was one of the most well connected performers in the early acoustic era. Had he not decided to get into recording, we still likely would
While they never recorded together, Frank Signorelli and Rube Bloom had several similarities in their careers. Both were excellent jazz pianists who appeared on many fine recordings in the 1920s yet became better known later on as songwriters. While they are largely forgotten except by collectors of early jazz records,
A busy month started off with Sheryl Ann Mckinley and her sextet for her debut at the Gaslight Music Hall, one of our favorite venues. She is a vocalist we follow regularly and this performance had Rob Boone (tb), Max Goldschmid (tp, alto), Sly Slipetski (p), Jack Wood (bs gtr)
Planning for the 2026 Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival is in full swing following the merger of the Bix Society with the Quad Cities’ Common Chord organization. (Details concerning the merger were published in the December issue of The Syncopated Times). With more human resources available than ever, the Bix Society
It is difficult not to feel sorry for Frank Sinatra, Jr. Imagine being named after a very famous father and having to convince people your whole life that you have your own identity and am not trying to live off of his name. Imagine always being referred to as “Junior”
32th Annual EAGLES AND IVORIES RAGTIME FEST (Muscatine, IA) – Jan. 15-18 The 32nd Annual Eagles & Ivories Music Fest is staged in Muscatine, Iowa, at five different locations. A free eagle watch takes place Saturday morning at Pearl City Station in Riverfront Park. The 2026 lineup includesl Jeff Barnhart,
Bob Crosby (1913-93) was a unique bandleader. When asked what he did for a living, he often replied, “I’m Bing Crosby’s brother.” He had a decent voice, a reasonable feeling for jazz, and a genial personality. But being the sibling of the most famous and beloved singer of the 1930s
The Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra was one of the most popular African-American big bands of the swing era. Its emphasis was on showmanship, impeccably played ensembles, danceable tempos and strong melodies. While it lacked the major soloists of the pacesetting swing bands such as those of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny
In several ways, the 1943-52 period is the most fascinating of Frank Sinatra’s career. Before 1943 he had gained fame as a band singer, at first briefly with Harry James and then for several years with Tommy Dorsey. In 1953 with his acclaimed acting in From Here To Eternity and
Bassist John Joyce, whose earlier experiences were in the worlds of punk rock and rockabilly, has gained fame in the traditional jazz world with the Smoking Time Jazz Club and the Secret Six. His latest venture is JJ & The A-OKs, a similar New Orleans sextet. The group is comprised
Throughout his career, Stephane Wrembel has often played his Django Reinhardt-inspired guitar in unusual settings, most notably on his series of recordings called Django Experiment. In 2022 he teamed up with another grouping of musicians that use the name of Django New Orleans. For their second recording, Django New Orleans
This review of Dick Hyman’s Scott Joplin: The Complete Works for Piano is personally meaningful for me. The very first CD I ever bought, and the one which initiated my lifelong love for Ragtime music, was Scott Joplin: Greatest Hits, containing sixteen tracks gleaned from the aforementioned complete collection. That
It can be oddly difficult to pinpoint when a musician becomes essential to your listening life. With Ewan Bleach, that realization crept up gradually. His clarinet and other reeds kept appearing on records I loved and returned to, albums from Frog and Henry, Cable Street Rag Band, Whiskey Moon Face,
While the name “John Petters” may not be familiar to many American trad jazz fans, it is a well-known one to their British counterparts. Petters was born in Stratford, East London, in 1953 and is a self-taught drummer. He formed his first band while at college in Harlow, Essex, and
Posey Royale is an Asheville, North Carolina–based swing band that has, until now, gone unmentioned in The Syncopated Times. That says more about the way regional swing scenes tend to operate than about the band itself. Listening to their two albums together, Premier Strut from 2020 and the recently released
With The Marigny Sessions, Sunny Side continues its steady evolution from a capable New Orleans traditional jazz band into something broader, warmer, and more broadly inviting, without ever losing their footing in the city’s musical soil. Like its predecessor The Felicity Sessions, this is unmistakably New Orleans music, but it
Vol.11, No.1, January 2026
Multi-Instrumentalist Gavin Rice Brings the Jazz Age to Life, by Bill Hoffman
A Few Words With Saxophonist Hannah Horton, by Gavin Milnthorpe
Connee Boswell Reveals Her Two Main Musical Influences, by David McCain
Reedman Tommy Gwaltney: Blues Alley and More, by Derek Coller
On the Road with Chico Marx: Marty Napoleon’s Early Years, by Schaen Fox
Trumpeters on the Pop Charts, by Steve Provizer
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Wild Bill Davison, illustration by Sara Lièvre
Static from my Attic, by Andy Senior
Jazz Jottings: Lewis Nash: Rhythm is My Business, by Lew Shaw
My Inspirations: To Uniform or Not to Conform, by Jeff Barnhart
Ragtime Vignettes: Hyman’s Joplin, Evaluated, by Brandon Byrne
Quarter Notes: Classes, Concerts, and Cafes—Oh, My!, by Shelly Gallichio
The Recording Pioneer with a Surprising Lineage, by R.S. Baker
Final Chorus, compiled by Joe Bebco
Profiles in Jazz: Frank Signorelli and Rube Bloom, by Scott Yanow
Festival Roundup, compiled by Michael Buonaiuto; art by Joe Busam
Ain’t Cha Got Music: More Who Inspired Us, by J. Barnhart & H. Smith
Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party: What a Blast!, by Peter Ho
2026 Bix Fest: Goldkette, Armstrong, Morton, and More!, by Hal Smith
Nights at the Turntable, CD reviews by Scott Yanow
Book Review: Let Me Be Frank by Klauber & Kauffman, by Scott Yanow
Off the Beaten Tracks, CD reviews by Joe Bebco
