Jazz Jottings

The sounds of New Orleans were very much in evidence at the 28th annual Arizona Classic Jazz Festival held Nov. 2-5 at the Crowne Plaza

For the past 40 years, jazz fans have known Earl McKee as the tall rancher in the black cowboy hat from Three Rivers, California who

Wesla Whitfield Retires Posting an announcement on Facebook that his wife, vocalist Wesla Whitfield is retiring due to health issues that affect her singing, Mike

Hal Smith, whose prolific writings over the years have qualified him as a jazz historian in my book, has long admired trombonist Edward “Kid” Ory

What a Wonderful World August 16 will mark the 50th anniversary of Louis Armstrong recording “What a Wonderful World,” which became his best-loved song. The

Despite inclement weather, attendance at the 2017 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was announced as 425,000, the same as 2016, but under the record

Justin Kauflin As a child, Justin Kauflin learned classical music on the violin and piano. By the age of 6, he was performing in concerts,

Dot Time Records has reached an agreement with the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation to release four albums of previously unreleased music from the Louis Armstrong

The Musical Instrument Museum, which is rated Phoenix’s top attraction, is featuring an exhibit of inlaid guitars, which will be on display for the next

Stride pianists extraordinaire Stephanie Trick and husband Paolo Alderighi presented “A Supreme Evening of Jazz” at a scholarship benefit concert for the Sandra Day O’Connor

Pianist Bob Pilsbury celebrated his 90th birthday on Dec. 28. A founding member of the New Black Eagle Jazz Band, and for more than four

Cheryl Stephens will be remembered by longtime jazz fans as a petite gal with a big voice and a happy disposition who overcame physical adversity

The title of a Thomas Wolfe novel published in 1940 told us that “You can’t go home again” but for 25 of the past 27

Jim Cullum made the trip from San Antonio to New Orleans to pay tribute to his longtime late friend, Pete Fountain, in mid-August. According to

Trumpeter Stan Mark was one of the first musicians that I interviewed for my on-going series of profiles. That was back in 1994 and took

The documentary, Vince Giordano – There’s a Future in the Past had its premiere July 10 as part of the Jazz in July series at

Molly Ryan and Dan Levinson welcomed a daughter – Aven Yetive Levinson – into their family on June 3. According to Dan, Aven is a

While gridlock appears to be the order of the day in our Nation’s capital when it comes to resolving the major issues of the day,

Bria Skonberg now has a manager – DSW Entertainment – which she says will help to further her ambitious career. Her April schedule took her

Pianist Russ Kassoff, a frequent musical partner of Bucky Pizzarelli, sent along an upbeat report on Bucky’s recovery from a recent stroke. “I had the

When acclaimed guitarist Howard Alden married Diane Garcia a year ago January, the question came up as to where they would live. She lived in

Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on television, Butch Miles recalled “it was hard to believe but I marched in the Macy’s parade with the Charleston