As a natural sequel to last month’s column, I traveled to Pittsburgh to interview ragtime pianist and Rivermont Records owner Bryan Wright at his home. Bill Hoffman: How did you develop your interest in early […]
I didn’t have far to travel to write this installment—25 miles to my hometown of York, PA—to interview my friend Bob Erdos. Bob, as many readers know, is the founder, producer, and owner of Stomp […]
The 47th annual Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival Related: The 46th annual Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, Every Bix Devotee Should make a Pilgrimage The 47th annual Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival in Davenport, Iowa, got off […]
Jazz Travels with Bill Hoffman Since this is a newspaper of national, indeed worldwide, circulation, I normally do not report on single-day events that readers who live beyond a several-hour drive are unlikely to attend […]
The Centennial Concert I have attended three historically significant events at Carnegie Hall. The first two were in 1988: on January 16, the re-creation of Benny Goodman’s famous concert, the first time non-symphonic music was […]
An Interview With Pianist Daniel Souvigny I first encountered 15-year-old pianist Daniel Souvigny at last year’s Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, MO. I saw him again a few months later at the Central Pennsylvania […]
In June I attended two CD release parties in New York City: trumpeter and vocalist Bria Skonberg’s on the 2nd, and reedmen Will and Peter Anderson’s on the 13th. Bria Skonberg- With a Twist Bria’s […]
Davenport The Bix Beiderbecke Museum and Archive opened officially on August 3, the first day of the 46th annual Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival. It is housed in the basement of the River Music Experience, […]
The Fat Babies (featuring Beau Sample, bass, leader; John Otto, sax; Jonathan Doyle, clarinet; Andy Schumm, cornet; Dave Bock, trombone; John Donatowicz, banjo; Paul Asaro, piano; and Alex Hall, drums) kick off the Bix Beiderbecke […]
Jazz Travels with Bill Hoffman In late October I finished a bicycle trip in New Orleans, where I had allotted two days to indulge my other passion, traditional jazz. I could have easily stayed longer, […]
Jazz Travels with Bill Hoffman I have fewer opportunities to hear live jazz when I’m at my summer place in Potsdam, New York, a trade I’m willing to make to escape Lancaster’s heat and humidity. […]
Related: 2018 Olympia Jazz Festival Cancelled for 2018, Olympia’s American Classic Jazz Festival Announces 2019 Return!, Festival Scene in Flux, “A Crisis of the Old Order”, What Is to Be Done? Jazz Travels with Bill Hoffman I had heard good […]
Aven Levinson looks on as the Metropolitan Club Orchestra plays at the 2017 Armistice Ball; from left: Dalton Ridenhour, piano; Rob Adkins, bass; Sue Fischer, drums; and Dan Levinson, clarinet. (Facebook photo by Molly Ryan) […]
The whole company of musicians at The 54th Chicken Fat Ball on stage near the end of the concert (from left): Rossano Sportiello (piano), Jason Anick (violin), Adrian Cunningham (clarinet), Nicki Parrott (bass), Olli Soikkeli […]
Randy Reinhart and John Allred challenge each other on trombone. (photo by Lynn Redmile Photography; www.lynnredmile.com) Related: The 54th Annual Chicken Fat Ball Jazz Travels with Bill Hoffman Last March I reported on the Chicken Fat […]
The Original Cornell Syncopators in Ithaca New York, recreating jazz played a century ago (from left): Rishi Verma, trombone; Amit Mizrahi, piano; Noah Li, drums; Hannah Krall, clarinet; and Colin Hancock, cornet and leader. (photo […]
Show-toppers banjoist Eddy Davis and pianist Conal Fowkes performing at the 2015 edition of the New York Hot Jazz Festival. (photo by Jane Kratochvil; courtesy www.nyhotjazzfest.com) Jazz Travels with Bill Hoffman The New York Hot […]
Dan Levinson (clarinet) soloing with the New York All-Star Big Band led by James Langton (tenor sax), with Randy Reinhart (cornet), above. (photo by Bruce Gast; courtesy www.danlevinson.com) Jazz Travels with Bill Hoffman January 16 […]
The Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, with director Andrew Greene, center. The Washington Post dubbed the PRSO “the premier American ragtime ensemble.” (submitted photo) Andrew Greene of the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra talks about leading a […]
Jazz Travels with Bill Hoffman In the past two months or so I attended release parties in Manhattan for two CDs that have already been reviewed in TST: The Unheard Artie Shaw by the James […]
Jazz Travels with Bill Hoffman The 3rd annual New York Hot Jazz Camp (www.nyhotjazzcamp.com), which took place during the first week in April, culminated in the Gotham Jazz Festival from noon on Sunday, April 8 […]
Related: Glenn Crytzer on Playing Pre-War Jazz: 8 Things You Won’t Learn in Jazz School, On Programming an Album of Original Swing Music, The Glenn Crytzer Orchestra: Ain’t It Grand?(CD Review #1), The Glenn Crytzer Orchestra Ain’t it Grand? […]
Jazz Travels with Bill Hoffman This column’s title includes the word “travels.” This installment is no different, but this time the travels weren’t mine. Neville Dickie, the renowned British stride and boogie-woogie pianist, stopped by […]