Jazz Jubilee Central Coast October 15-26, 2025
49th Annual Festival Expands Its Scope – Preserving Jazz and Involving Community Partners All-Volunteer Non-Profit Club, Fueled by Community Support, Pays Musicians, involves 20 Local
Andy Stein: Renaissance, Rock, Schubert, and the Nighthawks
Andy Stein will never forget that day in 1979. “I was walking through a street fair in New York and heard the Manhattan Rhythm Kings
Kid Ory on Crescent: Darnell Howard Steps In
Jeff Barnhart: Gentle reader, last month Hal Smith and I had such fun listening to, discussing, and sharing with you some music recorded by the legendary New
Elusive Syncopations: In Search of 1920s and 1930s Jazz in Korea
It all began last December. Down and beyond the bustling streets of South Korea I roamed. In all aspects of auditory senses, the atmosphere was
Are Musicians Human?
I’m writing this edition while sitting at Chicago O’Hare, having arrived from Hartford CT an hour late, causing me to miss my connecting flight to
John Hammond: Profiles in Jazz
For the 100th article in my series of Jazz Profiles, this is the first time that a non-musician is the subject. John Hammond is considered
A Century of ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’
There are songs that have entered the jazz vocabulary and never left: “Body and Soul,” “Stardust,” “Autumn Leaves,” and many others. We call these tunes
The Early History of the Saxophone on Record
There was a time when the saxophone was a very obscure, regional instrument. The instrument only became one of the most utilized at the beginning
Jazz Education & The Jazz Barn
In his just-published book, The Jazz Barn: Music Inn, The Berkshires, and the Place of Jazz in American Life, author John Gennari makes a compelling
100 of The Hottest Classic Jazz Albums of 1945-2025, Part 5: 1995-2025
What are the most exciting and essential classic jazz recordings that have taken place since the end of World War II? An impossible question to
Pete Allen • New Orleans Wiggle
Back in 1976, the British clarinetist and soprano-saxophonist Pete Allen left his day job to join Rod Mason’s group. By the fall of 1978, Allen
Cat & The Hounds
In the 1960s and ’70s, it was very rare for any African-Americans, other than survivors from the early days, to be playing Dixieland and pre-swing
Composer/Conductor Will H. Dixon: An Unsung American Original
Will H. Dixon was born August 29, 1879, in Wheeling, West Virginia, into a musically inclined African American family. His father, John H. Dixon, was
Pershore 2025: Jazz on a Summer’s Day
How many concerts could you stand in one afternoon? Before August I’d have said two, perhaps three; that four would have my backside numb and
Jazz on the High Seas: Musicians On Their Jazz Cruise Experiences
If, like me, you love many styles of jazz, you probably look at ads for various jazz cruises and start planning or wishing. I’ve experienced
Peter Lay
Pete Lay, drummer, bandleader, promoter, and longtime editor of Just Jazz magazine, died September 7, 2025 at age 78. A central figure in Britain’s traditional-jazz
Rick MacWilliams
Rick MacWilliams passed away on September 12th after a long illness; he was 81. While he wore many hats, including mechanical engineer, licensed councilor, volunteer
Glenn Crytzer Songbook Series, Vol. 1
When we’ve covered Glenn Crytzer over the years it has usually been to focus on his original material and his full orchestra, but if you’re
Lizzy & The Triggermen • Live at Joe’s Pub
Lizzy & the Triggermen have always blended vintage swagger with contemporary stagecraft, and their new Live at Joe’s Pub set captures the band landing that
Jubilee…Yes, It Was a Jubilee!
Labor Day weekend brought us to Sacramento for the Hot Jazz Jubilee and its 10th annual event. It was fantastic and with four separate venues
The Pause that Didn’t Refresh
For some inexplicable reason, a few readers have expressed that they miss my words in this space. I frankly needed a break from myself because
Festival Roundup October 2025
REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL (Eureka, CA) Oct. 2-5 This year’s festival, which takes place in Eureka, California, boasts seven venues: Hagadone Stage at Eureka Municipal
Hannah Gill • Spooky Jazz Vol. 3
As I write this, it’s September 2. The weather in southwest England is mostly still good, with mid-afternoon temperatures regularly approaching 25℃. But meteorologically speaking,
2nd Jazz Jubilee Central Coast to run October 17th through 26th!
The Basin Street Regulars Hot Jazz Society is thrilled to announce the 2nd Jazz Jubilee Central Coast 2025, a vibrant celebration of jazz music stretching
The Jelly Roll Jazz Band • Tradding Uncharted Ground
When I’m reviewing a record, I’ll often comment on how professional the production sounds. It’s always noted as a positive—from a quick word search of
Royal Society Jazz Orchestra Bids Farewell After Five Decades of Great Music
After delighting audiences across the globe for nearly half a century, the legendary Royal Society Jazz Orchestra has announced its retirement at the end of
Duke Ellington • Great Times
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH In 1950, Duke Ellington’s son Mercer and journalist Leonard Feather founded the Mercer label. The small company lasted for less
John Petters • Swinging Down Memory Lane
John Petters is a veteran British jazz drummer who has appeared on quite a few hot trad jazz sessions starting in 1977. Self-taught, he has
Golden Spider Rag (1910)
Charles Leslie Johnson’s Golden Spider Rag (1910) is a simple, straightforward piece. The opening chords of the introduction would later be expanded into the A
Jazz Travels: Louis Haunts and Cellar Boys
As I hinted last month, there is a cadenza to my time at the Bix Beiderbecke festival. On my way to Rhinelander, WI, where I
Omer Simeon • The New Orleans Clarinetist
Omer Simeon (1902-59) was one of the top jazz clarinetists to emerge during the 1920s yet he is overshadowed in the history books by such
Adelaide Louise Hall
Adelaide Louise Hall was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 20, 1901. Adelaide and her sister Evelyn attended the Pratt Institute, where her father
Kid Ory’s Creole Jazz Band: The Crescent Sessions
The blue links on song titles go to the referenced recordings on Archive.org. Hal Smith: Jeff, we have discussed Kid Ory’s historic recordings with Jelly
Catherine Russell & Colin Hancock’s Cat & The Hounds
There is a tension in traditional jazz between recreation and creation. Colin Hancock has always lived on the rarer side of that line, not content
A Comedy of Lehrer’s
On July 26, we lost one of my heroes of surreal and satirical humor, pianist/singer/songwriter Tom Lehrer. As were millions of people across the globe,
Gabrielle Lee Carries Harlem’s Legacy Into the Present
Gabrielle Lee is a modern-day “Blackbird,” her voice and presence carrying the glamour, grit, and history of Harlem’s celebrated nightclub era and its performers into
C’est Si Bon: Capital Focus Jazz Band in France
An article in the July ’24 issue of The Syncopated Times about a French jazz festival caught my eye. “We really try to put the
Louis Armstrong’s 70 Greatest Recordings
LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S 70 GREATEST RECORDINGS Although I have long wanted to write about Louis Armstrong for The Syncopated Times, since Ricky Riccardi’s trio of books
Bassists of the 1920s
While the string bass was part of the early New Orleans jazz scene from its start, with Jimmy Johnson (1876-1937) and his bass being seen
Tony Desare: ‘Doing What I So Enjoy!’
When asked for a self-assessment, singer-pianist-composer Tony Desare responded, “I’m just a kid from Glens Falls, New York when fell in love with jazz at
Ink: The Indelible J. Mayo Williams
J. Mayo Williams, who was nicknamed “Ink” due to his dark skin, had two often simultaneous careers. He is best remembered today as a pioneering
The Whistling Bureaucrat: John Yorke AtLee
Acoustic recordings of whistlers aren’t for everyone, but there was one whistler who I would consider many levels better than the others. He had a
Andy Schumm Reflects on his 20-Year Career
Multi-instrumentalist Andy Schumm made some interesting comments regarding his career on the occasion of his 40th birthday in a Facebook posting. He wrote “I’m not
From the 2025 Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival
The 54th Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival in Davenport, Iowa continued its tradition of excellence on July 31-August 3 at the perennially over-cooled Rhythm City Casino.
It’s Happening (Again!) in Sun Valley
The website for the 36th Sun Valley Jazz Festival describes the annual event in the Idaho Rockies as a vibrant celebration of music. Over the
Jazzin’ In July!
The Century Room in the downtown Hotel Congress was again the venue for a terrific Sunday Gospel set! A lazy afternoon saw the Gospel According
2nd Jazz Jubilee Central Coast set for Oct. 17th to 26th
The Basin Street Regulars Hot Jazz Society is thrilled to announce the 2nd Jazz Jubilee Central Coast 2025, a vibrant celebration of jazz music stretching
