AI Christmas Jazz by Human Curated
Don’t buy these albums. I’ve never said that in a review before, I have far more albums I like in my queue to bother reviewing
Tenor Man Harry Allen Brings Jazz into the Digital Age
The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to any number of creative improvisations, each manifesting from the necessity of having to “quarantine in place.” Tenor saxophonist
How I Learned to Love Armand Hug
Jeff Barnhart: Hal, one of the highlights for me while exploring the music of cornetist Johnny Wiggs and banjo/guitar/vocalist Edmond “Doc” Souchon was the tasty
Talkative Horns • Musical Conversations on Lucien Barbarin
Lucien Barbarin (1956-2020), the grandnephew of Paul Barbarin, was a very expressive New Orleans trombonist. In his career he mostly played locally (including with Dr.
Three Albums from Colin Perry
Colin Perry was raised in Kentucky with music on both sides of his family. His father’s side of the family exposed him to Appalachian fiddlers
James Monroe Iglehart Brings Satchmo to Broadway in New Musical
James Monroe Iglehart’s career has been varied and high profile. On Broadway, he’s known for starring in Aladdin (Genie), Spamalot (King Arthur), Hamilton (Marquis de
Talking with Trummy Young: A Fan’s Memories
I lived in Honolulu in the early 1970s. So did the great trombonist Trummy Young, a name I knew well from his work with many
The Joymakers • Down Where the Bluebonnets Grow
I watched Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom the other night. I thought it was going to be a movie about music—it was not. Rather, it’s a
Dan Gabel and the Abletones • Snowed in
Dan Gabel is well suited for Christmas music. Many of our ideas about what Christmas should sound like originate in the big band period of
Inside Essentially Ellington: A New Generation Masters Jazz
I’ve attended the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival many times both in the audience and from backstage, and always enjoyed the
Allyson Briggs and Fleur Seule Emphasize the Songbook in NYC
There are so many reasons to visit New York City. Musically, you can find almost anything you want there. For example, if you are looking
Cory Weeds Meets Champian Fulton • Every Now And Then
Champian Fulton’s series of rewarding recordings are known to many of the readers of The Syncopated Times. She is equally skilled as a 1940s-type singer
Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH It was one of the great swing bands but it made no recordings that were available to the American public.
Great Jazz Great Drummers: Masters Of New Orleans Drumming
Because a full drum set could overwhelm the other instruments in the early days of jazz recording, drummers of the time were restricted to utilizing
The Hot Club of San Francisco • Original Gadjo
The Hot Club Of San Francisco has been active since the early 1990s. There have been many personnel changes along the way other than its
The Hot Club Of Tenerife • Filippo DallÁsta
The Hot Club Of Tenerife (named after an island in Spain) is led by Italian guitarist Filippo Dall’Asta. He began playing guitar when he was
Jane Monheit • The Merriest
Jane Monheit, who was profiled in our May 2021 issue, has 24 years making a career in jazz. She is the kind of skillful and
A Sidelong Glance at 2025
Now that The Syncopated Times has achieved nonprofit status and stands on the verge of its tenth year of publication, the excitement in this office
The Final Chorus December 2024
Jacky Milliet died November 10th; he was 92. The Swiss clarinetist had albums on Evasion, Vogue, and Disques Office and as a member of The
Dr. Eli Newberger has passed away at 83.
Dr. Eli Newberger, a traditional jazz tubist and notable medical professional, passed away on October 24th, he was 83 years old. Pressed into playing tuba
Oh, to be in N’awlins Now that Autumn’s There!
It is the best time of the year to be in New Orleans with perfect weather, lots of parades and wedding parties! It is not
Buster Bailey and Barney Bigard: Profiles in Jazz
They were both masterful clarinetists from the South who had notable associations with rather major players. In addition to having the same B.B. initials, their
Syncopated Media, Inc is now a 501c3 Charitable Not-For Profit
It has been a long time coming! The Syncopated Times is now a production of Syncopated Media, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. This means we
The Piano Solo and the Recording Horn
Historically, many of us have been told that recording the piano in the acoustic era (before 1925) was extremely difficult, and that because of this
Festival Roundup December 2024
31st Annual EAGLES AND IVORIES MUSIC FEST (Muscatine, IA) – Jan. 16-19 The 31st Annual Eagles & Ivories Music Fest is staged in Muscatine, Iowa,
Spike Jones
Spike Jones was born Lindley Armstrong Jones on December 14, 1911, in Long Beach, California. At the age of 11 he got his first set
The Secret is Out: The International Classic Jazz Party Is Hot!
Many years ago back in 2011, when I started coming to Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party, the party felt like a bit of a
Jazzin’ the Holidays!
While readers know I never shy away from controversial topics (banjos? Sports at Universities receiving enough funding to run a small country while Music classes/lessons
An ‘Unloved’ Clarinetist: Reconsidering the Legacy of Odell Rand
Odell Rand was born in 1905 in New Orleans; he died on 22 June 1960 in Chicago, Ill. Robert Stendhal recalls: “I saw Odell Rand
Great Jazz: The First Ladies of Jazz and Swing
This compilation of early female jazz singers and musicians contains those who will be familiar and those, perhaps, who will be less so. The recordings
French Preservation Hall New Orleans Jazz Band • Live in Belgium
The French Preservation New Orleans Jazz Band* was founded some twenty-five years ago by reed man J[ean]P[ierre] Alessi. During that time the group has issued
I Love You and the Horse You Rode In On- Lyric
I love you and the horse you rode in on; I see you there Mounted on your mare— You make quite a striking pair As
Happy Landings: The 2024 Roswell Jazz Fest
In late October I attended for the first time the Roswell Jazz Festival in Roswell, NM. I tied it in with my plans to attend
Eagles and Ivories by Jeff Barnhart (2008)
The Eagles and Ivories Ragtime Festival occurs every January in Muscatine, IA, so-named because bald eagle watching is an activity unique to the festival and
Dr. Eli Newberger: Tuba Virtuoso
This profile of the late Dr. Eli Newberger was published in the September 2015 issue (and again in the October 2015 issue) of The American
Defne Incirlioglu’s Roots Journey from Ankara to NOLA
Busking in NYC The “Good Old New York” that Jelly Roll Morton wrote about has served as an evident launch-pad of hot jazz and its
Eddie Durham: Jazz Pioneer, Innovator, and Virtuoso
Eddie Durham was born in 1906 in San Marcos, a small, rural horse and buggy town formed in 1808 and located in Hays County, Texas,
‘There’s [MISTER] MICHAEL McQUAID!’
Yes, that’s what I once whisper-yelled to my siblings during a concert, as recorded in my vignette. Too many thrills were happening for the first
Louisa ‘Blue Lu’ Barker Was More Than a Blues Singer
When I’m not writing about jazz, I’m a kids’ science educator. It’s true—since 2020 I’ve run a small business which delivers workshops and parties to
Edmond ‘Doc’ Souchon: Surgeon, Musician, and Legend
Jeff Barnhart: Well, Hal, you’ve done it again. I’ve been grooving on the selections you chose to share the music and story of Edmond Souchon: banjoist,
Rebecca Kilgore • A Little Taste
Ever since she made her recording debut during 1981-83 and particularly since the early 1990s, Rebecca Kilgore has been one of jazz’s top swing singers.
Charlie Parker • Bird in Kansas City
Given saxophonist Charlie Parker’s renown, you might think his career was extremely well documented, In fact, although he was already a known quantity by about
New Music Abounding in Maine
Hello friends! It’s been a while since I’ve shared the trad jazz happenings in Maine—though, certainly, not due to a lack of goings on. In
From the Sacramento Hot Jazz Jubilee 2024
We attended the 9th Annual Celebration of the Sacramento Hot Jazz Jubilee over Labor Day weekend. There were eight in our group, with six of
Lionel Hampton: Profiles in Jazz, Part 2
By 1941, Lionel Hampton (who turned 33 that year) was quite famous. His exuberant playing with the Benny Goodman Quartet and Sextet and his series
One Hundred Sets Amidst Tall Trees: The Redwood Coast Music Fest
“If I had the wings of an angel,” goes the old song. I would have needed wings to enjoy all the music at the 2024
Music Publishers and Recording Companies
When looking through acoustic era recordings, it can be easy to assume that the more common songs we see must have sold well in sheet
Jazz With A Beat by Tad Richards
Which music qualifies as jazz has been a hot topic for over a hundred years. From the beginning there were attempts to both define and
