During the summer of 2018 Tuba Skinny had the unique opportunity to perform as part of the Ashton Brothers circus in the Netherlands. We performed
Looked at one way, Shirt Tail Stompers are a “London-based jazz and swing band” (so says their website). Looked at another way, they’re better described
From the dusty recesses of my jazz history archives, I recently came across a slim 32-page pamphlet published in 1942 entitled “America’s Band Leaders” by
Swing dance instructors, like other kinds of teachers, should be a nurturing, accommodating influence. The needs of the student should come first and the expert
In the late 1970s, Bay Area banker Jim Goggin, a longtime friend and fan of Turk Murphy, envisioned a “Turk Murphy Jazz Foundation” – a
In a recent review of the Suncoast JazzFest I noted how much I enjoyed Jason Marsalis covering the Benny Goodman Quartet’s version of “Moonglow”. You
THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED UNTIL AT LEAST MAY 31st DUE TO CORONAVIRUS 2020 will be the 100th anniversary of “Ragtime” Bob Darch’s birth and, thanks
Mathematical sticklers may demur, but I take pleasure in declaring the twenties have finally arrived again. The ringing in of a new decade—a twenties that
Mardi Gras dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, such as the raucous Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. When
At the West Coast Ragtime Festival in November I sat down for about half an hour for a wide-ranging conversation with multi-instrumentalist Matt Tolentino, who
He has been gone for 25 years but everyone still knows who Cab Calloway was. The “Hi-De-Ho Man,” the singer of “Minnie The Moocher,” an
As I was contemplating a column for this month, I came across a Facebook posting that inspired this article. It was a recent photo in
We in the jazz musical world are tired of being ignored by the media moguls who feed the bottomless American appetite for reality TV. Ever
In this Article: Location recordings, rare photos, unissued studio tracks and a radio broadcast explore Dick Oxtot’s Golden Age Jazz Band. His talent for mentoring
Dick Oxtot fondly recalled the venue in his 1999 memoir: “The Ordinary was a happy-go-lucky Oakland club which featured a happy-go-lucky clientele, and served New
Benjamin Bernard Selvin was born March 5, 1898, in New York. He began playing violin before age seven and studied to be a concert violinist.
One of my favorite songs is “Once in a While.” Or should I say that two of my favorite songs are “Once in a While”
I wasn’t going to write the column I’m about to write. It’s going to cause me more of the trouble I’ve lately been experiencing, but
The New Orleans Jazz Museum’s new exhibition: New Orleans Music Observed: The Art of Noel Rockmore and Emilie Rhys had its grand opening on January
Record collectors may be familiar with the name Frank Banta—a name usually associated with hot novelty and jazz piano of the 1920s, and rightfully so.
Okay folks, let’s talk about sex. We may as well do so…it’s on our minds all the time anyway (just ask Freud). Most of us
This biography of jazz multi-instrumentalist Adrian Rollini has a long history. The book was started in 1980 by Dutch musician and jazz scholar Tom Faber.
The great cornet player Rex Stewart, best known for his work with Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington, was also a prolific writer. He contributed to
We like to assume that the recorded body of American roots music-blues, jazz and “hillbilly”/country-accurately represents the best work of America’s diverse musical community in
The long awaited third album from what can only be called a swing revival supergroup is finally here. Recorded last summer at the Minneapolis Uptown
Despite the name The New Orleans Swinging Gypsies aren’t a Hot Club group, but they are more influenced by Django than most of the local
Have you noticed Hollywood counts on European actors when they need a pitch perfect American accent? Christiane Beinl, who leads Vienna’s Stompin’ Lickers hones in
Martin Wheatley is a London born master of all string instruments with a specialty in the banjo styles of the ragtime and early jazz era.
Francis Joseph Spanier was better known as “Muggsy,’ a nickname he took for himself from John “Muggsy” McGraw, manager of the New York Giants baseball
New Orleans is the only American city seemingly impervious to the natural fading in popularity of musical styles. Jazz had a thirty year reign nationally
The Jazz Oracle label, which was recently purchased by Upbeat, has a very valuable catalog of 1920s jazz that fortunately Upbeat is making widely available.
Normally in this column I limit the reviews to prebop music, but trumpeter Bruce Adams and altoist-clarinetist Alan Barnes are such versatile musicians that I
Three of the greatest and most popular British trad jazz bands were led by trombonist Chris Barber, trumpeter Kenny Ball, and clarinetist Acker Bilk. Each
The Swingsations, a quintet based in Southern California, was founded in 1995 by its leader trumpeter-singer Jim Ziegler. The group originally consisted of Ziegler, Phil
Don Vappie has had quite a career as a banjoist, guitarist, bassist, singer, arranger-composer, educator, lecturer, record and event producer, and expert about all aspects
Eubie Blake had such a unique career that he fits into his own musical category. A near-contemporary of Scott Joplin, Blake was a ragtime composer
William Pillucere, Jr., known as “Billy”, was a professional bassist who specialized in classic jazz and could be heard at many festivals, particularly around Florida.
British Trad banjoist Louis Lince died February 3rd after a brief battle with cancer, he was 77. His career in music began in Skiffle groups
Bob Adams, a banjo player and the founder of Ohio’s Buffalo Ridge Jazz Band passed away on January 17th, he was 82. His last public
Lucien Barbarin, a hardworking trombonist and native son of New Orleans succumbed to prostate cancer on Thursday, he was 63. He was diagnosed last March
Tatiana Eva-Marie’s Romantic Ambitions, by Joe Bebco
“Crazy Blues” Points the Way—to the “Race Records” Market, by Roger K. Smith
Recalling those Bandleaders from the Big Band Era, by Lew Shaw
Tuba Skinny Joins a Dutch Circus, by Robin Rapuzzi
Riding on the Shirt Tails of the Jazz Megastars, by Dave Doyle
Jazz Reality TV Shows We’d Really Like to See, by Stephen Provizer
Why Don’t You Do Right, Like Those Other Dancers Do?, by Dave Doyle
The Charles N. Huggins Online Jazz Archive, by Hal Smith
Bob Darch Centennial Concert to Be Held March 27, by Larry Melton
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Ben Selvin, art by Joe Busam; bio by David Selvin
Static from my Attic, by Andy Senior
Final Chorus, compiled by Joe Bebco
Jazz Jottings, by Lew Shaw
Jazz Travels: A Visit with Matt Tolentino, by Bill Hoffman
The Professor is IN: The Professor in Bed, by Adrian Cunningham
Dick Oxtot’s Golden Age Jazz Band, by Dave Radlauer
The Original Frank Banta, by R.S. Baker
Quarter Notes: Portraying Musicians, by Shelly Gallichio
Profiles in Jazz: Cab Calloway, by Scott Yanow
Blowing off the Dust: Sedalia’s Ragtime Art Gallery, by Larry Melton
CD Review: Muggsy Spanier: Rare and Unissued Recordings, by Bert Thompson
Nights at the Turntable, CD reviews by Scott Yanow
Off the Beaten Tracks, CD reviews by Joe Bebco
YouTube for Jazz Lovers, by Frank Farbenbloom
The Syncopated Bookshelf
Adrian Rollini, review by Stephen Provizer
A&R Pioneers, review by Stephen Provizer
Rex Stewart, review by Stephen Provizer