During the swing era, there were two types of male singers that were employed by many big bands, and then there was Jimmy Rushing. While
What is authentic swing music? It depends who you ask. Plenty of modern outfits advertise themselves as “authentic” swing musicians—many of them function bands, sporting
Hal Smith: During the seemingly endless nationwide lockdown, I have enjoyed one positive experience: participating in a series of video discussions regarding the Benny Goodman
Gus Haenschen (1889–1980) was once a highly prominent figure in popular music with his name-recognition reinforced by regular newspaper advertisements and occasional articles. From 1919
My wife Laura I lived in New York City for nearly fourteen exciting years, from early 1983 until the summer of 1996. It seemed that
For Britons, George Formby is seen as a national treasure. The comedian’s loving portrayals of hapless working-class characters has charmed countless filmgoers, and with statues
Hal Smith: When we finished our last article for The Syncopated Times, Jeff kindly offered to let me choose the subject for our next collaboration.
While The Syncopated Times this year celebrates its fifth anniversary, Jane Monheit marks her 20th year as a professional jazz singer with the release of
Saxophonist, Joseph Robert St. John had a thirty-year career in Manhattan and Detroit. His New York band battled the great Chick Webb Orchestra and shared a
Just over two years ago, I was contacted through my Drums In The Twenties website by a man called Bob Matthews. He was at that
Jazz Jubilee by the Sea 2021 is on track. We have connected with most of our bands with a few more yet to be determined
Four jazz clubs from California to Maryland have joined to present an online live streaming concert headlined by popular singer-band leader Banu Gibson and a
Party Like it’s 1921 May 9th, 1925. A series of Coast Guard speed boats (some of the first of their kind) fly down the Delaware
As we enter the roaring 20s of the 21st century, NYC jazz artists Sweet Megg and Ricky Alexander seamlessly blend the vintage era of the
The monumental role of Eddie Durham (1906-1987) in the development of Swing has been hidden in the corners of Jazz history and mostly overlooked by
For many admirers, a personally signed autograph is a treasured keepsake. For over fifty years I avidly accumulated these bits of personalized ephemera. It all
In 1896, two phonograph engineers were arrested for the first crime not patent related within the recording business. The more famous of the two, Russell
It Gets Better by W. Brett Youens is one of the most well-written rags of the last decade to be composed in the ultra-refined, Joplinesque
Well folks, it’s been one full year since our lives all fundamentally changed. If you’d have asked me a year ago where we’d be by
Do not interpret an event not being on this list as a cancellation, it means only that they have yet to announce any information about
I don’t know who first said it but it’s as true a statement as one can utter: Death is the great equalizer. On Monday, April
F. Norman Vickers, the jazz ambassador and moving spirit behind Jazz Pensacola, is one of 23 individuals who are the 2021 recipients of the JJA
Although easing up a bit, the current situation has put a stop to most live music in New Orleans but it has created some alternatives
Cheers for Terry Waldo! To the Editor: I enjoyed the recent article about Terry Waldo by Larry Melton and Neal Siegal published in the April
Ernest Loring “Red” Nichols was born May 8, 1905, in Ogden, Utah. He began playing cornet when he was five, played with his father’s brass
I was reminded of my favorite childhood reading material this past month when I heard that Frank Jacobs, the extraordinary writer of light verse and
Roya Naldi, a singer with a deep and haunting voice, is most inspired by Al Bowlly while at various times hinting at Annette Hanshaw, early
The Archeophone label, in their Yearbook series, had previously released CDs dedicated to the music of every year from 1906-1922 (not to mention two CDs
Lester Young (1909-59) was one of the all-time great tenor-saxophonists, a non-conformist whose floating cool-toned style was much different than that of the dominant influence
It took most European musicians a bit of time to get comfortable playing jazz. In the early-to-mid 1920s, relatively few American jazz recordings were available
On Feb. 11, 1940, a new weekly radio program made its debut. Called The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street, it was a satire
A number of jazz concerts aired in the U.K. on BBC Radio
Back in my salad days when I first was becoming interested in
For a good many years, now, I have been a fan of
In 2012, Paul Adams of Lake Records issued a three-CD set titled
No doubt that readers of The Syncopated Times are as leery of stylistic fusion and “cross-over” projects as I am. I’m
George Segal died March 23. 2021 near his Santa Rosa, California home. He was perhaps best known for the broad scope of his television and
Jack Bradley died on March 21, he was 87. He discovered Louis Armstrong recordings as a child in the 30s and 40s and would go
Marek Boym passed March 31, a few days after his 80th birthday. I’ve been a lifelong Jazz enthusiast and, at age 76, considered myself fairly
Andrew “Jazzman” Smith of White Bluff, TN passed on March 28, he was 83. He served his country honorably for 20 years in the US
Vol.6, No.5 May 2021
Living the Jazz Life: Gunhild Carling, by Elisa Shoenberger
Joe St. John: A Tale in Two Jazz Cities, by Jim Gallert with Lars Bjorn
What’s in a Name? My Chance Encounter with Brick Fleagle, by Dan Barrett
Jonathan Stout’s Jazz is Crafted for Dancing, by Dave Doyle
Davis-Shannon Sparks New Interest in George Formby, by Chelsea Spear
Preserving the Legacy of Drummer Bob Matthews, by Nicholas D. Ball
Monheit Returns to Songbook Roots for New Album, by Brian R. Sheridan
Is the Gus Haenschen-Scott Joplin Connection Significant?, by Ed Berlin
Ain’t Cha Got Music: Bob Wills, by Jeff Barnhart & Hal Smith
Roundtable: BG Sextet 1954, by Hal Smith, Loren Schoenberg, & Nick Rossi
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Red Nichols, illustration by Joe Busam
Static from my Attic, by Andy Senior
Final Chorus, compiled by Joe Bebco
Jazz Travels: Domingo Mancuello, by Bill Hoffman
The Professor is IN: Quarantine Year in Review, by Adrian Cunningham
Ragtime Vignettes: It Gets Better, by Brandon Byrne
You Can’t Kill Death, by Randi Cee
Quarter Notes: Keep on Truckin’ in the Quarter, by Shelly Gallichio
The Charming and Cunning Charlie Carson, by R.S. Baker
Festival Roundup, compiled by Joe Bebco
Profiles in Jazz: Jimmy Rushing, by Scott Yanow
Blowing off the Dust: Scott Joplin Autographs, by Larry Melton
Banu Gibson Livestream Event Planner for Four Jazz Clubs, by Joel Albert
Norman Vickers Among 2021 JJA Jazz Heroes, by Lew Shaw
Nights at the Turntable, by CD reviews by Scott Yanow
It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie by Marty Grosz, review by Scott Yanow
Exploring the Virtuosity of Eddie Durham, by Dave Radlauer
Three Part Invention, album review by Neal Siegal