My Inspirations

This month is the second entry in my occasional series “To ______ or Not to ________” where I examine musical practices to try to find

Anyone who focuses on the ragtime, jazz, and swing music of the first four decades, whether performer, listener, or both, is at some point subjected

In Jazz music of every era and style, there exists a tradition that delights some musicians and fans while vexing others. I’m referring to “the

There’s often an uneasy relationship between a jazz band leader (and the members of their band) and clients. The simplest illustration is the steady gig,

I’ll be ranting in this edition of “My Inspirations,” so if you’re (understandably) in the mood for some humor or uplift, you might want to

This is a story of the power of memory, music, and love. My column last month on Connecticut’s restaurant Bill’s Seafood, its longtime owner the

Club owners get an often-deserved bad rep from musicians. Many times, the conditions in the club or restaurant are terrible: the lighting’s non-existent; the band’s

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

Dear kind and patient readers: This entry of my column is a love letter of appreciation to all of YOU, a tidy number of whom

Welcome, faithful readers! I’ll begin this entry with a confession, followed by a question that I sincerely hope one of you might be able to

Prior to Anne’s and my seven-week performance (and walking, and BEER DRINKING) tour of the UK in May, we played a ragtime festival run by

June’s reminiscences of banjoist/festival director/Your Father’s Mustache founder Joel Schiavone garnered many emails and letters! I’ve left out churlish ones like “How can you eulogize

As I write this month’s column, Anne and I are in Scotland, performing at the Kirkcudbright (pronounced “Kir-coo-bree”) Jazz Festival (pronounced “Jazz” “Fes-ti-val”). It’s a

I’m writing this month’s column on my birthday in the UK in the shire of Derby (pronounced like “Barbie,” not like the hats worn by

The May 2024 issue of this beloved publication marks the first occasion the column I share with Hal Smith (and various guests), “Ain’t’cha Got Music,”

Full disclosure, kind readers: during my public school years I was an unalloyedly precocious rapscallion with a big sense of humor (to myself, anyhow), a

In previous columns I’ve shared stories regarding the people who paved the path I’ve traveled to become, musically—and sometimes so much more, who I am

Throughout history, duos have accomplished great things together. Perhaps not adversarial pairings such as Cain and Abel, David and Goliath, or the Democratic and Republican

In all of my encounters with famous people (and what is “fame” anyway??…My favorite response to the question “Are you famous?” comes from my friend,

“Oh, your life must be SOOOO glamorous!!” Any full-time musician traveling to eke out a living has undoubtedly heard this phrase hundreds of times in

In a past column (TST, September 2022) I mentioned a pub I played in with the Hot Cat Jazz Band called the Griswold Inn. It

Musicians have to be a hardy lot, and here I’m not only talking about the full-timers—those who log in hundreds of thousands of miles and

To set the stage for this month’s journey, I’ll quote lyrics from one of my biggest inspirations, pianist, composer, vocalist and lyricist Dave Frishberg: I

I’m aware that this will be the second month in a row I’m dwelling on dear ones who, to quote Sondheim, “leave you halfway through