150 or more new articles are added to the website every month, but in the “News” section we keep to the news, no more than two or three items a month. Looking at the full issue from the current month is the best way to get an idea of our breadth. It can be found in our menu or by clicking on the cover image from the issue that is somewhere on your screen.
Most of our major stories are under either Features or Artist Profiles. Many other articles are penned by our columnists, and will be found under the name of their column in our menu.
The most recent new material added to the site can be found here, but that doesn’t include new entries in the Red Hot Jazz Archive, or other new-to-us material backdated to when it ran elsewhere.
Pioneering dancer Norma Miller—dubbed the “Queen of Swing”—has been honored with a memorial alongside those of King Oliver, W.C. Handy, Duke Ellington and other jazz
Two individuals who have long championed the legacy of Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke are the recipients of the 2020 Bix Lives Award, chosen by the Board
The 17th JazzFest at Sea will take place onboard the MSC Divina, departing from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas and Western Caribbean on October 3,
It was in March this year when we first began thinking about a virtual festival. By then we could clearly no longer meet in person,
Pianist and noted Ragtime authority Terry (Emerson) Waldo has been diligently at the ivories for over 50 years. Composing, concerting, barroom gigging, doing radio, musical
Physical distancing is a sensible reaction to infectious disease; the cure for what ails our society. Yet, like cod liver oil or chemotherapy, taking this
Regina Bain has been named the new executive director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, the National Historic Landmark dedicated to the cultural, historical and
With heavy hearts, although with much pride, Brian Holland and Jeff Barnhart, along with the Board of Dixieland Monterey, announce the cancellation of the 41st
The River Raisin Ragtime Review Board of Directors announced on Thursday, Kelsee Vandervall will be the new Music Director following the retirement of founding director
There are many, including myself, who are mourning the loss of one the most colorful and exuberant characters of traditional jazz. Steve Yocum, quite effectively,
After 38 years on the air Rob Bamberger’s Hot Jazz Saturday Night aired its final show over Washington D.C.’s airwaves on June 23rd 2018. Possibly
Along with everything else this spring the 5th Annual NY Hot Jazz Camp (for adults) was cancelled. As time went by many live events went
There’s money in the bank, the Lesson Bank, that is—a new treasure trove of accessible music knowledge sponsored by the Sacramento Jazz Education Foundation and
For over fifty years now, the Pasadena Roof Orchestra has been entertaining generations with an authentic rendering of some of the finest music from the
With public gatherings (including concerts and festivals) banned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, live music has faded into a mere memory. Orlando, Florida, jazzman Charlie
The Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra is celebrating our tenth anniversary season this year. The twelve-piece ensemble, formed while I was a freshman at the University of
Update: Annie Ross Died on July 21st, 2020. As vocalese pioneer Annie Ross approaches her 90th birthday on July 25, she finds herself in need
With the avalanche of festival cancellations and postponements that have occurred due to the coronavirus crisis this year, festival organizers are looking for possible ways
Guitarist Jared Engel is one of the more than 175,000 residents of New York City, considered the epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United
This event was Cancelled. Will be back in 2021 The 54th annual West Texas Jazz Party is rescheduled for August 6-8, 2020 in the beautiful
At the end of March cdbaby.com took down all of the storefronts that at one point were a primary way for independent artists to sell
The Jazz Journalists Association has recognized 27 “activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz” from 23 cities as its 2020 Jazz Heroes. The list
The Louis Armstrong Emergency Fund for Jazz Musicians offers one time grants of $1000 to jazz musicians who regularly work in New York City
Recognizing their “unique and enduring contributions to the living history of jazz,” the late Mat Domber and his wife Rachel are the recipients of the 2020 Satchmo Award
Leslie Carole Johnson was the founder and editor of The Mississippi Rag from 1973 until shortly before her death in 2009. In January 2007, she attended the IAJE
The Fillius Jazz Archive, a priceless oral-history collection at Hamilton College, is 25 years old this March. Under the guidance of saxophonist-educator Monk Rowe, the
On March 24th 2018 we announced the launch of Syncopatedtimes.com on our Facebook page. At the time we only had 300 followers. A total of
Jazz Oracle was always a classy label. Their reissues, which were produced by Colin J. Bray, John Wilby and the late John R.T. Davies, featured
Jazz musicians work hard and have to hustle. They seek out gigs and venues. They are more often than not their own managers, publicists, or
We collected these Irish highlights from the National Jukebox, a Library of Congress effort to digitize early 78 RPM records (pre-1925) and make them available
When I reached out about contributing stories to The Syncopated Times last fall I included a long list of topics for articles. I had carefully crafted
The Barbary Coast Dixieland Jazz Band holds a special place in Minnesota music history—and not just because its members were inducted into the Minnesota Music
Paris Washboard, the renowned French quartet, will be making its first US appearance in over two years, with four concerts in February in Pennsylvania and
When the notifications icon bell at the top of my Ragtimers Club Facebook page has a red number in double digits on a Sunday afternoon
Among certain nations, a baby’s birthday isn’t celebrated until its second anniversary; they don’t want to get too excited or jinx things in light of
As is its annual tradition since 2005, the San Diego Jazz Party conveys the title of “Jazz Legend” on one of its participating musicians. At
The following remembrances ran in our pages this year.
Recently, Canadian vocalist Alex Pangman received two precious gifts from Kyla Titus, a grandniece of Connee Boswell. One was a pair of red gloves that
Jim Syoen, of the Assunto Dukes, has a mission beyond merely playing jazz for seasoned fans. A few years ago he created Mister Tuba’s Funtime
Bob Wilber, one of the finest clarinet and soprano saxophone players, died on August 4th at age 91. Bob was a direct link to his
The sad word has come to us tonight, that Ian passed yesterday, Sunday Morning the 19th. We have posted an obituary: Pop Idol turned Ragtime
Pianist Ed Clute, who was featured in the February 2016 issue of The Syncopated Times, has achieved worldwide recognition for his incredible playing, thanks to
The Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation (SJIRF) has recently announced the Larry Karp Memorial Fund Award Program. The award will recognize and educate young ragtime
Jimmy Mazzy has been well known in the traditional jazz world since the early 1970s. He’s played banjo for The Paramount Jazz Band of Boston,
For the third year, the Preservation Hall Foundation has held an award ceremony inducting important New Orleans musicians into their Legacy Program and announcing their
According to Bix scholar Albert Haim, Great American Songbook maven Michael Feinstein has unearthed a previously unknown photo of Bix Beiderbecke. The photo, which was
Movement to save it wins temporary injunction. In June 1923, pioneer record producer Ralph Peer and New York-based Okeh Records took their newly-invented portable recording
The Big Chris Barber Band will carry on but Chris Barber has decided that at 89 its time to retire from full time playing. Barber
Jeff Barnhart and Joel Schiavone announced that their annual weekend House Party will not take place this year. Since 2012, Jeff and Joel’s gem-like event
Colin Hancock, founder of The Original Cornell Syncopators, announced via Facebook on July 17th that he had successfully reverse-engineered the process for recording disc records
Famed Harlem Ballroom to Throw Open its (Digital) Doors Once More In May of 1937, around 4,000 swing fans crowded a ballroom to see two
During an especially poignant moment at this year’s Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, David Reffkin presented the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award to Swedish ragtime performer, composer,
Lew Shaw’s Jazz Beat: Notes on Classic Jazz is now an e-book/print on demand paperback. First published in 2013 it includes forty-seven recent profiles of
The 13th Annual Charles H. Templeton Ragtime & Jazz Festival was an unqualified musical success. The event, held in the Mitchell Memorial Library and McComas
April 5, 1917, Scott Joplin was buried at St. Michael’s Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY. A 16-year-old girl already occupied the grave, and a 25-year-old man
The Steele Family created a grant for the Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival to promote a youth program. In honor of this bequest this
Back in October 2016, I was lucky enough to catch a couple sets of Jeff Barnhart playing piano duets with British-born boogie woogie master Carl
For years I have flown across the country in order to attend West Coast festivals because they are different from the events we have in
Earl A. McKee July 12, 1931-April 11, 2019 How sadly coincidental that charter High Sierra Jazz Band member Earl McKee passed away one day before
Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) is celebrated every April in recognition of the significant contribution that jazz music has made to society. First established in 2011
While Corona, Queens, resident Louis Armstrong has had his home (rightly) made into a national shrine and public monies and private donors lavishly fund the
Dan Levinson recently posted a conversation on Facebook that he had with his young daughter Aven regarding her musical tastes. It bears sharing with our
Cynthia Sayer will be in New York City on Fri, March 8 (which also happens to be International Women’s Day), giving a show called “Hot
The result of most interest to traditional jazz fans from tonight’s Grammy Awards is that Cécile McLorin Salvant has won Best Jazz Vocal Album for The
An all-ages audience of more than 150 attended the world premiere reading of Bunk Johnson – Out of the Shadows on Saturday, November 10, 2018,
Around five o’clock on Sunday, April 14, 2019, in the Three Rivers Lions Arena in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, when Earl McKee
Paul Daspit has retired as director of the San Diego Thanksgiving Festival, a position he has held since 2011. Taking his place is Bill Adams,
“Jazz seems to be cool again in Ventura County,” observed a recent article in the Ventura County Reporter. Local venues, including restaurants, service clubs, neighborhood
The Letter One Rising Star Award seeks to identify a young jazz artist who would benefit from being introduced to the networks of promoters and
The National Jukebox We are working on a story for February about The National Jukebox, a collaboration between the Library of Congress, Sony Records, and several
This campaign was successful and Lew did receive his Jazz Hero recognition. Read about it here: Lew Shaw Named 2017 JJA Jazz Hero Every year the
Look here for the results: Tonight’s Grammy Winners of Interest to Syncopated Times Readers Maria Muldaur’s tribute to singer Blue Lu Barker was nominated for a
Three years ago, Todd Stoll, president of the Jazz Educators Network, wrote a piece on “Teaching Music in the 21st Century,” which was picked up
Every year the Basin Street Regulars raise money to send students to jazz camp, and this year we were able to sponsor twelve students at
In March of this year one of our readers in Europe happened upon a performance of The Bonnie Blues and, he says, “they gave me
His first album, Swing That Music, paid tribute to three Louis’; Prima, Armstrong, and Jordan, delivering an eclectic mix of American classics with personality and
