Some of my earliest and most heart-warming musical memories revolve around waking up early on Saturday mornings so I could do two things: 1. watch
The swing and Lindy Hop community lost one of its great leaders when Dawn Hampton passed away September 25, 2016. Dawn, a musician, dancer, writer,
You’ve heard about this phenom of the keyboard from Indonesia. You’ve read the lavish praise served up by the pundits of the jazz community and
A literal King of Jazz has died. Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch and a great lover of jazz, passed away on
I write this report with some trepidation, hoping that it will not spoil a good thing. The Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival has
David Reffkin’s email on Tuesday, October 11th brought sad news: “Larry Karp died this morning at a hospital in Seattle…” Though I have read Larry’s
As I was writing last month about the excellent newspapers and newsletters in the fields of jazz and ragtime, I was also reminded of the
As the attendance of long withstanding patrons, musicians, volunteers, and trad jazz enthusiasts wanes, what does the future of the jazz festival community look like?
Not long ago, Tony Welch, historian and long-time member of the Portland (OR) Dixieland Jazz Society, interviewed jazz and gospel singer Marilyn Keller. Ms. Keller,
The trip to New Orleans shouldn’t have happened. I had no business traveling anywhere. My checking account is on life support. I was sitting on
Those happy bells you heard ringing on September 10 were actually wedding bells for our gal Bria Skonberg and Matthew Papper, the artistic director for
ARIZONA CLASSIC JAZZ FESTIVAL. (Chandler, Ariz.) – Nov. 3-6. Staged at the classy Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort in Chandler, Ariz., the 27th annual
I get it. You want to talk to me at a gig and. . .tell me how great I sound. . .that my music has
Coleman Randolph Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on November 21, 1904. He played cello and piano from childhood but at the age of
Unless you’ve been in a medically-induced coma for a year or two, you will have noted that the times are, as the supposed Chinese curse
Pensacola can expect an informative and pleasant treat when David Sager, trombonist and the Library of Congress’ curator of its Jukebox Project appears as part
Ragtime scholar Dr. Edward A. Berlin (author of King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era and Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural History) has established
To all of my dear friends and family who have asked about my adventure and me, in layman’s terms, this is as best I can
Peter Ford holds down the bottom for the Baby Soda Jazz Band playing a single-string box bass of his own creation. He started out on
One of the unexpected delights of attending Jeff and Joel’s House Party in Branford, Connecticut this past October was meeting Carolyn Newberger. Carolyn attended with
I found it on the AM dial. A Hollywood cowboy mimicking the distinctive Alpine sound of the Moser Brothers, a wildly popular touring group of
The Galvanized Jazz Band was formed in Connecticut in 1971. From the start, the core of the hot jazz group was cornetist Fred Vigorito, Noel
Wild Bill Davison (1906-89) was one of the most colorful of all jazz cornetists/trumpeters. He had a distinctive sound and filled his solos with emotions
Due to its recent revival and modernization on Broadway, the pioneering Eubie Blake/Noble Sissle Shuffle Along show has been getting a lot of publicity lately.
Paul Asaro’s Fat Babies Jazz Band has emerged since its founding in 2010 as one of the finest classic jazz groups currently active in the
Ethan Uslan, who had recorded two previous CDs for Rivermont, is a classically-trained pianist who in college switched permanently to syncopated music. He plays both
Ted Lewis occupies a unique place in jazz history. On the one hand, he became famous for his overly sentimental singing (which looked back nostalgically
Here’s another Harry Allen gem from Arbors Records. Harry has assembled an all-star team with fellow tenor saxophonists Grant Stewart and Eric Alexander and baritone
Horace Meunier Harris, who for many years wrote the “Jazz in Britain” column for The American Rag, passed away on October 15, 2016 at the
RICHARD JOHNSON, 96, on Sept. 17 in Sacramento. A professional musician since 1938, he played trumpet, clarinet, and tuba and was a member of a
BOBBY BREEN, 88, on Sept. 19 of natural causes in Pompano Beach, FL. A popular actor and singer who was compared with other child stars
RANDOLPH SIPLE, 83, on Sept. 20 in Ventura, CA. Randy Siple was very much his own man as evidenced by the fact he wrote his
STANLEY “Buckwheat” DURAL, Jr., 68, from lung cancer on Sept. 24 in Lafayette, Louisiana. One of the few zydeco artists to achieve mainstream success, he
OSCAR BRAND, 96, of pneumonia on Sept. 30 in Great Neck, NY. A Canadian-born, naturalized U.S. citizen, folk singer, songwriter and author, his career spanned
DAWN HAMPTON, 88, on Sept. 25 in New York City. A cabaret and jazz singer, alto and tenor saxophonist, dancer and songwriter, Dawn Hampton came
LARRY KARP, 76, on Oct. 11 in Seattle, WA. Growing up in Paterson, NJ, Larry Karp self-published a serialized detective story, Richard Richard, Private Dick
Vol.1, No.10 November 2016
On the Cover
Baby Soda: Bringing Hot Jazz to the People, by Russ Tarby
The Future of Jazz Festivals: Attracting a Younger Audience, by Joe Smith
Ragtime Reflections, by Brian Holland
Thailand’s Jazz-Loving King Dies at 88, by Lew Shaw & Richard Simon
Remembering Dawn Hampton, by Stephanie Robinson
Joey Alexander: Jazz’s Newest Sensation, by Lew Shaw
Marilyn Keller’s Musical Journey, an interview with Tony Welch
Nights at the Turntable, by Scott Yanow
The Candy Men, review by F. Norman Vickers
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Coleman Hawkins, illustration by Gary Price
Static from my Attic, by Andy Senior
Final Chorus, compiled by Lew Shaw
Jazz Jottings, by Lew Shaw
The Professor is IN, by Adrian Cunningham
Jazz Travels, by Bill Hoffman
Blowing off the Dust, by Larry Melton
New Orleans: Part One, by Randi Cee
Festival Roundup, compiled by Russ Tarby
Ragtimers Celebrate Larry Karp’s Life, Larry Melton
Centenary Fund for Scott Joplin Memorial, Press Release
Peter Ford’s Box Bass, by Russ Tarby
I’m Alive!!, by Flip Oakes
David Sager Highlights Foo Foo Fest, by F. Norman Vickers
Artist Carolyn Newberger Captures Jazz in Motion, Gallery
Horace Meunier Harris Obituary, by Andy Senior
“Coat Show” (poem) by Andy Senior
A Spin of the Dial, by Joe Bebco