Defne Incirioglu’s Roots Journey from Ankara to NOLA
Hunter Burgamy
October 30, 2024
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We attended the 9th Annual Celebration of the Sacramento Hot Jazz Jubilee over Labor Day weekend. There were eight in our group, with six of us attending for the first time. It was fantastic and we plan to go again next year! An easy flight from Tucson through Las Vegas
Jazz fans in the 21st century enjoy jazz primarily by listening to recordings on LPs, CDs, music streaming services, and by attending live performances in cozy clubs, concert halls, or outdoor settings. But beginning in the early 1950s, there was another way to enjoy jazz, if only sporadically. And that
When I’m not writing about jazz, I’m a kids’ science educator. It’s true—since 2020 I’ve run a small business which delivers workshops and parties to schools and private clients all over the county, aimed at children aged 4-11. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it here before. But then, it’s
“If I had the wings of an angel,” goes the old song. I would have needed wings to enjoy all the music at the 2024 Redwood Coast Music Festival. It would have taken five energized angels, their wings in top form, to see everything. One hundred sets, six venues in
Yes, that’s what I once whisper-yelled to my siblings during a concert, as recorded in my vignette. Too many thrills were happening for the first time last year: stepping on Iowan soil, greeting the Mississippi River, hearing live Bixian hot jazz, and meeting the very virtuoso—Mr. Michael McQuaid, specialist of
Jeff Barnhart: Well, Hal, you’ve done it again. I’ve been grooving on the selections you chose to share the music and story of Edmond Souchon: banjoist, guitarist, vocalist, story-teller, and raconteur. Souchon’s stage sobriquet “Doc” also revealed his “day job”: He practiced medicine at clinics and hospitals throughout the city of New Orleans and
By 1941, Lionel Hampton (who turned 33 that year) was quite famous. His exuberant playing with the Benny Goodman Quartet and Sextet and his series of all-star recordings resulted in him not only being the leading vibraphonist but practically the only one of significance. 1941 was a bit late to
When looking through acoustic era recordings, it can be easy to assume that the more common songs we see must have sold well in sheet music sales. While in many cases this was in fact true, it was more likely that the publishers of these songs were connected with the
Ruth Etting was born on November 23, 1896, in David City, Nebraska. Etting was interested in drawing at an early age; she drew and sketched anywhere she was able. She left David City at the age of sixteen to attend art school in Chicago. Etting gained a job designing costumes
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 have once again saved me from having to come up with a new topic about which to write. Well, perhaps that’s not entirely true: I’ve
The 15th annual Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival this year continued a change begun last year. This festival is held in mid- to late September in the small communities of Orbisonia and Rockhill, with a kickoff concert in the “metropolis” of Huntingdon (pop. 8000). Rockhill is the home
Igor Stravinsky’s theatrical chamber work A Soldier’s Tale (L’histoire du soldat in French, 1918) is widely considered a masterpiece of 20th century music. Musicians such as Frank Zappa, Roger Waters, and Sting, and actors such as Jeremy Irons, Glenda Jackson, and Vanessa Redgrave have championed the work in performance. The
Would you rather be a jellyfish or a cloud? It has to be one or the other. If you opt out of the choice or choose something else, you’re irrelevant as far as the jellyfish and the clouds are concerned. I know it’s not a great selection. Neither a jellyfish
Given saxophonist Charlie Parker’s renown, you might think his career was extremely well documented, In fact, although he was already a known quantity by about 1940, it wasn’t until the late 1940’s that Parker (aka “Yardbird” or “Bird”) began to consistently commercially record. Adding to that documentation were the recordings
I live in South West England, amidst the glorious rolling green hills of the Cotswolds—or, more accurately, the scruffier end of a medium-sized town in the shadow of the rolling green hills of the Cotswolds. It’s a corner of the world famous for its ancient woodlands, chocolate-box villages, industrial heritage
It’s only been a few months since I reviewed The Hot Toddies’ self-titled debut album, which was released last year. I’d like to think that my enthusiastic review sent the band flying back into the studio to concoct a follow-up, but that almost certainly—no, absolutely positively—isn’t the case. In fact,
I’ve mentioned Swedish songstress and multi-instrumentalist marvel Gunhild Carling here more than once before, generally citing her as an example of either a uniquely superb vocalist or a brilliantly talented and imaginative player. And yet, despite repeatedly heaping praise upon her, I’ve never reviewed a single one of Carling’s records.
To my knowledge, their new King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band boxed set, Centennial, is the first time Archeophone has included full size LPs in a collection. They are accompanied by the same material on two CDs and two more CDs with additional material, as well as their often award winning
The Upbeat label has, under the guidance of its founder-producer Liz Biddle, been reissuing gems from the past in their “Great Jazz” series which is compiled and co-produced by John Petters. One of the most recent compilations is The First Ladies Of Jazz And Swing. It is always a bit
Some recordings are a pure joy to hear. The French Preservation Hall New Orleans Jazz Band specializes in music that at its best is a bit delirious. The group consists of JP Alessi on alto and tenor, trombonist Philippe De-Smet, pianist Emile Van Pelt, banjoist Siphan Upravan, bassist Brian Turnock,
Founded in 2019, the Hot Toddies Jazz Band is a popular swing group based in New York that is led by drummer Patrick Soluri and features the singing of Hannah Gill and Queen Esther. Their third recording, Triple Step, also includes trumpeter Alphonso Horne, the reeds of Linus Wyrsch, trombonist
Ella Logan (1913-1969) was a versatile singer and actress who was always a bit difficult to pin down. She could sing jazz, dramatic ballads, songs in which she employed a thick Scottish accent, and novelties with equal skill. While she had a soft and attractive voice, she could also belt
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH One of the most remarkable reissues ever put out was the 21-LP box set The Complete Keynote Collection. Originally a folk music company founded by Erik Bernay, producer Harry Lim (who decades later ran the Famous Door label) took it over and during 1943-48 recorded
Ever since she made her recording debut during 1981-83 and particularly since the early 1990s, Rebecca Kilgore has been one of jazz’s top swing singers. Her inviting voice, impeccable articulation, friendly personality, perfect placement of notes for maximum swinging, and complete understanding of the lyrics that she interprets have put
The debate over what constitutes American music raged particularly fiercely in the early years of the 20th century as jazz invaded our ears. It took on particularly harsh tones in the classical-music world because that insular group—or at least its nervous ideologues in academia—clung to a belief that only the
Which music qualifies as jazz has been a hot topic for over a hundred years. From the beginning there were attempts to both define and separate jazz from the popular music of the time as that popular music evolved from ragtime and waltz music to funk and rock. At some
The book In With the In Crowd, named after Ramsey Lewis’ big 1965 hit, has two major threads. One thread is factual, devoted to giving us details about the lives of the performers whose music was popular in the black community in the 1960s and the infrastructure-radio and record labels-that
Early Jazz, a paperback book by Fumi Tomita, has as its subtitle “A Concise Introduction, from Its Beginnings through 1929.” Tomita conceived of his book as an overview of the early days of jazz (which he considers neglected in most jazz history classes) and a modernization of Gunther Schuller’s late
Jon Seiger, a gifted and versatile jazzman, died Friday, September 13, in Rochester, NY. He was 63 years old. For more than a decade Seiger has fought off various illnesses and survived several surgeries, many caused by ongoing gastrointestinal maladies. Seiger played both trumpet and piano, and he was well-known
Bob Bauchens, a tubist who played at Your Father’s Mustache in the 1970s and would go on to found ARTRA Artist Management passed away on September 27th. Based in Chicago he played tuba with the Lyric Opera Orchestra, the Chicago Brass Quintet, and the 1920s-themed jazz band the Buffalo Shufflers.
Brian Towers, tailgate trombonist and vocalist for Toronto’s Hot Five Jazzmakers died this summer. He left England in 1969, emigrating to Canada for work. In 1982 he joined Cliff “Kid” Bastien’s Magnolia Marching Band, and upon Kid’s death in 2003 took it over as the Kid Bastien Remembered Band. The
Bob Bequillard, drummer for Connecticut’s famous Galvanized Jazz Band passed away on October 11th, he was 92. An accountant by day he was also a life long jazz drummer. He was taught by Al Lepak at the Hart School of Music, which has one of the oldest specialty percussion programs.
Singer, songwriter, and activist Barbara Dane has died at age 97. In a career spanning 80 years she played folk, blues, world music, and, of course, jazz, and befriended greats from Louis Armstrong to Bob Dylan. Leonard Feather dubbed her “Bessie Smith in Stereo” for her bluesy vocal style unexpected
Vol.9, No.11 November 2024
Features
Defne Incirioglu’s Roots Journey from Ankara to NOLA, by Hunter Burgamy
Eddie Durham: Pioneer, Innovator, and Virtuoso, by Topsy M. Durham
One Hundred Sets Amidst Tall Trees: The RCMF, by Michael Steinman
Hot Channels: When Jazz Was on Television, by Garry Berman
Louisa “Blue Lu” Barker Was More Than a Blues Singer, by Dave Doyle
“There’s [MISTER] MICHAEL McQUAID!”, by Clorinda Nickols1
Columns
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Ruth Etting, illustration by Sara Lièvre
Static from my Attic, by Andy Senior
Final Chorus, compiled by Joe Bebco
Jazz Travels: Central PA Ragtime & Music Fest, by Bill Hoffman
My Inspirations: Consider the Banjo, by Jeff Barnhart
Ragtime Vignettes: A Soldier’s Tale, by Brandon Byrne
Quarter Notes: California, Here I Come!, by Shelly Gallichio
Music Publishers and Recording Companies, by R.S. Baker
Festival Roundup, compiled by Joe Bebco
Profiles in Jazz: Lionel Hampton, by Scott Yanow
Maine Jazz Musings: Jazz Abounding in Maine, by Terri Bruce
Ain’t Cha Got Music: Doc Souchon, by Jeff Barnhart & Hal Smith
Reviews
Archeophone’s Centennial: King Oliver Resplendent, reviewed by B.A. Nilsson
Bird in Kansas City, CD review by Steve Provizer
Louis Vasnier: Genius of the Seventh Ward, review by Joe Bebco
Jazz with a Beat, book review by Joe Bebco
Doyle’s Discs, CD reviews by Dave Doyle
Nights at the Turntable, CD reviews by Scott Yanow
