Dave Stuckey: Pass the Swingin’ Music, Pappy!
Hal Smith
September 30, 2020
Let’s face it, the jazz scene, as most of us knew it, was never the same after the advent of television. In Boston where I
In October of 2019, we saw Jory Woodis, a young clarinetist at Fritzel’s who had a captivating sound and personality. Later we saw him at
I took up the clarinet at the age of nineteen. I am totally self taught and do not read music. In fact, I play the
A banjo-centric conversation with Hal Smith and John Gill Multi-instrumentalist and bandleader John Gill (“Traditional Jazz’s Stomper-in-Chief,” TST, April 2020) has an encyclopedic knowledge of,
Pianist Ray Skjelbred is now in his 60th year as a professional jazzman. In this first of a two-part interview, he discusses his formative years,
The Tenement Jazz Band is so trad that it’s barely even online, despite being only a two-year-old project with a mostly thirty-something line-up. Google them
Just when you thought it could not be done, the Sutter Creek Ragtime Pandemic was held on August 15, 2020. This event reminds me of
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
The music, words and voice of William Christopher Handy (1873-1958) reveal his passion for Blues music and African American culture. He was one of the earliest gathering
Eddie Lang was born Salvatore Massaro in Philadelphia on October 25, 1902. His personal and musical history is inextricably linked with that of Joe Venuti,
Although they never seemed to have performed together, Ruth Etting and Annette Hanshaw had careers that were often similar. The singers enjoyed strong success starting
Last month I began my comment on the confusing heritage of Sedalia’s Maple Leaf Club (MLC). Was it the benign men’s social club of the
Around the first half of 1905, Justin Ring and Fred Hager split up, and they spent nearly a decade apart from each other. With such
I’m sure you’ve all met him before…there’s one at every jazz festival. You know…that guy. That guy who corners you at the bar after the
A recent Syncopated Times piece, in which the bagpipes played an ominous cameo, sent me thinking back to a steady gig, and one memorable Friday
After eight long months of cancellations and dark venues, there is at last a glimmer of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. With
This is an old and outdated Festival Roundup. Find the current one by clicking on “Events” in our menu. JAZZ JUBILEE BY THE SEA (LIVE
I realize that most readers turn to this column with the expectation of somewhat light-hearted commentary, so I am reluctant to unpack this month’s stock
It was the best jazz group on record in 1923 and was considered a sensation among up-and-coming Chicago jazz musicians. King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band
There are so many guitarists in Europe currently playing in the Django Reinhardt style that there are always new talents to discover. Guitarist Fapy Lafertin,
One of the top swing/mainstream cornetists from England, Digby Fairweather has had several overlapping careers. Born in 1946, Fairweather led Dig’s Half Dozen starting in
Fess Williams (1894-1975) was definitely the product of a different era, a clarinetist and alto-saxophonist who mixed together hot jazz with comic effects, music with
Pierre Christophe obviously loves the playing and music of Erroll Garner. On Tribute To Erroll Garner, he often sounds just like the pianist, emulating the
Bean Soup is a quintet comprised of tenor-saxophonist Michel Bescont, trumpeter Michel Bonnet, pianist Jacques Schneck, bassist Leigh Barker, and drummer Stephane Roger. On Odidrep
The 2016 debut of The Dime Notes made a splash in the London traditional jazz scene. The team of pianist Andrew Oliver and David Horniblow
In 2018 Ted des Plantes launched a label, TdP Productions, to release new material from his own collection of live tapes and studio outtakes as
As soon as I started writing for The Syncopated Times fans of Sinne Eeg began sending me emails to insist I needed to cover her.
Champian Fulton is a favorite of our readers, and appears frequently at the classic jazz parties and jazz society events they attend. Though her albums
I’m over it now but about a decade ago I went through a few year stretch where my most listened to new groups played what
Last month I reviewed the latest album from the French group Les Rois du Fox-Trot, a group formerly fronted by Jean-Pierre Morel. Morel is also
I like the oldies. Back when I hosted a swing radio show, I had a strict limit of two modern tracks per broadcast—the rest was
If you’re a swing dancer, you know how frustrating it is when the band booked for an event hasn’t been briefed on what good dancing
The French Preservation New Orleans Jazz Band, while not well known in the U.S.A. other than, perhaps, in New Orleans itself, enjoys wide recognition in
Bill Brunskill got involved in the jazz scene about the same time as Chris Barber and members of the Barber band along with others of
Lew Shaw is a multi-faceted writer, having a dual career as both sports and jazz writer who
I’ve never been a Bird lover—for no good reason other than that his playing feels cool, detached,
Dr. Cleve Baker died on August 12, 2020, he was 85 years old. He loved the history of ragtime and jazz and how it intersected
One of the most recognizable jazz writers of recent decades, Stanley Crouch, died on September 16th, he was 74. In 1979 he renounced the black
Dan Reid filled the lives of so many with his wisdom, his wit, his generosity and his love Daniel J. Reid, Jazz aficionado, true friend,
Trombonist, vocalist, and band leader Steve Yocum died of leukemia on September 4th, he was 69. Born in St. James, New York he started playing
A journalist and jazz promoter, David Booth Cooper died on August 15th, he was 87. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps he was a life long
Known for its musical heritage, Mason City has produced a number of successful performers and educators and is the site of the annual North Iowa
A lifelong “Friend of Jazz”, Al White passed away on July 20, 2020, at his home in Hot Springs, Ark., he was 92. With his
William (Bill) Howland Kenney III, died on July 26th, he was 80 years old. He was a professor at Kent State from 1966 on, teaching
Vol.5, No.10 October 2020
Dave Stuckey: Pass the Swingin’ Music, Pappy!, interview by Hal Smith
Ray Skjelbred: Living a Jazz Life – Chicago, Pt. 1, interview by John Ochs
The Tenement Jazz Band: Last Jazz Out of Dodge, by Dave Doyle
Eyewitness to the Last of the Jazz Giants, by Arnold Koch
Learning by Listening, Reading, and Doing, by Raymond A. Heitger
Pickin’ on the Plectrum (and the Tenor, Too!), by Hal Smith & John Gill
W.C. Handy Remembers, by Dave Radlauer
Jazz Birthday of the Month: Eddie Lang, illustration by Joe Busam
Static from my Attic, by Andy Senior
Final Chorus, compiled by Joe Bebco
Jazz Jottings, by Lew Shaw
Edgar T. Farran: The Third Man, by R.S. Baker
Quarter Notes: Jory Woodis – Timing is Everything, by Shelly Gallichio
Festival Roundup, compiled by Joe Bebco
Profiles in Jazz: Ruth Etting and Annette Hanshaw, by Scott Yanow
The Professor is IN: Winning Friends at Jazz Festivals, by Adrian Cunningham
Blowing off the Dust: Sedalia’s Maple Leaf “Clubs”, by Larry Melton
Kelsee Vandervall Named New Music Director of R4, by Larry Melton
Bandleader Jim Fitzgerald Passes at 85, by Lew Shaw
Remembering Steve Yocum, by David Sager
“A Wee Doech-an-doris” (One for the Road), by David Sager
CD Review: Brooks Prumo Orchestra This Year’s Kisses, by Dave Doyle
Sutter Creek: The 2020 Ragtime Pandemic!, Julia Riley
Nights at the Turntable, CD reviews by Scott Yanow
Berts Bits and Beats, CD reviews by Bert Thompson
Book Review: Jazz Beat Encore by Lew Shaw, F. Norman Vickers
Off the Beaten Tracks, CD reviews by Joe Bebco
CD Review: Le Dancing Pepa Dancin’ in Storyville, by Dave Doyle
Book Review: Kansas City Lightning, by Peter Gerler
