Event reviews, movie reviews, and anything that isn’t an Album Review or Book Review.
Most musicians can name milestone moments in their careers where they were introduced to something that changed their perspective on the art. One that stands
Jazz Jubilee by the Sea, held October 24 to 27 on California’s Central Coast, presented a spectrum of early jazz and swing but spotlighted trad,
For those who have not had the pleasure of attending the Classic Jazz Party, it’s hard to explain what a sheer joy and intense musical
The 2019 Jazz Jubilee by the Sea was a real blow-out. World-renowned New Orleans busking-band Tuba Skinny made their first-ever West Coast festival appearance. In
The last thing I expected from my 10th annual visit to the Pershore Jazz Festival was the premiere of an unreleased Benny Goodman tune. Yet
A surfeit of syncopation descended on Southern California’s Orange County on September 7 as RagFest 2019 attracted a goodly complement of enthusiasts to revel in
How does one summarize a four-day festival? Let’s start with the setting. The program lists 35 bands, not all OKOM, or at least my kind
When Marty McGinnis, President of the Valley Jazz Club, announced that Wally Holmes was coming out of retirement, I couldn’t believe my ears. I asked
Northern California’s gold rush town of Sutter Creek, in the Sierra foothills southeast of Sacramento, hosted its annual ragtime festival August 9-11 this year under
Ascona has been described as “ridiculously picturesque” and it is. On the shores of Lake Maggiore in Southern Switzerland, with the mountains sweeping down to
Peter and Will Anderson, twin reed virtuosi, warmed up for their annual Songbook Summit concert series with a well-attended show in the Shea Performing Arts
Veronica Swift, just 25 and the most sought-after young jazz singer on the scene, hit the RIJF for the second time in two years, playing
The second New Orleans Jazz Festival in Tel-Aviv took place on June 20-22, in the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art and in the square in front
The Valley Jazz Club, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to playing and promoting Traditional Jazz in the San Fernando Valley, celebrated its 50th Anniversary on May
In late June, my husband, Jeff, and I attended the 28th America’s Classic Jazz Festival in Lacey, Washington. We went there as part of our
Sedalia syncopated again this year as the 38th Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival attracted aficionados from near and far for four days of revelry in ragtime
Just the fact that it even happened could be the lead story of this festival. Israel is a small country about the size of New
A small but attentive and appreciative group of jazz fans welcomed Emily Asher’s Garden Party to the Bop Stop in Cleveland, Ohio on June 4th
The Dirty River Dixie Band is a traditional, New Orleans-style jazz band hailing from San Antonio, where the group was mentored by veteran cornetist Jim
Each year at the end of June, music lovers from all over the country travel to Rochester, New York to see what eclectic music festival producer John
Maybe because it is the Holyland, the mythical land of prayer and salvation, that Israel was the right setting for the premiere of Eyal Vilner’s
The PBS film The Chaperone is currently making the rounds in specialty movie houses. It is based on the book of the same name by
On Friday evening, May 10, I attended a wonderful event in Scranton. I normally would not report on a one-off such as this, but once
The Syncopated Times has been following Colin Hancock and the Original Cornell Syncopators since they first organized in 2016. At the time they were planning
The 1921 show Shuffle Along was groundbreaking. The first African-American production to be staged on Broadway since 1910, it was the first to feature blacks
Most contemporary piano performances of ragtime from the classic era (roughly 1899-1916) are taken pretty straight with the pianist playing what is included in the
Promotional Sampler – Syncopation Society by Artists represented by Syncopation Society BerlinSometimes things just fit in perfectly. In this case, Syncopation Society Berlin and The
It’s not just the variety of musicians that make Jazz Fests so popular. It’s having so many musicians thrown together in a relaxed, less-structured environment
The Bria Skonberg Quintet recently visited an art gallery in snowy Utica for a memorable performance. Bria Skonberg has grown as a musician, in style,
Quinn Bachand is a name to watch. He’s an electrifying acoustic guitar player and fiddler from Victoria, British Columbia, who leads a worldly gypsy jazz
Ralph Pastore has been around the Toronto Trad Jazz scene since the mid-2000s and the music scene there even longer. He was in a ska
Ed Berlin is the premiere modern researcher of Scott Joplin and the early days of ragtime. In 1980 he published Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural
Norbert Susemihl’s Joyful Gumbo – Featuring Chloe Feoranzo & Jason Marsalis by Norbert Susemihl, Chloe Feoranzo, Hans Ingelstam, Jens Kristian Andersen, Jason Marsalis Norbert Susemihl, as
A superior up-and-coming jazz pianist, Kris Tokarski is developing his own style which includes aspects of Jelly Roll Morton, Teddy Wilson, and the top stride
Over the years, I’ve suffered a certain number of headaches owing to musicians (and occasionally whole bands) who mounted the bandstand without the merest clue
Rivermont, under the direction of pianist Bryan Wright, has amassed a very impressive catalog filled with hot jazz, ragtime, stride and rag pianists, historic recordings
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.
It was a matter of geography. During one of the most vital periods in American music, from the late 1910s to around 1930, Gennett Records
Woody Allen has long loved early jazz, whether it is Sidney Bechet, Django Reinhardt or virtually any of the giants of the 1920s and
MICHAEL GAMBLE AND THE RHYTHM SERENADERS Do you enjoy hot small-group swing? Then Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders’ self-titled CD is definitely for you.
On 19-21 October I attended the – unfortunately “Final” William Shakespeare Jazz ‘n’ Swing Festival in Kenilworth, England. Music was first class, just like at
Drummer and bandleader Sherrie Maricle, an Endicott NY native, heads three ensembles. She led her DIVA Jazz Orchestra at Jazz ‘N Caz Sept 15. [Photo
True to my slogan, “Support Live Jazz”, on November 18th I went to hear Eli and the Chocolate Factory in Tel-Aviv. I came early in
Live at the Dew Drop by Shotgun Jazz Band The Shotgun Jazz Band should be familiar to many of our readers. Of the many traditional
The River Raisin Ragtime Revue with Daniel Washington Nobody is Somebody WW Records 2018 The River Raisin Ragtime Revue is a theater orchestra based in
The Joint is Jumping Jeff Barnhart Plays Fats Waller with the Galvanized Jazz Band In Concert at Music Mountain August 11, 2018 www.galvanizedjazz.com The Galvanized
Champian Fulton: The Stylings of Champian Champian Fulton seems much too young to be on her tenth album, but here it is. A double-CD of
THE FORGOTTEN MEL B. KAUFMAN It is possible to be a jazz expert and still have no idea who Mel B. Kaufman was. Kaufman (1879-1932),
From Apr. 7, 1945 through Nov. 1945 and again from Apr-Oct. 1946, Duke Ellington and his orchestra appeared on a weekly series of 55-minute programs
The Riverboat Dixie Jazz Band, formed in 1998, aims to play traditional New Orleans-style Dixieland jazz—with the specific intent of re-creating the entertainment experience one
Cabin in the Sky Hendrik Meurkens, chromatic harmonica; Bill Cunliffe, piano Height Advantage (hendrikmuerkens.com) Music from the Heart Roger Davidson Quartet featuring Hendrik Meurkens Soundbrush
Ce Biguine! by Charlie Halloran When I’m preparing for a review I often write the artist for a comment. If I’m lucky I get a
I’ve recently reviewed two traditional jazz albums featuring the distinctive vocals of Louisa Jones. (Man Overboard Qunitet, The Cable Street Rag Band.) She is accompanied
Press Start! by The 8-Bit Big Band Charlie Rosen wrangled dozens of musicians into a big band to perform quality arrangements of classic video game
Wit’s End Brass Band by Wit’s End Brass Band Everyone knows all the cool kids are in band, but if you needed proof this album
TOM LORD’S JAZZ DISCOGRAPHY Imagine being able to find within seconds all of the information that exists about the music on a particular 78, LP,
That “Little Inner Voice” Is A Game Changer Emilio Barkett came to the attention of the Valley Jazz Club a few years ago as a
Japan: New Orleans Collection Series Vol. 7 by Haruka Kikuchi In July, as part of a Catching up with New Orleans series of reviews, I strongly
On The Radio Probably not many reading this have experienced enough birthdays to remember the evenings of elegant big band ballroom performances, hosted and broadcast
Avant-garde trumpeter Ted Daniel had been blowing jazz licks for more than a half-century when he experienced an unexpected epiphany while touring Europe in 2009.
Bandleader and flugelhorn master Jimmy McConnell is not only a man of musical notes, he is also a man of musical letters, with a PhD
When the Original Cornell Syncopators appeared at Maxie’s Supper Club and Oyster Bar in Ithaca, New York, on May 6, they were missing their founder
Hearing the energy and vitality of 1940s swing coming from the Valley Jazz Club in Canoga Park on a Sunday afternoon brought back memories of
Fourteen-year-old piano phenom Joey Alexander brought a brand-new trio to the Corning Museum of Glass Auditorium February 17, drawing a large and enthusiastic crowd. Backed
There’s plenty of great music to help us celebrate Christmas, but my all-time favorite holiday album has to be Leon Redbone’s Christmas Island. Leon burst
Audiences at the Valley Jazz Club always respond enthusiastically to Ginger Pauley and the Hoosier Daddys. Their shows are characterized by more smiles and less
An Evening with Delfeayo Marsalis —Kalamazoo Troubadour Jass Records Trombonist and record producer Delfeayo Marsalis has produced his first live album. The group here group
Blood Moon Dave Bennett Mack Avenue Records Clarinetist Dave Bennett performs on his new CD, Blood Moon, with a small combo. He has a mix
Jon-Erik Kellso, Evan Christopher, and Pat O’Leary. (John Herr photos) The Leader Evan Christopher, who was featured on the cover of the August issue of
After spending 35 years in law enforcement, Richie Freedman returned to his true passion, the trumpet. His trumpet studies began as a precocious eight year
An Unfortunate Twist at Tanglewood Escaping the rain and chill on June 16 in anticipation of a concert of hot jazz by the New York-based
Hard Times Yield Good Songs Janet Klein lives the 1910s female vocalist dream—to sing the popular songs of the Ragtime Era on a public stage
On July 8, 2017, Annie and the Hedonists appeared at Arrowhead Park in Inlet, New York. The group is a vocal and instrumental quartet consisting
Songbook standards are secure in the hands of rising singer Veronica Swift. The daughter of the late pianist Hod O’Brien & wife Stephanie Nakasian (a
The documentary There’s a Future in the Past featuring Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks is now available on DVD for all jazz fans to enjoy.
This Ukulele Trio Means Jazz! Ukulele music ordinarily brings visions of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands with a clear blue sky, swaying palm trees in a