Reviews

Billie Holiday has inspired a number of books–often with conflicting views–that try to get a handle on her tumultuous and complex life. There’s an autobiography

As much as I’ve missed dancing during the pandemic—more than I can express, really—it’s not something I’ve sought out online. People have put a ton

I remember reading Bill Hoffman’s fine column last year in The Syncopated Times describing his first visit to a West Coast Ragtime Festival (WCRF) and

Rhonda and Jeff Cardinal did it, they pulled off the 2020 virtual Jazz Jubilee by the Sea. When Covid hit in March we really thought

W.C. Handy lived the American Dream during the time that the nature of that dream crystallized around larger than life men like Thomas Edison and

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 Basin Street Regulars had finally lined up a band for its March Sunday session and it looked like it was going to be a

What is the best way to spend a Thursday night on the California Central Coast? The best way is by a warm fire, with a

On the second weekend in February the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Fresno was filled with the “Sounds of Mardi Gras.” All four venues are located

A plenitude of pleasures delighted fans who filled Rancho Cordova’s elegant Marriott Hotel and then some as the 33rd annual West Coast Ragtime Festival opened

I have attended quite a few jazz festivals over the years, but none like the Mike Durham’s Classic Jazz Party in Whitley Bay. If I

I just returned from Suncoast Jazz Festival in Clearwater, Florida. Let’s cut to the chase. It was outstanding in every respect; organization, music, venue and

If you’re reading The Syncopated Times, you’re no doubt familiar with the Whitley Bay Classic Jazz Party in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England. Co-organizer Jonathan David Holmes and

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One of the lines attributed to Mae West is “Too much of a good thing . . . can be wonderful.” I agree with this,

There is a special feeling of appreciation and recognition to see a young musician immersed and working hard toward his or her desired goal. Each

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

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

Imagine being able to find within seconds all of the information that exists about the music on a particular 78, LP, or CD that you

A capacity crowd packed The Other Side in Utica, New York for Harry Allen’s Quartet, and they gave the band standing ovations at the end