From The 2019 Ascona Jazz Festival
Frank Farbenbloom August 21, 2019
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
Menu
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
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
Ragtime was largely underground during 1917-72 with short-lived mini-revivals taking place every decade or so until its use in The Sting (1973) resulted in not
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,
Several years ago, singer Alex Mendham realized his long-time dream of organizing and leading a jazz orchestra that performed music from the 1925-35 period, not
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
Veteran New Orleans clarinetist Dr. Michael White has exclusively performed traditional jazz throughout his career. Early on he was a member of Danny Barker’s Fairview
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
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
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
Henry Acker: 14 2018 Modern Artist Records Henryacker.com Syncopated Times readers were introduced to guitarist Henry Acker back in March of 2017 by our Jazz Travels
Stomp Off, Let’s Go! by Riverside Jazz Collective The Riverside Jazz Collective is a working band with a long residence at The Always Lounge Cabaret
Feb. 26, 2017 was the centennial of the first jazz record ever made. On Feb. 26, 1917, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded “Livery Stable
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
On The Levee Jazz Band Swinging New Orleans Jazz: For Dancing—Or Just ListeningSwinging New Orleans Jazz For Dancing – Or Just Listening! by On The
Twerk Thomson Plays Unpopular Songs Twerk Thomson Plays Unpopular Songs by Twerk Thomsontwerkophonic.bandcamp.com Tyler “Twerk” Thomson is a spectacular young bass player much in demand
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
Cuphead – Original Soundtrack by Kristofer MaddiganCuphead is a video game released in September 2017 that has already sold more than three million copies. The
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
Another New Orleans Renaissance An intriguing question in social history is why creative explosions happen when and where they do. What was it about Switzerland
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.
Texas Shout was a wildly popular column which ran in our predecessor papers, The West Coast Rag and The American Rag. Tex Wyndham is a
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
Steel Jazz Trio and Friends Black Licorice www.steeljazztrioandfriends.com This is an unusual jazz album—pedal steel guitar is a rarely-used instrument in jazz recording and this
Allan Vaché It Might As Well Be Swing Arbors Records, ARCD 19461 arborsrecords.com Here’s a CD which should appeal to clarinet and swing enthusiasts. As
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
Christmas with Champian Champian Fulton www.champian.net The Things We Did Last Summer Champian Fulton and Scott Hamilton Blau Records Pianist-vocalist Champian Fulton’s new release, Christmas
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