Trumpeter Joe Wilder: From ‘Little Louis’ to NEA Jazz Master
Eventually, the National Endowment for the Arts entitled Joe Wilder as their Jazz Master, but first he was called “’Little Louis” because he was playing
Spencer Williams in England and Sweden
In his “Jazz In Unusual Places” presentation at the IAJRC-UK get-together weekend at the Holiday Inn, Reading South, on September 20/21, Max Easterman played “Swingy
The Beatles, The Stones, and Al Hirt: Trumpeters on the Pop Charts
While jazz continues to thrive, it doesn’t get much mainstream media attention. However, there was a time when the clarinet, sax, and the trumpet were
On the Road with Chico Marx: Marty Napoleon’s Early Years
Pianist Marty Napoleon had a long life, ample musical talent, a successful career, a strong memory, and a gregarious personality, so he was a joy
Connee Boswell Reveals Her Two Main Musical Influences
In 2023, I published my findings on the actual birth and death dates of pioneer blueswoman Mamie Robinson Smith (“Mamie Smith: Always ‘The First Lady
Reedman Tommy Gwaltney: Blues Alley and More
Born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1921, Tommy Gwaltney was, by his teens, a competent reed player, working in dance bands while he was at college.
Multi-Instrumentalist Gavin Rice Brings the Jazz Age to Life
There’s a new face on the New York-area trad jazz scene that I think is worth your attention. But you may not have to travel
Lewis Nash: Rhythm Is My Business
Drummer Lewis Nash is noted for his adaptability to a wide range of musical genres and having one of the largest discographies in jazz to
A Few Words with Saxophonist Hannah Horton
Hannah Horton is an award winning saxophonist, composer, bandleader and successful recording artist. She has played alongside Amy Winehouse. She won a Parliamentary Jazz award
2026 Bix Fest: Goldkette, Armstrong, Morton, and More!
Planning for the 2026 Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival is in full swing following the merger of the Bix Society with the Quad Cities’ Common Chord
Bix Society Joins Forces with Common Chord for 55th Bix Fest
Common Chord and the Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Society are excited to announce a merger of the two organizations. After years of close partnership, Bix Society
2nd Jazz Jubilee Central Coast to run October 17th through 26th!
The Basin Street Regulars Hot Jazz Society is thrilled to announce the 2nd Jazz Jubilee Central Coast 2025, a vibrant celebration of jazz music stretching
From the 2025 Central PA Ragtime Festival
The 16th Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival took place, as usual, at several venues in Huntingdon County on September 18-21. While most events
Cat and the Hounds at Birdland
There is a question in Judaism that’s asked once a year: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” It refers to the festival
Jazz Travels: Louis Haunts and Cellar Boys
As I hinted last month, there is a cadenza to my time at the Bix Beiderbecke festival. On my way to Rhinelander, WI, where I
John Petters & The International Legends of Hot Jazz: Swinging down Memory Lane
Music from the Land of the Sky: The 1925 Asheville Sessions
Posey Royale: Two Albums, One Swing Vision
Sunny Side • The Marigny Sessions
Ewan Bleach • Mystic Mood
JJ & The A-OKs
Stephane Wrembel • Django New Orleans II
Classic Decca Recordings Of Bob Crosby And His Orchestra and Bob Cats
Concerto for Cootie: The Life and Times of Cootie Williams
Clancy Hayes: The Swinging Minstrel By Chris Reid with Hal Smith
Benched: Jazz Stories by Bill Anchell
Let Me Be Frank: The Extraordinary Life and Music of Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Frank Signorelli and Rube Bloom: Profiles in Jazz
While they never recorded together, Frank Signorelli and Rube Bloom had several similarities in their careers. Both were excellent jazz pianists who appeared on many
The Count Basie Trombonists 1936-40
When one thinks of the classic Count Basie Orchestra of 1936-40, the tenor-saxophonists (Lester Young and either Herschel Evans or Buddy Tate), the trumpeters (most
A ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Jazz Musicians?
Only one U.S. president came close to becoming a jazz musician. Bill Clinton has often humorously stated that, while playing the tenor-sax as a teenager,
You’ve Never Had King Cake?
We are heading back to New Orleans next week and looking forward to the Carnival tradition of King Cake…and some oysters of course! The round
Classes, Concerts, and Cafes—Oh, My!
A busy month started off with Sheryl Ann Mckinley and her sextet for her debut at the Gaslight Music Hall, one of our favorite venues.
Autumn in New York? No, New Orleans!
Although the government shutdown was in effect, our flights to New Orleans were very much on time. We unpacked and immediately walked the two blocks
Texas Shout #58 Learning To Play, Part 1
Set forth below is the fifty-eighth “Texas Shout” column. The initial installment of a three-part essay, it first appeared in the February 1995 issue of
Texas Shout #72 Albums: Important vs. “Good”
Set forth below is the seventy-second “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the May 1996 issue of TAR. Because the text has not been
Texas Shout #49 Movies
Set forth below is the forty-ninth “Texas Shout” column. It first appeared in the April 1994 issue of The West Coast Rag, now known as
Mike Durham’s International Jazz Party: What a Blast!
At 4 am on a Monday last year, I ambled down the front steps of the Village Hotel, humming “Clap Yo’ Hands” from Michael McQuaid’s
Jazz is Where You Find It: Fest Jazz 2025 in Brittany
It has been our pleasure over the years to combine sight-seeing trips abroad with visits to diverse jazz clubs, festivals, and concerts in Ascona, Edinburgh,
‘We Go for That’: The Redwood Coast Music Festival (Oct. 2-5, 2025)
My title comes from a Thirties phrase for “I really like that,” found in a wonderful Frank Loesser left-handed love song (“Your fuzzy hair, your
P. S. Gilmore: Pioneer on the Bandstand and in the Studio
If you were a young musician in the late 19th century, you most likely would have aspirations to be in Gilmore’s band. This band was
Len Spencer: The Recording Pioneer with a Surprising Lineage
In this column I have written several times about singer Len Spencer, and you’d think there wasn’t much more to say about him, but he
Blues Songs at the Turn of the 20th Century
We all know the blues, a musical genre that includes a 12-bar verse and chorus. While this is true, in the early 20th century, this
‘Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh!’
How I wish I could fact check with a time machine! As with many formative strong childhood memories, music swirls in and out of the
The Lost Hook Tapes
It really is a waiting game based on luck and endurance. I am banking on the idea that if you stick to your artistic career
Birthday Blues
“Everything happens for the best” Does it really? In a continuation of last month’s theme of reality being how we perceive it, perhaps the better
The Odd Brilliance of P.T. Stanton
Horn player P.T. Stanton was a creative, original and mysterious musician who left his signature on the second wave of the Great San Francisco Jazz
Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy
“It seemed the perfect way to fight my war.”– Josephine Baker No American was ever more beloved by the French nation than Josephine Baker. In
Bush Street above Powell in San Francisco: The Club Hangover Story, 1949-61
Club Hangover was the foremost Dixieland and New Orleans Jazz nightclub on the West Coast in the 1950s. The intimate nightspot featured music six nights
Ain’t No Wrong Notes in Jazz
It is easy to be impressed by jazz musicians… if you are not one yourself. We are, after all, an impressive bunch. And I know
Bad Moon Rising
Jazz musicians are a mischievous bunch. I doubt that’s a surprise to any of you, as the history books are filled with stories of pranks
The New Syllabus
There’s been a lot made in the news in recent times about systemic issues in our education system. As I understand it, there seems to
‘Smiley’ Wallace, Beloved in Ragtime Community, Dies at 93
When Mary Grace Lanese called to tell me “Smiley” Wallace had died at age 93, on October 2, delightful memories of a long friendship with
Help Save Ragtime’s History
I was recently contacted by a gentleman in New York who has had to curtail playing the piano due to the challenges of aging and
Fifty Years Later, Here We Are!
We got old. Fifty years added to our twenties, thirties, and forties in 1974 equals old for those who have managed to survive. And. for
Ernie Hackett
Drummer Ernie Hackett, son of cornetist Bobby Hackett, died December 23, 2025. He was a New York based musician and an important chronicler of his
Australian jazz trombonist Paul Ingle
Australian jazz trombonist, vocalist, and bandleader Paul Ingle died on January 12th, he was 75. Ingle was a mainstay of the Australian traditional jazz scene,
Rebecca Kilgore
Singer and rhythm guitarist Rebecca Kilgore died on January 7th. She was a widely admired figure in mainstream and swing-oriented jazz, particularly within the West
