Bunk Johnson: Profiles in Jazz
There have long been two extreme schools of thought about trumpeter Bunk Johnson. His most partisan fans thought of him not only as a genius,
There have long been two extreme schools of thought about trumpeter Bunk Johnson. His most partisan fans thought of him not only as a genius,
He has been gone for 25 years but everyone still knows who Cab Calloway was. The “Hi-De-Ho Man,” the singer of “Minnie The Moocher,” an
A household name during the 1920s, Paul Whiteman led the most popular orchestra of the decade. He expertly mixed together occasional jazz pieces with semi-classical
Jelly Roll Morton was a towering figure in early jazz, and one with a very large number of accomplishments. As a pianist who had his
The Nat King Cole story is a tale of two major talents, both owned by the same person. Equally skilled as a jazz pianist and
During the 1921-25 period, it seemed as if every African-American female singer who could carry a tune was being rushed into a recording studio to
The finest jazz guitarist of his short lifetime, Eddie Lang was masterful as both a melodic soloist and a sophisticated accompanist, whether playing bluesy single-note
It has always seemed a bit improbable that Catherine Russell, the vibrant and exciting swing singer, is the daughter of Luis Russell, the leader of
She had a small voice that could not compare to that of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. She never scatted and her improvising tended to
Jazz history books often leave his name out, but Clarence Williams was a major force in the 1920s and ’30s and had quite a career;
Next to Louis Armstrong, Harry James was not only the most famous trumpeter of the 1940s but remains a household name decades after his death.
Accurately billed as “The Empress of the Blues” during her prime years, Bessie Smith was not only the top female jazz and blues singer to
Cornetist Buddy Bolden’s life is shrouded in mystery. He was the George Washington of jazz- first at nearly everything. And as with Washington, many legends
Bunny Berigan was arguably the top jazz trumpeter of the 1930s (not counting Louis Armstrong), with his main competition being Henry “Red” Allen, Roy Eldridge,
Eddie Condon took extremely few guitar solos in his career (all very early), did not sing after the 1920s, and only wrote a couple of
He was the “Sentimental Gentleman of Swing,” a trombonist with perfect breath control, a pretty sound, and a melodic swinging style. Tommy Dorsey led one
He was probably the only bassist during the Swing era to lead a successful band. John Kirby was not a major soloist on the level
Bobby Hackett was a cool-toned cornetist who always sounded relaxed no matter what the setting or the tempo. Once, when he was trying to sell
William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith was a contradictory but lovable figure, as colorful as his long original name. With his bowler hat, a cigar
In November 1934, Benny Goodman was in a bind. His new orchestra had just won an important time slot on the Let’s Dance radio show.
Chris Barber died on March 2nd, 2021. Find our obituary here: British Trad Jazz Pioneer Chris Barber has Died Strange as it seems, there was
Bob Crosby definitely had an unusual career. Being the younger brother of Bing Crosby, the most famous singer in the world for quite a few
One of the most important of the New Orleans jazz pioneers, cornetist Joe “King” Oliver is perhaps best remembered today for leading the best jazz
Jazz history is full of bright flames, artists who come out of nowhere, make a very strong impression, and then burn out, often having a