Readers’ Correspondence May 2026

– The Only April Fool is the Editor –

To the Editor:

I am greatly saddened to read (April issue) of the proposed takeover (bid) for TST with expected changes planned. To make a paper much more cheaply/efficiently for Jazz-worthy readership is hard to imagine. In my opinion the improvisation Jazz fans love and expect requires dedicated Jazz understanding. If you think AI written material will substitute for the real thing, think again. We are up to our ears with BS and fake news. Andy, don’t sell yourself short. Your compassion and intuition to promote and preserve jazz is a constant requirement that you do well. I have certainly enjoyed the well-written articles published monthly by like-minded Jazz writers, musicians, and staff. I respect your decision of choice with the initial intent and commitment.

I think your contribution to a positive/lasting future of Jazz is comparable to the Jazz Foundation (www.jazzology.com) of the late George Buck, Jr.

Keep swinging!

Doug Miller

Gresham, WI

Thank you so much for your kind words! Please let me reassure you that the “takeover bid” story was topical satire sparked by my dismay at monopolistic corporate entities (such as Paramount/Skydance) gobbling up various outlets to dominate the media landscape. That’s not about to happen to The Syncopated Times because our nonprofit structure ensures that we remain independent of untoward influence from outside. We will always be that stubborn blade of grass that refuses to be mowed down. – Ed.

– What’s in a Name? –

To the Editor:

We’ve been subscribing to The Syncopated Times for several years now and just re-upped for two more years, to April ’28 (if we don’t all get blown up first!). We both enjoy music and our loves of such are very eclectic. My wife Ximena is a classical guitarist and a retired teacher. (I couldn’t carry a tune in the bed of my F-250 pickup, but really do enjoy music.

We especially enjoy Ragtime and won’t miss the West Coast Ragtime Festival in November in Rancho Cordoba and are considering the festival in Sutter Creek in August .

When the April issue arrived in the mail I immediately focused on the article on the lower front page. After a few paragraphs, I realized the date—April 1st—April Fool’s Day! Then again, things are pretty scary media-wise, are they not?

What caught my attention in the first paragraph was an “Alex Schimpf”—the Minor Acquisitions Officer” of the earlier-mentioned media moguls. And you went on to say that how such an acquisition. AI and all, would make a royal mess of things. That would be our worst nightmare.

Oh, yes, our family name happens to be Schimpf, which my wife’s pupils have always pronounced perfectly for over four decades. In German, the name “Schimpf” translates to “affront,” “disparagement,” or even “abusive admonishment,” though it doesn’t translate exactly. Some indicate that I live up (or down) to that name. But, blame my forebears in Byren and Würtenberg. Our son, an artist in Los Angeles, often deals with German-speaking people who chuckle at his name.

Now, how did you source the name “Schimpf?” Perhaps a list of your subscribers (no offense taken) and the definition of the word?

Note that no matter how bad things are they can always get worse—this past year has been ample evidence of that!

Keep up the great work!

Georg L. Schimpf

Visalia, CA

Thank you for your delightful letter, which I very much enjoyed reading!

I’m grateful to you for your kind words about the paper and for being a good sport about the use of your last name in that article. It must have popped into my head when I received your renewal check (for which many thanks!) and lodged itself into my mind, which is like a garage sale. As I was writing as fast as I could, under a close deadline, there it was. I am unfamiliar with German. I had a mediocre 1970s education, and the languages on offer were French and Spanish. With my own last name I would have been too embarrassed to take Spanish, and so I decided to fail French instead. I cling to English like a castaway clings to floating wreckage.

I also remembered to me that, in 1928, H.L. Mencken published a book of diatribes that had been written against him called Menckeniana: A Schimpflexikon. While I don’t know German, Mencken certainly did. (I admit to having read a lot of HLM when I was younger.) The book, though scarce, may be found on eBay.

I know we’ll weather the storm whatever turbulence we face going forward. Here’s to things (eventually) making sense again! – Ed.

– Claude Sprague is Vindicated –

To the Editor:

Regarding your “Why Must We Twitch?” (“Sprague’s Sprigs,” TST, April 2026), I happen to be reading Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit by Matt Brennan. It contains a quote, which originally appeared in “The Musical Possibilities of Ragtime,” from Metronome magazine, 1899, in which a critic described the disturbing personal effects he experienced while listening to the music:

“Suddenly I discovered that my legs were in a condition of great excitement. They twitched as though charged with electricity and betrayed a considerable and rather dangerous desire to jerk me from my seat. The rhythm of the music, which had seemed so unnatural at first, was beginning to work its influence over me.”

Monk Rowe

Director/Fillius Jazz Archive

Board Member/The Syncopated Times

Thank you! That settles it, definitively. Claude Sprague will be delighted—or whatever passes for “delighted” on his planet! – Ed.