Roaring in the Pandemic: Drew Nugent in the Modern 20s

“No time to find excuses for sounding like crap anymore”. Drew says while practicing on his self-tuned 1934 Lester Studio Upright made in his hometown, Philadelphia, following a day of cleaning trumpet collections and readying for a day of filming online content. Mr. Drew Nugent, best known for his rambunctious and authentic approach to Hot Jazz of the 1920s and 30s spanning well over a decade of albums, festivals, and producing authentic events, has taken the pandemic in stride and with more than a few grains of salt. “This was going to be our year. Roaring 2020s. And I’m not about to let this stop me. Who would’a thought we’d be here?’ He makes his way over to a tripod and a smart phone, fixes his sleeves, and dons a tie ”Whooda thunk?” Drew says facetiously. Nugent has been a man of duty, authenticity, and history for as long as I have known him and enterprising above all. Nearly 300,000 dead nationwide with no end in sight wasn’t about to prevent him from bringing some happiness and music, however momentary, to a world embroiled in crisis and witnessing a different kind of “roar” from what we might’ve initially anticipated. He was preparing for his almost-daily livestream at this point. “Playing into the void” he calls it: the practice of joking, talking, reassuring, and jazzing it up for a vast audience of nobody out there somewhere. In many
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Adam Iezzi, the so-called Man Behind the Curtain and Concierge of Cabaret runs a boutique entertainment company called Envoute in Pennsylvania. He is a historian, educator, and producer of immersive theatrical and cabaret events that of ten years. A firm believer in historical accuracies entangled in entertainment, he produces events ranging from grandiose Gatsby-esque galas to small thematic and ambitious cabarets in addition to being a hands-on speaker on various historic topics in and around Philadelphia. Catch him on the Grim Podcast!

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