Arnett Nelson aka King Mutt: An ‘Unknown’ Clarinet Player
Arnett T. Nelson was born March 3, 1892, in Ellisville, Mississippi, and grew up in Laurel, Mississippi (142 miles northeast of New Orleans, LA). According
Adelaide Hall’s secret visit to Billie Holiday’s bedside before her death.
A little-known fact in the Billie Holiday death saga is that jazz singer Adelaide Hall made a personal visit to Billie’s bedside at the Metropolitan
From the Back to the Front: ‘Sophisticated Lady’ Jeanette Kimball
If there’s one thing my Sherrie Tucker-inspired scribblings—to which I collectively refer as “my forgotten ladies”—have revealed, it’s that behind many of history’s greatest jazzmen
Rhythm in the Rocks
“I submit that there is nothing that anybody in the world has ever done that is more civilized or sophisticated than to dance elegantly, which
Remembering Burt Bales 1916-1989
In 1966, while visiting a friend in San Diego, our conversation turned to my obsession with traditional jazz. My friend said, “I think my dad
Unearthing and Restoring One Step to Chicago: The Never-Before-Heard Album from Legendary Producer George Avakian
Whenever some new discovery of historical interest is made, it always fascinates me to think that the newly uncovered thing was really there all along.
Verna Burrichter: Breaking the Glass Ceiling at the Bix Society
Hal Smith: Recently, fellow columnist Jeff Barnhart suggested the idea of an article about Verna Burrichter. Verna was a volunteer at the Bix Jazz Fest;
GoFundMe set up for Ken Peplowski
Legends come and legends go. While they walk amongst us, when we have an opportunity to show our gratitude we should strongly consider doing so.
Hot Jazz Jubilee Cancelled due to Hotel Renovations
The Board and Co-Directors of the 2022 Hot Jazz Jubilee are devastated to report that we have been forced to cancel the upcoming festival over
Jazz Diva Laurel Massé Celebrates 50 Years in Music
This year marks the 50th anniversary of a fateful cab ride in New York, during which a 20-year-old waitress named Laurel Massé got to chatting
The New York Classic Seven Make Swiss Time
It may have been the traditional jazz equivalent of a happy accident. The New Orleans jazz band Tuba Skinny couldn’t make its date for Switzerland’s
Pianist Donald Ryan: Versatility in Rhythm
I first saw, but did not meet personally, versatile pianist Donald Ryan at the 2019 West Coast Ragtime Festival. When I learned he was appearing
Texas Shout #43 Downtown New Orleans Style Dixieland
Downtown New Orleans, you see, offers a significant proportion of something for everyone. If you like virtuoso soloing, you have Armstrong, Noone, Bechet, and Morton;
Texas Shout #40 Western Swing and The Spanish Tinge, Part 2
Set forth below is the fortieth “Texas Shout” column. The concluding portion of a two-part essay, it first appeared in the July 1993 issue of
Texas Shout #47 Will Dixieland Jazz Make A Comeback?
Set forth below is the forty-seventh “Texas Shout” column. The initial installment of a two-part essay, it first appeared in the February 1994 issue of
From The 2022 Glenn Miller Festival
On the second weekend in June I attended for the first time the Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda, Iowa, his birthplace, an event that has
From the 2022 Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival
The weather gods smiled on this year’s Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival on June 1-4 in Sedalia, Missouri. After a cold front dumped 2.9 inches of
From the 2022 Charles Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival
I made my first visit to the Charles Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival on the last weekend in March at Mississippi State University in Starkville.
Magnolia Stroll • A Compilation Of Original Works by Tuba Skinny
Lester’s Blues • Blue Label: Radio Rhythm
Eyal Vilner Big Band • The Jam
Danny Jonokuchi & The Revisionists • Together Again
The Chicago Cellar Boys • Busy ’Til Eleven
New Chris Barber 6 CD Box Set Includes 105 Unreleased Tracks
Bob Wallis & the Storyville Jazzmen • Live in Leipzig: 1976
The Eighty-Seven Years Of Doc Cheatham
Crazy Rhythm: My Journey from Brooklyn, Jazz and Wall Street to Nixon’s White House and Beyond…
Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist: My Jazz Memoirs by Scott Yanow
New Orleans Music Observed: The Art of Noel Rockmore and Emilie Rhys
Life Through The Eyes of a Jazz Journalist: My Jazz Memoirs by Scott Yanow
Bing Crosby: Jazz Singer
In his career, Bing Crosby showed that he could sing practically everything other than opera. Whether it was classic American pop tunes, traditional Irish songs,
Profiles in Jazz: Charlie Barnet
When one thinks of the top swing era bandleaders, the names of Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and Harry James
Stuff Smith: Profiles in Jazz
The violin was part of some of the earliest jazz bands in New Orleans but it was not taken seriously as a solo instrument in
Late Summer Events in New Orleans
From French Quarter Festivals and Offbeat Magazine: Satchmo SummerFest presented by Chevron returns for two full days of music, food and celebration! Every year we
Hot Jazz in the Hot (but Dry) Desert
Starting the summer back in Arizona, the May meeting of the Arizona Classic Jazz Society in Chandler, Arizona, featured Cheryl Thurston’s annual birthday party celebration
How Lucky Can One Gal Be?
The long awaited New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival did take place beginning April 29th through May 8th and delivered all that was promised! We
Bix: “Ain’t None Of Them Play Like Him Yet!” (1981) on DVD
It would be impossible to put together a documentary on the brilliant cornetist Bix Beiderbecke today without relying exclusively on third-hand accounts. Since Bix passed
Catherine Russell, Marcus Roberts Celebrate Ellington at Carnegie
For the first time since 2020, now able to return to Carnegie Hall after the long pandemic “intermission,” the American Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leon
The Adrian Cunningham Trio Swings at Shanghai Jazz
For almost 30 years Shanghai Jazz in Madison New Jersey has been sought out by both musicians and fans of various jazz styles. Tom Donohoe
Len Spencer Goes on Tour
In 1899, recording artist Len Spencer decided to make a bold move: take his small group of phonograph friends on tour in a minstrel troupe.
New York City Trip Wrap-Up
Even with all the adventures I had in NYC, as described in the previous three articles, there are still a few things I have not
Long Island Haunts of the Hagers
Perhaps the most memorable part of my New York trip was spending two days with the descendants of Fred and Jimmy Hager. On the second
What’s in a Name?
In general, artistic “titles” such as actor, dancer, painter, potter can have a set of preconceived notions or stereotypes that go along with them. I
Chick Singer Jokes and Other Clichés
Oh, the chick singer jokes…..“if they ask me I could write a book.” From day one I was educated about how to avoid being the
The Woman Behind the Iron Curtain
I had an enlightening summer in the mid ’90s. I met a lifelong friend, was employed with work I loved, and had a unique experience
Ada Leonard Part Two, 1943-55 and The Sharon Rogers Band Overseas, 1945-46
The all-female Big Band of Ada Leonard (see Part 1) was the best-known of around 100 “all-girl” Swing orchestras playing for the troops during WWII.
Ada Leonard and the All-American Girl Orchestra, Part One 1940-43
Bandleader Ada Leonard was a dancer, singer and show business professional who led the first all-female Swing orchestra touring Army training camps during WWII filling
The Real Billie Holiday, Part Three – 1950s
Billie Holiday (Eleanora Fagan, 1915-59) continued a busy schedule of recordings, concerts, radio broadcasts, television appearances and international tours in the 1950s. Publication of her
Jerry Lewis
As a musician, over the years, we occasionally have the opportunity to play with some giants or the industry. And about a decade ago, I
How to Impress Your Date with Modern Jazz
So you’ve just met that special someone, but you’re worried they might be a little “out of your league.” You’ve taken them on a few
The Age We Live In
After many years touring in the US, playing traditional jazz festivals, cruises and what have you, there’s an unavoidable truth that we’ll have to address
Goat Glands, Border Blasters, and the Carter Family
As a child in 1949, I had a routine of surreptitiously going into the living room after everyone was asleep to listen to late night
Show Business Neighbors
When Joe Bebco forwarded an inquiry about Max Morath from Anne Phillips recently, I anxiously responded. Anne and her husband, bassist Bill Phillips, were neighbors
Sheet Music Orgy
Have you ever immersed yourself in a trivial pursuit while important tasks needed your immediate attention? Well, a friend recently added six inches of sheet
Iowa Bandleader Kenny Paulsen has died
Davenport Iowa based bandleader Kenneth R. “Kenny” Paulsen passed away on July 10th, he was 82. He had a career in law enforcement, working for
San Francisco Mourns Jazz Legend Pat Yankee, 94
The jazz community lost a true legend with the passing of vocalist-bandleader Pat Yankee on Memorial Day, May 30, at the age of 94. The
Clarinetist and Bandleader Skip Parsons has died
Clarinetist and bandleader George “Skip” Parsons, died April 21, following a stroke. He was 86. For 66 years, Skip Parsons’ Riverboat Jazz Band reigned as
