With the passing of Fred Vigorito this March, following closely after Bill Sinclair in February and Noel Kaletsky, Joel Schiavone, and Bob Bequillard in recent
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Thomas Morris was a casualty of the rapid evolution that jazz underwent during the 1920s. The cornetist fit very securely
Pianist Sue Palmer has led her Motel Swing Orchestra for 25 years. Remarkably the personnel has remained the same for all of this time (trombonist
Django Reinhardt (1910-53) was one of jazz’s most original and brilliant guitarists, certainly the top guitarist to emerge during the 1930s. But despite that, at
An excellent jazz singer based in Chicago ever since he moved there from his native Buffalo in 2003, Paul Marinaro has excellent elocution (one can
The Upbeat label from England has compiled many rewarding CDs through the years. Their “Great Jazz” series previously released Various Artists sets CDs titled Great
We all know that the traditional lineup for New Orleans-style classic jazz entails a trumpet, reed, trombone and tuba. Piano and drums may even seem
For a few decades during the last century, when classical music was a familiar part of the musical landscape, many jazz bands borrowed tunes with
The first batch of V-Discs shipped to military fighters overseas on Oct. 1, 1943. Less than two years later, we won the war. Many other
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Earl Hines (1903-83) was always a true original. When he emerged on the scene in the 1920s, he sounded unlike
Clarinetist Ricky Alexander’s fourth album as a leader (following Just Found Joy, Strike Up The Band, and I’m In Love Again) straddles the often-artificial boundaries
A top-notch swing and classic jazz pianist based in Germany, Chris Hopkins is also an excellent alto-saxophonist. In 2025 he released an album on his
Archeophone, the top label in reissuing pre-1920 music, has 23 CDs in their very valuable series of Phonographic Yearbooks. The program consists of two volumes
I had never heard of Miss Morse until recently when a few “soundies” came up in my YT feed one day. I was quite impressed
In the enclosed liner notes, the pianist states, “…let’s make it clear: I’m not a professional pianist. And I never even wished to become one.
Red Norvo started his jazz career playing xylophone, which isn’t a very shouty instrument, but he was forward-thinking and harmonically inventive enough to enhance any
Canadian vocalist Angela Verbrugge is still a relatively new presence on the international jazz scene, but one whose commitment is no longer in question. Since
Archeophone’s Phonographic Yearbook 1903: “’Twas on the Good Ship Cuspidor” benefits enormously from something that might seem incidental but turns out to be liberating: the
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Although Jack Pettis never became a major name, he was one of the top tenor and C-melody saxophonists of the
Chip Deffaa has gained fame as a prolific playwright and a producer of plays and recordings. He wrote for the New York Post for 18
The Rag Messengers consists of Exequiel Celada on clarinet and soprano-sax, pianist Auguste Caron, and drummer Orphélie Luminti. The trio is very much in the
Today, Sophie Tucker (1886-1966) is primarily remembered for being billed as “The Last Of The Red Hot Mamas” and for introducing her trademark song “Some
The only time that Django Reinhardt recorded with a harmonica player was on May 31, 1938, when Larry Adler was joined by the Quintet of
While the name “John Petters” may not be familiar to many American trad jazz fans, it is a well-known one to their British counterparts. Petters
