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Musician

Sidney Bechet

Born:

Along with his fellow New Orleanian, Louis Armstrong, Bechet was one of the first great soloists in jazz. His throaty, powerful clarinet and his throbbing soprano are among the most thrilling sounds in early jazz. He went from being a pioneer of jazz in the 1920s to a national hero in France, where he spent the final decade of his life. In his teens he made his name playing in some of New Orleans's up-and- coming bands, and he played there and in Chicago with King Oliver. Sidney Bechet was born in New Orleans in May 1897, of Creole ancestry, grew up in a middle class environment. His father, Omar, who was a shoemaker, played the flute as a hobby

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Article: Backstories

The Black Entrepreneurs of Early Jazz

Read "The Black Entrepreneurs of Early Jazz" reviewed by Karl Ackermann


Preamble: In 2020, I published A Map of Jazz: Crossroads of Music and Human Rights (WS Publishing), a book that looks at the culture of jazz on a timeline with cultures of the world. At more than 500 pages, the book is incomplete by necessity; there is no well-marked path, and the history is sometimes nebulous. ...

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Article: Inside The Interview

Lineage, Lift-Off: Sarah Hanahan’s Alto Speaks in the Present Tense

Read "Lineage, Lift-Off: Sarah Hanahan’s Alto Speaks in the Present Tense" reviewed by Steven Roby


Alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan plays with the urgency of a musician who learned the music in real time--absorbing the tradition on the bandstand and transforming it into forward momentum. “I've always been sure of my connection to the instrument," she says. “Anyone who knows me knows my dad is a drummer and a great ...

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Article: Book Review

Bangkok After Dark: Maurice Rocco, Transnational Nightlife, and the Making of Cold War Intimacies

Read "Bangkok After Dark: Maurice Rocco, Transnational Nightlife, and the Making of Cold War Intimacies" reviewed by Katchie Cartwright


Bangkok After Dark: Maurice Rocco, Transnational Nightlife, and the Making of Cold War Intimacies Benjamin Tausig 264 Pages ISBN: 978-1-4780-3170-3 Duke University Press 2025 You may have seen pianist-singer and entertainer Maurice Rocco in Incendiary Blonde (Paramount, 1945), the rags-to-riches story of Texas Guinan, the Waco-born daughter ...

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Article: Radio & Podcasts

Final Recordings of Swing Era Masters: Mary Lou Williams, Artie Shaw, Django Reinhardt and more

Read "Final Recordings of Swing Era Masters: Mary Lou Williams, Artie Shaw, Django Reinhardt and more" reviewed by Larry Slater


There are many facets to great artists' careers, from their earliest musical adventures to their final recordings. Some lose their remarkable musical facilities as age, illness or drug abuse takes its toll, while others maintain their mastery until their final performance.The swing era was particularly tough on musicians, with the demands of constant travel ...

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Article: History of Jazz

Jazz in Nazi Germany: The Music That Wouldn’t Die

Read "Jazz in Nazi Germany: The Music That Wouldn’t Die" reviewed by Joe Alterman


This article was originally published on Moment Magazine. Music, at its core, is freedom. It cannot be caged by ideology or controlled by propaganda. The Nazis understood that, which is why they tried so desperately to suppress it, to twist it, to erase it. And yet, even in those darkest of times, music found ...

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Article: Interview

Pierre de Bethmann: Sharing a Musical Breakfast in Lyon

Read "Pierre de Bethmann: Sharing a Musical Breakfast in Lyon" reviewed by Artur Moral


If interviewing a musical figure is usually a great experience, having a face-to-face conversation with one is a true privilege. Besides, it is April in Lyon, cherry trees in blossom... and the roofs of the capital of the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes shine under a splendid spring sun. Pierre de Bethmann, winner of the 2024 Victoire ...

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Article: Album Review

Art Pepper: An Afternoon in Norway: The Kongsberg Concert

Read "An Afternoon in Norway: The Kongsberg Concert" reviewed by Jack Kenny


This album is not just music; it is a glimpse into one of the most compelling stories in Art Pepper's musical history from the impossibly handsome alto saxophonist with Stan Kenton's orchestra to a drug-fueled inmate in San Quentin, culminating in a glorious renaissance. The sheer logistics surrounding this album are impressive. Consider this ...

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Article: Album Review

Randal Despommier: South

Read "South" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Growing up in Metairie, Louisiana--a mere six miles from New Orleans--alto saxophonist Randal Despommier's formative experiences were rooted in the Crescent City's fertile sonic soil. A stone's throw away from the action, he was able to cut his teeth on the local scene(s) and put his horn to good use in Mardi Gras parades. In addition, ...

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Article: Book Review

Stomp Off, Let's Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong

Read "Stomp Off, Let's Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong" reviewed by Keith Hatschek


Stomp Off, Let's Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong Ricky Riccardi 466 Pages ISBN: # 978-0-19-761448-8 Oxford University Press 2025 Louis Armstrong's undeniable influence on jazz and popular culture has been the subject of many books, essays, and articles throughout the years, so one wonders will another biography ...


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