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Articles by Scott Yanow
Review: Double Deluxe Oscar Peterson
Review, From the Magazine, Oscar Peterson By Scott Yanow I Oct. 13, 2026 Two new box sets feature Oscar Peterson both live and in studio. (Photo: DownBeat Archive) Nineteen years after his passing, Oscar Peterson (1925–2007) still has the ability to amaze listeners with his phenomenal technique, dazzling speed and ability to outswing everyone else.
Helen Humes and Big Joe Turner: Profiles in Jazz
Helen Humes and Big Joe Turner never recorded together and do not seem to have ever shared a vocal, but their careers had several things in common. Neither singer changed their style or sound after they matured in the late 1930s yet they somehow stayed musically relevant for the next four decades. They appeared in many different settings through the years yet always sounded like themselves and retained their popularity despite the many changes in the music world.
The Ghosts of Harlem: Sessions with Jazz Legends By Hank O’Neal
Last month, I reviewed Hank O’Neal’s remarkable More Than Music book which contains his colorful stories (along with a countless number of photos) of some of the most interesting musicians and personalities who he encountered through his careers as the founder and head of Chiaroscuro Records, photographer, record and concert producer, manager of his own recording studios, organizer of the Floating Jazz Festival, work on documentary films, and other miscellaneous jobs.
Ella Fitzgerald • Live at Falkoner Theatre
One can never have too many Ella Fitzgerald records. She was remarkably consistent during her prime years (which lasted for over four decades) and was prolific both in the number of her recordings and live performances. And although she used certain routines for some songs, she always found places to be creative. Ella’s The Stockholm Concert 1966 was released by the Pablo label awhile back and captured her on Feb. 7, 1966.
Nights at the Turntable October 2026
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Earl Bostic (1913-65) was a major name in the 1950s and early 1960s. A superb alto-saxophonist who had impeccable technique Read More » At this point in time, it would not be surprising if tenor-saxophonist Scott Hamilton was running out of inspiration along with new songs to explore. Read More » Dawn Lambeth is a delightful singer who interprets vintage lyrics with a joyful delivery, swinging phrasing, and a gentle warmth.
Eddie Miller • New Orleans Tenor Sax
Although he is rarely listed as one of the top prebop tenor-saxophonists along with Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Ben Webster, and Bud Freeman, Eddie Miller (1911-91) deserves to be ranked at that high level. While he had a tone similar to Freeman’s (they often could be mistaken for each other), Miller did not play the quirky phrases that Freeman often put in his solos and he had a smoother and generally warmer tone.
Earl Bostic • Flamingo
Earl Bostic (1913-65) was a major name in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Dawn Lambeth • I Get Ideas
Dawn Lambeth is a delightful singer who interprets vintage lyrics with a joyful delivery, swinging phrasing, and a gentle warmth. Her voice is quite appealing, her improvising is subtle while uplifting melodies, and she is one of the top swing-oriented vocalists around today. I Get Ideas has Ms. Lambeth joined by a top-notch sextet consisting of trumpeter Danny Tobias, Jacob Zimmerman on alto and clarinet, pianist Chris Dawson, guitarist Luca Pino, bassist Sam Rocha, and drummer Josh Collazo.
Scott Hamilton • In The Still Of The Night
At this point in time, it would not be surprising if tenor-saxophonist Scott Hamilton was running out of inspiration along with new songs to explore. He burst upon the scene in the mid-1970s, helping launch the comeback of small-group swing. His sound was fully developed by then along with his style and he has never veered from that course, leading nearly 100 albums of his own in addition to appearing on many others as a sideman. All of his recordings are at least excellent.
Ma Rainey: Profiles in Jazz
Ma Rainey in 1917 Of all of the classic blues singers of the 1920s who were able to record, Ma Rainey’s history went back the furthest. In an interview in the 1930s, she said that she first heard the blues in 1902 and soon afterwards was including blues in her repertoire.
Nights at the Turntable September 2026
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Joseph Lamb (1887-1960) is regularly considered one of the “big three” of classic ragtime composers along with Scott Joplin and Read More » While the piano-bass-drums trio has been a fixture in jazz since the 1950s, and the instrumentation was first heard on records in 1935 when pianist Read More » Ireland has never been considered a hotbed of jazz activity but a few impressive players came from that island.
Roger Marks • Bring Me Sunshine
A very skilled British swing and trad trombonist, Roger Marks has, with the release of Bring Me Sunshine, now recorded exactly 100 albums since his debut with trumpeter Rod Mason’s band in 1977. He led the Armada Jazz Band (a pianoless sextet) during 1975-2017, recording regularly with the group starting in 1986. Marks has also been heard in other settings through the years including leading his Brass Farthings (a quartet with clarinetist Pete Allen) and his current Fiesta Five.
John Arpin • Champagne Rags
Joseph Lamb (1887-1960) is regularly considered one of the “big three” of classic ragtime composers along with Scott Joplin and James Scott. He differed from the other two in that he was white, lived way past the ragtime era, was interviewed, and actually recorded late in life. And yet it is a bit strange that none of Lamb’s compositions, including the best-known ones (“American Beauty Rag” and “The Ragtime Nightingale”), were adopted and widely played by the jazz world.
Louis Stewart • Alone Together
Ireland has never been considered a hotbed of jazz activity but a few impressive players came from that island. Guitarist Louis Stewart (1944-2016) is considered to be Ireland’s greatest jazz musician, a fluent guitarist with his own sound who mostly played straight ahead jazz based in swing.
The Secret Six • Toot Sweet and Goose the Beat
The Secret Six, named after abolitionist John Brown’s Secret Society of Six of the 1850s, has been playing hot jazz in New Orleans since 2020. For their Toot Sweet and Goose the Beat release, the group’s personnel has solidified into a two-trumpet octet comprised of Zach Lange and Nathan Wolman on trumpets, trombonist Haruka Kickuchi, clarinetist James Evans, pianist Joplin Purnell, banjoist Hunter Burgany, washboardist Dizzy Incirlioglu, and the group’s leader bassist John Joyce.
Mike Jones with Strings
While the piano-bass-drums trio has been a fixture in jazz since the 1950s, and the instrumentation was first heard on records in 1935 when pianist Jess Stacy, bassist Israel Crosby, and drummer Gene Krupa recorded “Barrelhouse” and “The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise,” trios comprised of piano, guitar and bass were much more common in the 1940s and early ’50s.
More Than The Music by Hank O’Neal
Hank O’Neal is most famous in the jazz world for founding and running the consistently superb swing-based Chiaroscuro label and for organizing the Floating Jazz Festival which took place for years on cruise ships. However, as his utterly fascinating book More Than Music shows, there was much more to him than that.
Cool Heat – Anita O’Day and Her Dangerous Jazz Life
In the 1940s and especially the 1950s, Anita O’Day (1919-2006) was one of the great jazz singers. Her scatting, placement of notes, and ability to swing at every tempo put her at the top of her field. While she was often masterful on the bandstand, she was not too wise when offstage. Due to a series of bad decisions and not being too wise in general, her private life was a continuous mess. Anita O’Day emerged with Gene Krupa’s orchestra during 1941-42 as a very hip and independent singer.
Andy Kirk and Jay McShann: Profiles in Jazz
Kansas City was one of the centers of jazz during the 1920s and ‘30s. One of the main benefits of having a corrupt political boss (Tom Pendergast) running the city during 1926-39 was that Prohibition was completely ignored and entertainment was needed around the clock to keep the nightclubs and speakeasies jumping, whether it was organized bands, elaborate floor shows, or all-night jam sessions.
Songbook Ink’s Accentuate The Positive
The two-CD set Accentuate The Positive put out by Songbook Ink contains 21 classics from the Great American Songbook, all of which are familiar songs that are given superior and swinging treatments. In addition to revisiting the classic tunes, this twofer gives listeners an introduction to quite a few up-and-coming singers and instrumentalists.
Pee Wee In Hollywood
Pee Wee Erwin (1913-81) was a solid swing trumpeter who was a bit overshadowed during his long career. While he worked with the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey Orchestras, in both cases he succeeded the much more famous Bunny Berigan. Erwin also worked with Joe Haymes and Ray Noble, had his own little-known big band in 1941-42, often played Dixieland from the 1950s on, and taught at a trumpet school that he ran with Chris Griffin.
Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra • Ellington Masterworks
Duke Ellington’s orchestra has always been a difficult ensemble for other musicians to emulate closely. Ellington’s band, whether in the 1920s or the ’60s, featured very individual voices that his arrangements somehow managed to blend together to form its own unique musical identity. Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra has come pretty close at times to sounding like Duke’s band. On Ellington Masterworks, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra comes even closer.
Nights at the Turntable August 2026
Imagine if Jelly Roll and his Red Hot Peppers of 1926 had had the opportunity to record 13 additional selections. What if cornetist George Mitchell, Read More » On her previous recording called Brass, Bria Skonberg put the focus on her trumpet playing with only one song including her singing. Her new CD, Read More » Bing Crosby (1903-77) always enjoyed singing with his fellow vocalists.
Oliver Smith Incomparables • Stomp Your Stuff
Imagine if Jelly Roll and his Red Hot Peppers of 1926 had had the opportunity to record 13 additional selections. What if cornetist George Mitchell, trombonist Kid Ory, and clarinetist Omer Simeon (or Johnny Dodds) along with Morton in a four-piece rhythm section had had a few more sessions in which to make history. They might have sounded very much like the group that pianist Andrew Oliver and drummer Hal Smith gathered together to make Stomp Your Stuff 99 years later, in 2025.
Bing Crosby and Buddies • Gone Fishin’
Bing Crosby (1903-77) always enjoyed singing with his fellow vocalists. The most popular singer in the world during the 1930s and ’40s and a household name for the past 95, Bing Crosby recorded a very wide variety of material throughout his life.
Bria Skonberg • Indigo
On her previous recording called Brass, Bria Skonberg put the focus on her trumpet playing with only one song including her singing. Her new CD, Indigo, takes the opposite approach by showcasing her vocalizing although there are also a few fine trumpet solos heard along the way. Bria Skonberg is very much in the spotlight throughout this set.
Review: Big Bands, Big Box
Review, From the Magazine, Various Artists By Scott Yanow I Jul. 22, 2026 Count Basie’s is the most-represented orchestra on the new Mosaic V-Disc set. (Photo: DownBeat Archive) The V-Disc program lasted less than six years (1943–’49) but it documented quite a bit of rewarding music.
Marion Harris, Lee Morse, and Teddy Grace: Profiles in Jazz
Marion Harris, Lee Morse, and Teddy Grace had several things in common. Each were talented jazz-oriented singers who are largely forgotten today. They each had potentially significant careers and a certain amount of prosperity for a time but had their careers (and in one occasion their life) cut short by tragedy. All three, who fortunately made a series of rewarding recordings, deserve to be better known today.
The Three Ts • Live At The Hickory House
In 1934, trombonist Jack Teagarden joined the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, a few months after his younger brother, trumpeter Charlie Teagarden. It seemed like a good deal at the time, a way of having a secure income during the Depression which is why Jack signed a five-year contract. Unfortunately, that decision stifled his career a bit. While featured with Whiteman now and then, much of the time Jack Teagarden mostly just played anonymously in the trombone section.
Nights at the Turntable July 2026
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Lester Young (1909-59) was one of the most important saxophonists in jazz history. His cool-toned sound and floating style were Read More » Archeophone’s extensive series of “phonographic yearbooks” has now reached 1924. When one thinks of the music of 1924, Bix Beiderbecke’s recordings with the Wolverines, Louis Read More » Two previous Turtle Bay releases documented pianist Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band from 2018 and 2022.
Will Bradley • Beat Me Daddy
When one thinks of Will Bradley, the first song that comes to mind is his big hit “Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar.” Recorded when big-band boogie-woogie was starting to reach the height of its popularity, this two-sided romp from 1940 features pianist Freddie Slack, either Joe Wiedman or Al Mitchell taking a stirring trumpet solo (no reference book seems to tell who the soloist was), and the leader on trombone with drummer Ray McKinley driving the band.
Baby Dodds • Spooky Drums: The Father of Jazz Drumming
Warren “Baby” Dodds (1898-1959) can be considered the first influential jazz drummer. While he was preceded on records by Tony Sbarbaro with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Dodds’ playing on a very limited drum set (due to the primitive recording techniques of the time) with King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band in 1923 set a high standard for what was to follow. Baby Dodds’ recording career was pretty episodic.
Lester Young, Roy Eldridge and Harry “Sweets” Edison • Laughin’ To Keep From Cryin’
Lester Young (1909-59) was one of the most important saxophonists in jazz history. His cool-toned sound and floating style were major factors in 1950s “cool jazz,” giving tenor-saxophonists an alternative to the harder tone and harmonically complex playing of Coleman Hawkins. Ironically, just when his influence was at its peak and he was making good money from producer Norman Granz’s projects, Young’s depression and alcoholism made his playing erratic and hurt his health.
Phonographic Yearbook 1924: “Open Up Your Golden Gate”
Archeophone’s extensive series of “phonographic yearbooks” has now reached 1924. When one thinks of the music of 1924, Bix Beiderbecke’s recordings with the Wolverines, Louis Armstrong’s with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Bessie Smith, and perhaps the two King Oliver/Jelly Roll Morton duets come to mind. None of those readily available performances are on 1924 since this set emphasizes recordings that were very popular during that period of time rather than innovative jazz performances.
Terry Waldo and the Gotham City Band • Treasury Vol. 3
Two previous Turtle Bay releases documented pianist Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band from 2018 and 2022. Treasury Volume 3 has one selection (“Alice Blue Gown”) from Oct. 15, 2018 but is otherwise from May-June 2022.
Art Tatum: Profiles in Jazz
Who was the greatest musician ever to play jazz? While one can make the case for Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane among others, I would vote for Art Tatum.
Valaida Snow - The Syncopated Times
Valaida Snow was born on June 2, 1904, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Valaida grew up on the road, performing with her father’s ensemble starting when she was five. Very gifted musically, she could play ten instruments by the time she was 15: trumpet, saxophones, clarinet, accordion, harp, banjo, violin, cello, mandolin, and bass. As if that were not enough, she also sang and danced.
The Joymakers • A Texas-Sized Band
Following up on the success of his previous CD Down Where The Bluebonnets Grow, Colin Hancock expands the size of the Joymakers on A Texas-Sized Band from eight pieces to ten.
52nd Street Swing
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH During 1935-46, 52nd Street in New York was jazz heaven, an area where there were so many jazz clubs housed so close together that it seemed as if the history of jazz could be experienced in one long night. The CD 52nd Street Swing, put out by the GRP label when they had a Decca reissue program, gives one a strong sampling of the types of combos from the 1934-41 period that were active on Swing Street.
Champian Fulton • House Party
For her 40th birthday and her 20th album as a leader, pianist-singer Champian Fulton hosted a party at the recording studios of Turtle Bay Records. Friends were invited and, rather than just being a studio session, the live recording documented a celebration and a lot of rewarding music. Champian Fulton has continued to grow as a singer and a jazz pianist through the years. In fact, her voice has rarely sounded lovelier than on the House Party CD.
Nights at the Turntable June 2026
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH During 1935-46, 52nd Street in New York was jazz heaven, an area where there were so many jazz clubs housed Read More » Heather Pierson has had a busy and diverse career as a singer/songwriter and pianist in quite a few musical genres. She had classical piano lessons Read More » Few listeners today have probably heard of Doris Drew, but in the 1950s she was a rather busy singer.
The Doris Drew Story
Few listeners today have probably heard of Doris Drew, but in the 1950s she was a rather busy singer. She had a beautiful voice and a solid sense of swing and, although the majority of her recordings were of ballads, she could also excel on medium-tempo tunes. Born as Doris Gruen in 1927, she sang in high school, became a professional in 1946 performing around her native San Antonio, Texas and by 1948 was working and touring with Frankie Laine.
Heather Pierson • Alone at Last
Heather Pierson has had a busy and diverse career as a singer/songwriter and pianist in quite a few musical genres. She had classical piano lessons for years but in high school played with both a prog rock band and a country rock group.
Flying High: Big Band Canaries Who Soared
For the debut project from the nonprofit Jazz At The Ballroom label, Champian Fulton served as co-producer, musical director, pianist, and one of the six singers featured on Flying High, a set subtitled “Big Band Canaries Who Soared.” Considering its title, ironically this is not a big band album. Instead, the accompaniment is provided by Fulton and a rhythm section which also includes either Neal Miner or Mike Gurrola on bass and Fukushi Tainaka or Charles Ruggiero on drums.
Nights at the Turntable May 2026
Dorothy Donegan (1922-98) was one of the all-time greats of the jazz piano even though she never quite received the recognition that she deserved, at Read More » Bob Greene (1922-2013) is best remembered for his 1974 album The World Of Jelly Roll Morton. While he played in trad jazz settings in the Read More » Armand Hug (1910-77) was one of the top pianists to be active in New Orleans during the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s.
Joe Sullivan • 1934-41
JAZZ CLASSIC OF THE MONTH Pianist Joe Sullivan was a superior stride pianist who was most influenced by Earl Hines’ “trumpet style” approach to playing octaves. He was an important contributor to the 1920s Chicago jazz scene, worked with Red Nichols, Bing Crosby (1934-36), Bob Crosby’s orchestra (although a bout with tuberculosis cut short his first stint with Crosby), and on and off with Eddie Condon.
Profiles in Jazz: Svend Asmussen and Oscar Alemán
It has been said, way too often, that “jazz is America’s only indigenous art form.” That cliched statement is inaccurate in two ways. Jazz is not the United States’ only art form unless one does not count ragtime, the blues, tap dancing, and films to name just four other art forms that come immediately to mind. And, ever since recordings became widely available in the early 1920s, jazz has not belonged exclusively to Americans.
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra • Columbia Vocal Rarities
The finest singers to be regularly featured with Duke Ellington’s orchestra were Ivie Anderson, Joya Sherrill, Herb Jeffries, and Al Hibbler with Ray Nance being the best of his singing instrumentalists. Other than Nance, none are heard from on Columbia Vocal Rarities. The 25 selections are taken from Ellington’s two postwar periods with the Columbia label (1947-52 and 1956-62).
Hot Lips Page • In Session
Oran (Hot Lips) Page (1908-54) was one of the great trumpeters to emerge from Kansas City in the 1930s in addition to being a fine blues singer. Born in Texas, he began his career backing blues vocalists at circuses and minstrel shows. Page moved to Kansas City to join Walter Page’s Blue Devils in 1928, becoming a member of Bennie Moten’s orchestra in 1931. After Moten’s death, Page worked with Count Basie during 1935-36.
Armand Hug Plays A.J. Piron & Other Delectable Ditties
Armand Hug (1910-77) was one of the top pianists to be active in New Orleans during the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s. A professional from the age of 13, he first recorded in 1936 on two songs with Sharkey Bonano but he did not begin to record regularly until 1949. While he made records with Santo Pecora, Johnny Wiggs, Tony Parenti, Bob Havens, and Eddie Miller among others, his most significant sessions were as a soloist and leader of small combos.
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