It was a weekend of contrasts. I reread All Quiet on the Western Front, recovered from it on a long road bike trek that began with a one-mile climb up a steep grade (I refuse to submit to a testosterone exam), picked a few quarts of blackberries and played in a jam session in which, at one point, … [Read more...]

Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end. - Igor Stravinsky You might try taking the horn out of your mouth. - Miles Davis, after John Coltrane said he found it difficult to play short solos … [Read more...]

The new book and DVD recommendations are finally in place under Doug's Picks in the right-hand column. I stretched the DVD category to make you aware of a discovery. I doubt that you'll be sorry. … [Read more...]

Readers have asked why Rifftides does not allow comments to be posted directly. I want the opportunity to review comments and, when it feels right, to respond to them in context and with editorial discretion. It has developed, as I thought it would, that Rifftides readers are not inclined to … [Read more...]

Rifftides reader Marc Myers writes from New York City about the Louis Armstrong video mentioned yesterday: Fabulous clip of Pops in the 1930s! Pure joy. Two observations: The band appears to be integrated, which is strange if this is indeed the early 1930s. In addition, none of the musicians is … [Read more...]

Louis Armstrong liked to tell people, and may have believed, that he was born on the Fourth of July, 1900. Given the circumstances of his family and of the rough part of New Orleans he came from, it is not unlikely that civic records were haphazard. Twelve years after Armstrong died in 1971, … [Read more...]

Speaking of colleagues, in case you haven't heard the news about guitarist Jim Hall's latest honor, there is no one better to tell you than his proud daughter Devra, aka the blogger DevraDowrite. Congratulations to both. … [Read more...]

An alert reader of my Wall Street Journal piece about trumpeter Randy Sandke sent the following message: I read your article mentioning the Beiderbecke Festival in The Wall Street Journal. I enjoyed the reading, but I felt compelled to clear up a point. Seems like you referred to "Davenport, Iowa, … [Read more...]

I had just sat down to write a tribute to Hank Jones on his 88th birthday when I was alerted to a column about Hank by Mark Stryker in the Detroit Free Press. I may flatter myself that I know and understand a great deal about the elegant Mr. Jones, but on my best day I could not improve on what … [Read more...]

The right hand column sports new CD recommendations under Doug's Picks. DVD and book picks will follow in a few days. … [Read more...]

The Rifftides staff received the following e-mail message from Portugal: I'd visit your blog. I hope you visit my blog: http://www.jazzseen.blogspot.com./. If you don't understand Portuguese, don't worry, you can listen jazz. Luiz Portuguese and Spanish are similar enough that I was able to make out … [Read more...]

One of the new Tulane University students reading Tom Sancton's Song For My Fathers sent this comment about the book and the Rifftides report on it: As an entering freshman at Tulane, I can only give the highest praise for Sancton's book. My first visit to New Orleans, in March of 2004, is forever … [Read more...]

Slow Drag Dead hallelulia four black Cadillac high black hearse and all the people come to hear the trom bone bawl look at Slow Drag picture on the Wall He call again Sweet Emma come Big Jim come when He call then honkie play and honkie plunk in Preservation Hall --Miller Williams, "Alcide … [Read more...]

The Bix Beiderbecke Festival opens today in Beiderbecke's home town, Davenport, Iowa. It features Randy Sandke and, in a nice stroke of timing, so does The Wall Street Journal. My piece called "The Best Trumpeter You Never Heard Of" is in the Journal's Leisure and Arts section. Here are samples: The … [Read more...]

It turns out that many listeners are concerned with the issues covered in our Means of Delivery discussion. Here are comments from three Rifftides readers. Like you, I'm pondering today's post re: means of delivery. We really must adjust to new realities, but I'm having a hard time believing that I … [Read more...]

Yesterday's post … [Read more...]

Mention of Chubby Jackson's album Chubby's Back as a digital download brought this account of the session that produced it. Doug: I was at the session in 1957 when this album was recorded. I was editor of Down Beat at the time, and a close friend of Chubby's, and I had been asked to write the liner … [Read more...]

Rifftides Reader Marc Myers writes from New York City: Some jazz tidbits... 1. Desmond's Bridge Over Troubled Water is an iTunes download for $9.90. This is an absolute gem (thanks so much for turning me onto it). Wow. 2. The rare and expensive import, Chubby's Back (Chubby Jackson, about whom not … [Read more...]