Bix Beiderbecke

This very attractive book, with a cover that subtly recalls a Miles Davis LP from over half a century ago, is a study of how the notion of "cool," with all its elegance and purity, was co-opted by wretched American corporate types who, in true fairy-tale fashion, killed the cool golden goose that they thought was going to lay them golden eggs. Read More

Through writing, he was able to put his life in perspective. Read More

Hugh Masekela's birthday party has been going on for some time. Read More

There you are, texting away as you walk down West 46th Street in Midtown, and you nearly bump right into the big, bright gramophone on the sidewalk outside the Hotel Edison. Read More

Barring a handful of gems, among them Louis Armstrong's salutes to Fats Waller and W.C. Handy, most miss the mark because they try too hard to one-up or mimic the subject of their adulation. Read More

The new band knew something remarkable was happening when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck during their first rehearsal. Read More

Recorded jazz is still under a century old, but in a little over nine decades an enormous quantity of music has amassed. Read More