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This Month on Riverwalk Jazz
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band Presents
 5/7 Unsung Songwriters: The Great Craftsmen
Charles Daniels, Henry Creamer and Shelton Brooks may not be the most recognizable names in jazz, but the songs they composed—"After You've Gone" and "Darktown Strutters Ball"—are still often performed today as jazz standards and as jam session staples.
 5/14 Peck's Bad Boys: The Peck Kelley Story
Piano legend Dick Hyman joins the Band for the story of Texas jazz pianist Peck Kelley, who was in high demand by the top bandleaders of the 1920s but preferred to spend his career playing in Texas honky tonks.
 5/21 Wrap Your Troubles in Rhythm: A Concert of Recession-Proof Tunes
From Depression-era 'escapist' movie musicals to upbeat dance tunes, The Band and guests perform jazz standards that lift America's spirit. Tunes include "Wrap Your Cares In Rhythm and Dance."
 5/28 Swinging the Band: The Pops Foster Story
He said of himself, "I'm just another bass player trying to make a living." New Orleans jazzman George 'Pops' Foster brought his hard-driving approach to the sound and feel of jazz rhythm. In his seven-decade career he played with everyone from Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker.
Note: Riverwalk Jazz public radio broadcasts are recorded well in advance of their airdates. These listings do not reflect live appearances at the Landing in San Antonio. For what's happening at the Landing, check our calendar page.
Just Ask
Just ask and we'll answer your questions about The Landing, The Jim Cullum Jazz Band, and Riverwalk Jazz on the radio.
 I am planning a trip to San Antonio this summer. What is the address of Riverwalk Jazz? Also what is the best time to see Jim Cullum & band in action? —Jack Finnegan, Perkasie, PA
Ed. responds: Jack, The Jim Cullum Jazz Band plays at The Landing in San Antonio Monday through Saturday nights beginning at 8:30 PM. The Landing is located in the River Walk (Paseo del Rio) level of the Hyatt Hotel at 123 Losoya St., San Antonio. For reservations (needed only for weekend visits or large parties), call 210-223-7266 after 3:00 PM Central Time. For more information, visit The Landing website here. See you at The Landing, and be sure to say hi.
Dear Riverwalk:
When I was at the library last night I discovered a wonderful display of books celebrating April as jazz month. It was amazing how many of the major jazz musicians were from Chicago. —Betty Lambert
Ed. responds: Betty, many of the early New Orleans jazz masters—including Joe 'King' Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds, Freddy Keppard, Bill Johnson, and many others—emigrated to Chicago after the outbreak of the First World War severly limited their employment in New Orleans. This concentration of so many of the New Orleans 'greats' in Chicago in the early 20th century enabled a generation of younger players that included Bix Beiderbecke, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Jimmy McPartland and others to learn from and absorb the best elements of their energetic, hard-driving rhythmic style of jazz.
From the Forums
Here are some recent posts of interest.
On April 19, Pablodepinho wrote in the forum My Jazz Story:
...playing guitar became a major hobby for me. I didn't enjoy playing other peoples music. I began to enjoy discovering guitar and music by myself and play whatever sounded good to my ears. Then not so long ago I began falling in love with Jazz, and later bossa nova and samba from the 60s like Luiz Bonfa, Joao Gilberto, and Bola Sete. More >>
On April 16, Durium wrote in the forum The Band:
Arne Papa Bue Jensen, trombone player and icon of the Danish Dixieland, hopes to celebrate his 79th birthday early next month. More >>
Join the conversation here.
On the Road with The Jim Cullum Jazz Band
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band appears Monday through Saturday nights beginning at 8:30 PM at the Landing in San Antonio, except for highlighted dates below. To find out when the JCJB is coming to your town in 2008, view our event calendar.
May Events
- 3 Oak Lawn Music Festival, Oak Lawn United Methodist Church, Dallas, TX, 3:00 PM. Featured are The Jim Cullum Jazz Band plus Dallas guest performers Ed Bernet & Scott Whitfield, Banjos; Jon Stutler, Saxophone; Bud Dresser, Trombone; Jim Brimer, Clarinet; Marla Sporrer, Bass; Randy Eaton, Drums; Special Guest—Brian Holland, Piano. The Church is located at 3014 Oak Lawn Avenue on the corner of Oak Lawn and Cedar Springs. Admission is free and open to the public. Call 214-521-5197 for more information.
The Landing and Riverwalk Jazz on Facebook
If you are among the millions who have discovered the serious fun of using Facebook, you can now join groups for Jim Cullum's Landing in San Antonio and the Riverwalk Jazz public radio series. Share your memories with photos, videos, stories, links and memorabilia. Here is where you can find our groups:
Photo Credits
- "After You've Gone" sheet music cover from http://www.ragtime-society.de/
- Pianist Peck Kelley from his only known record album cover
- "I Found a Million Dollar Baby" sheet music cover from Relative Esoterica Blog
- Pops Foster from Wikipedia.com
- Landing sign on the River Walk courtesy Jim Cullum
- Jim Cullum and David Holt in 1988 ©Riverwalk Jazz
- Louis Armstrong ©Jim Cullum
- Cafe Society book cover
- When Swing Was the Thing book cover
- Frankie Manning courtesy AllAboutJazz.com
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Happy Anniversary Riverwalk Jazz
 Celebrating 20 Years of Keeping Listeners Tuned In to the Heart and Soul of Classic American Jazz
"Riverwalk Jazz has, since its debut in 1989, been one of the finest of all jazz radio series."—Scott Yanow, author of Classic Jazz and the Trumpet Kings, Los Angeles Times Jazz Critic.
Twenty years ago The Jim Cullum Jazz Band’s local radio program, Riverwalk Jazz, started toes tapping as a project of Texas Public Radio. Today that local program jumps, jives and wails in more than 200 cities nationwide via PRI, Public Radio International, and uses the latest in cutting-edge technology to bring ‘hot’ classic jazz to a group of loyal listeners who span the generations. More >>
New Art Exhibit at Louis Armstrong House Museum
 Few people today know that Louis Armstrong created more than 500 collages—clipped and assembled from photographs, news stories, postcards, letters, telegrams, and other diverse material. As Louis himself wrote to a friend, "My hobbie (sic) is to pick out the different things...and piece them together...making a little story of my own." All but one of the collages in this exhibit are on view for the first time. The exhibit is called A Little Story of My Own: Louis Armstrong's Collages, and runs from April 7 through July 12, 2009.
To read more about the exhibit at the House Museum (located in Queens, NY), visit http://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/
Why They Came to His Cabaret
A path-breaking New York club, where singers and social satirists performed and all races were welcomed.
By Pete Hamill
Reprinted from The Wall Street Journal ©2009 Dow Jones & Company. All rights reserved.
In 1931, a 29-year-old Trenton, NJ, shoe salesman named Barney Josephson went off to Europe for a visit. In temporary flight from the gray miseries of the early Depression, he traveled to Paris, Berlin, Prague and Vienna. He saw the monuments and ruins, the great cathedrals, the museums of immortal art. But the presence of one other cultural institution changed his life. Its allure was summed up decades later by a line from a certain Broadway show: Come to the cabaret, old chum... More >>
 When Swing Was the Thing
by John R. Tumpak
Reviewed by Christopher Popa at BigBandLibrary.com
©2009 Christopher Popa. All rights reserved.
It’s obvious that much work has gone into John Tumpak’s new book, When Swing Was the Thing: Personality Profiles of the Big Band Era (Milwaukee, WI, Marquette University Press, 2008). With 47 chapters and 114 photographs, it’s heavy and substantial, both literally and figuratively, and in his Acknowledgements Tumpak thanks dozens of people who offered help or contributed to his knowledge.
More >>
Frankie Manning, Founding Father of Lindy Hop, Dies at 94
 Frankie Manning, dancer, teacher and choreographer, died on April 27th at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital of pneumonia. He was a revered figure in the world of Swing Dance, having pioneered the Lindy Hop at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom in the the 1930s.
Read "Frankie Manning: Dancers and Musicians—A Mutually Beneficial Relationship" on the AllAboutJazz website.
We have late word from David Jacoby, organizer of Frankie’s 95th Birthday Festival at Manhattan Center Studios in New York, that the event, May 21-25, will now go on as a tribute to Frankie. Attendance, which had been sold out, will now be reopened to the public. Scheduled to appear are swing bands led by Frank Foster, Wycliff Gordon, George Gee, Houston Person and many others. For more information, visit the Frankie's 95th Birthday Festival website here.
You can view a unique collection of videos on YouTube of dancers from all over the world doing the "Global Shim-Sham" here.
Classic Jazz Media Online
"Hellzapoppin,'"1941, featuring Frankie Manning
"Beale Street Blues," Muggsy Spanier featuring Pops Foster
Where to Hear Live Jazz
Regular Gigs:
A more comprehensive list of festivals can be found on websites for the Mississippi Rag and American Rag.
- 1-3 Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival, Chattanooga, TN. Featured guests include Bob Schulz, Doug Finke, Kim Cusack, Hal Smith and many others. Call 423-266-0944 or visit their website here.
- 5 Dick Hyman and Evan Christopher at Symphony Space, New York City, presented by the Sidney Bechet Society, Ltd. Dick Hyman performs an all solo first set demonstrating the history of jazz piano, from Ragtime to Bop. The second set will feature both Evan Christopher and Dick Hyman in a salute to the great New Orleans jazz clarinetists George Lewis, Jimmie Noone, Barney Bigard, Johnny Dodds, Edmond Hall and Sidney Bechet. Call 212-864-5400 or visit their website here.
- 21-25 Frankie Manning's 95th Birthday Festival at Manhattan Center Studios in New York. See article above.
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