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This Month on Riverwalk Jazz
Coming up this month, The Jim Cullum Jazz Band welcomes a new generation of players to the stage of The Landing, honors a legendary producer of the Swing Era, celebrates the artistry of Ellington and visits the Southside of Chicago in the 1920s. Tune in on line at riverwalkjazz.orgrg.
1/3 Swinging on the South Side: Chicago Jazz
Jim and the Band visit The Dreamland Café, The Grand Terrace, The Vendome Theatre, and Chicago hot spots, circa 1915-1930, with Topsy Chapman & Vernel Bagneris.
 1/10 Whiz-Kid of Swing: Producer John Hammond
From Benny Goodman to Count Basie and Billie Holiday, Jim and the Band celebrate music of jazz greats championed by pioneering talent spotter, John Hammond. Plus rare interviews with Hammond and radio legend Ed Beach.
 1/17 In the Footsteps of Giants: Introducing Trumpeter Bria Skonberg
Twenty-something trumpet ace, Bria Skonberg joins the Band to celebrate the music of her heroes, including Louis Armstrong.
 1/24 Keeping it Hot: The Jim Cullum Jazz Band Welcomes a New Generation
Jim and the Band jam with the twenty-somethings of vintage jazz, trumpeter Bria Skonberg and clarinetist Dave Bennett, embracing the music and keeping it vibrant.
 1/31 Traveling with “The Duke:" Music of Duke Ellington
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band presents a concert of Ellington classics and actor Vernel Bagneris offers scenes from Ellington’s legendary life.
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.
Dear Riverwalk Jazz:
I have often wondered what you guys think about "Modern Jazz." I guess I am old school and enjoy the traditional jazz so much that I never got used to the modern stuff.
Thanks, Randy McHaney
Jim Cullum replies:
I presume that you are talking about Bebop and all that came after. Right? If so, if it swings I can usually find a lot to like. For me, if it doesn't swing, forget it.
 Kansas City bandleader and pianist Jay McShann (at right)—who gave young Charlie "Bird" Parker his start in jazz—once said, "They said Bird played Bebop, but Bird could still swing. I've heard a lot of guys play Bebop, but they wasn't swinging."
Duke Ellington famously said, "playing 'bop' is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing."
Dear Riverwalk Jazz:
Most paddlewheel boats died from fires—sparks from the smokestacks—so a Viking funeral would be appropriate for the Goldenrod. It was emasculated from the beginning, having no engines. Being a glorified barge, it had to be towed everywhere, like a Chinese princess with feet crippled from binding...
But what a marvelous career this eunuch had... I attended every festival after 1968, and performed in all of them after 1981. My performances weren't noteworthy, but I witnessed the very best jazz in the world. And I recall the Happy Jazz Band and Jim Cullum as a fine example.
God bless the Goldenrod and everybody that participated in those wonderful days.
Dr. Jim Gover, Naples Florida
Don Mopsick replies:
Jim, thanks for your comments. As you read in last month's Jazz Me News, the Goldenrod got a stay of execution. We can only hope there are brighter days ahead for the "old girl."
Photo Credits
- The Grand Terrace Ballroom from World of Earl Hines by Stanley Dance
- Count Basie at the far right, John Hammond to his right. Courtesy Dave E. Dexter, Jr. Collection, Miller Nichols Library, UMKC. Used by permission of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Libraries, Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections.
- Bria Skonberg
- Wang Wang Blues sheet music cover
- Duke Ellington
- Jay McShann
- Doc Severinsen and Jim Cullum courtesy Jim Cullum
- Preservation Hall Jazz Band from Preservation Hall by William Carter.
Where to Listen to Riverwalk Jazz
If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, we invite you to join our mailing list here (there is no charge.) Once you are registered, log in at http://www.riverwalkjazz.orgrg/ > in the upper right click on Update Profile > Special Interests > put a check mark in the box for Jazz Me News. Your very own edition will be in your inbox at the beginning of each month.
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Riverwalk Jazz Says "Thanks a Million"
Thank you for sharing your passion for the music and helping to ensure its existence for future generations. Your support means so much. We wish you a bounty of blessings in the coming year and beyond.
Click here for a special message from all of us at Riverwalk Jazz...and Satchmo, too.
Doc Severinsen, San Antonio and the Paparazzi
By Jim Cullum, Jr.
Nearing the end of its 3rd month the Landing was taking off. On weekends the place was packed. People stood in line to get in. Many of them drank a lot. They brought in their own bottles in liquor store paper sacks. There was no “liquor by the drink.” They poured their own. The Landing sold buckets of ice, Coke, 7up, club soda, tonic water, etc. We sold beer too. Everything cost 75¢. That was a high price. I had just turned 21 and could legally step up to the Landing bar, put my foot on the brass rail and order a beer.
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Preservation Hall in All Its Forms
by Larry Blumenfeld
Reprinted from The Wall Street Journal © 2007 Dow Jones & Company. All rights reserved.
 Three distinct groups lined up on St. Peter Street, just off Bourbon Street, one recent Sunday evening. The first awaited tall cocktails called "Hurricanes" at Pat O'Brien's bar. The second had signed up for a "ghost tour" through the French Quarter. The third sought passage through the iron gates at 726, better known as Preservation Hall. Once inside, that last group sat in a dusty room on benches and narrow floor cushions, sans food or beverages, seeking to drink in only traditional jazz and to commune with a singularly haunted spot.
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From the Forums
Here are some recent posts of interest from our Classic Jazz Forums:
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Long Time Listener by bvpainter"I first started listening to jazz in the '40's when I was evacuated to Bedford in England. The Miller band was stationed in the area and we were able to hear them rehearsing in the Corn Exchange Hall."
Classic Jazz Media Online
Where to Hear Live Jazz
A more comprehensive list of festivals can be found on websites for the Mississippi Rag and American Rag.
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Trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso leads the Ear Regulars at the Ear Inn, 326 Spring St. (SoHo), New York City, Sundays at 8:00 PM.
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26 Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks at Iridium, 1650 Broadway at 51st St., New York City, 8:00 and 10:30 PM.
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24-27 San Diego Adult Traditional Jazz Camp. Headquarters: Lafayette Hotel & Suites. Faculty: Clint Baker, cornet; Alan Adams, trombone; Jim Buchmann, clarinet/sax; John Royen, piano; Katie Cavera, banjo/guitar; Mary Eggers, tuba/bass; Hal Smith, drums. Tuition: $355. Info: AFCDJS, PO Box 880387, San Diego, CA 92168-0387. 619-297-5277. Visit their website.
On the Road with The Jim Cullum Jazz Band
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band appears Monday through Saturday nights beginning at 8:00 PM at the Landing in San Antonio, except when they tour. To find out when the JCJB is coming to your town in 2008, view our event calendar.
January at The Landing
 January is a quiet month on the San Antonio Riverwalk and at the Landing. The weather is usually cold and wet, so the Jim Cullum Jazz Band members take their vacations this month. The Landing is subject to sporadic closings due to inclement weather. The entire band is gone for the first week, then some of the members play for the following 3 weeks. Former JCJB members John Sheridan, Mike Pittsley and Ed Torres , as well as cornetist David Jellema, will be filling in. The full JCJB is back in full swing by the end of the month.
You can keep up with January Landing operations on our calendar.
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