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This Month on Riverwalk Jazz
Step inside the historic Gennett Records studio with The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and special guests. Also this month, a salute to the legacy of Benny Goodman with clarinet "phenom" Dave Bennett, and an exploration of the highly prized 1939 "Great 16" recordings by Muggsy Spanier and His Ragtime Band.
 10/2 A Woman’s Touch: Celebrating Women Composers in Jazz
Ever heard of Beth Slater Whitson and Kay Swift? Maybe not, but you’ve heard their compositions, “Fine and Dandy," and “Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland," popular jazz standards today. This week, Riverwalk Jazz presents a jazz concert of tunes composed by women.
 10/9 A New Generation: The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and Clarinet Virtuoso Dave Bennett
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and youthful clarinetist Dave Bennett, described as an authentic musical prodigy, explore the legacy of Benny Goodman and the classic sound of Swing.
 10/16 Gennett Records: The Little Studio That Could
Some of the most important jazz recordings in American musical history were recorded in the rag-tag studio at the back of the Starr piano factory in Richmond, Indiana. The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and guests perform the music of Jelly Roll Morton, Bix and His Gang and other groundbreaking recording artists of Starr-Gennett Records. Bonus Content here.
 10/23 Tunesmiths’ Triple Crown: Youmans, Barris and Green
Special guests, Broadway’s Carol Woods, New Orleans’ Topsy Chapman, and piano legend Dick Hyman, join us to honor a trio of top composers of jazz standards—Vincent Youmans (“Time on My Hands”), Harry Barris ("Mississippi Mud”) and Johnny Green (“Body and Soul”).
 10/30 Relaxin’ at the Touro: Muggsy Spanier and His Ragtime Band
An exploration of the "Great 16" recordings by Muggsy Spanier’s Ragtime Band of 1939. Though the band only lasted 7 months, these records were best sellers at the time and are highly prized by jazz collectors today.
Note: Riverwalk Jazz public radio broadcasts are recorded well in advance of their air-dates. 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 used to listen to Riverwalk on Saturday evenings when I lived in Maryland. I have just found it again and am so thrilled. Such happy feel good music. Is it possible to listen to previous broadcasts from the web? I didn't see how to do this.
Thank you, Arlene Howard, Rancho Mirage, CA
Editor replies:
Arlene, previous broadcasts are not archived on our website. You can hear only the current week's show beginning on Thursdays.
Dear Riverwalk:
Love the feel you guys get, the bass guitar and drums and piano is a knock out. Who writes the charts?
Best, Denis Sutherland
Editor replies:
Denis, the majority of the arrangements, or "charts" that you hear on Riverwalk Jazz are written by our former pianist and frequent guest artist John Sheridan. Other band members contribute a few, and some are "golden oldies" written back in the 1960s by Paul Crawford and others for the Happy Jazz Band.
From the Forums
Here is a recent topic on the forum What are you listening to?:
 scott.tronier wrote:
Artie Shaw's classic arrangement of this fabulous Carmichael song "Stardust" commands my attention unlike any other song I've ever heard.
jigsaw replied:
"Stardust" is easily my favourite tune and your posting made me get out the airshot of Artie Shaw's band from I think 1938 on the Hindsight label HCD-140 and you are right its a beauty and long time since I heard it. Doesn't have the verse as most vocal versions do though. Solos from Shaw and Tony Pastor on tenor.The notes say that the arrangement is by Jerry Gray.
Join the discussion here.
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.
Photo Credits
- Kay Swift courtesy Big Band Database. Property of Kay Swift Trust
- Dave Bennett courtesy www.davebennett.com
- Gennett Parrot Sign courtesy Indiana University Alumni Association
- Johnny Green courtesy Big Band Database
- Muggsy Spanier courtesy Jim Cullum
- "Star Dust" sheet music cover
- Richard Sudhalter publicity photo
- Dream Lucky book cover
- Delta Queen courtesy Delta Queen Steamboat Company
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Remembering Richard Sudhalter
by Don Mopsick
 Author, jazz historian and cornetist Richard M. Sudhalter died on September 19 in New York City after a long illness. He was 69.
As a musician, Sudhalter was attracted to earlier jazz, he said, because "this music is more emotionally direct than other jazz styles. After the 1940s, jazz musicians gained more technical complexity, but they lost their warmth and individuality."
In addition to his cornet playing and concert producing, he is best remembered as the author of 3 important books about classic jazz.
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Dick Sudhalter, 1938-2008
by Doug Ramsey
Richard M. Sudhalter gave elegance and exactness to speech, writing and music-making. Dick's perfection of expression came in natural flows, whether he was writing, playing the cornet or chatting over dinner. Gene Lees observed that Dick was the only person he knew who always spoke in perfect sentences and paragraphs. Sudhalter's mastery of language is everywhere in his biographies of Bix Beiderbecke and Hoagy Carmichael and his monumental study Lost Chords. Currents of coherence, logic, passion and humor are equally evident in his playing.
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Please do not miss Terry Teachout's remembrance, in poetry and video, of Richard M. Sudhalter.
When America Had a Soundtrack
Reprinted from The Wall Street Journal © 2008 Dow Jones & Company. All rights reserved.
 Book Review by Eddie Dean
Dream Lucky, Roxanne Orgill, Smithsonian
"One day I heard Count Basie on the radio and that's when I flipped," jazz arranger Bill Potts once told me in an interview, his fervor undimmed more than 60 years later. "The secret to Bill Basie's piano playing was simplicity. He'd leave open spaces and play one note, but exactly the right note at the right place—it was just a ding."
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Bill to Save the Delta Queen Introduced in US Senate
by Vicki Webster
On Septemeber 17, Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) introduced bipartisan legislation, S. 3498, to continue the steamboat Delta Queen’s 40-year exemption from the Safety of Life at Sea Act. The language is identical to that of the House bill, H.R. 3852, introduced by Congressman Steve Chabot (R-OH) last October. It will allow the historic passenger vessel to continue in operation until November 1, 2018.
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined his colleague as an original co-sponsor of S. 3498. The bill’s other original co-sponsors are Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Barack Obama (D-IL), David Vitter (R-LA), Roger Wicker (R-MS).
The Delta Queen is the last traditional steamboat carrying overnight passengers on America’s inland waterways. For that reason she has been designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1966, she was inadvertently caught in the technical provisions of the Safety of Life at Sea Act—a piece of legislation that was intended to cover ocean-going ships, not riverboats. Recognizing the difference between boats that operate on rivers, within yards of the shore, and ships that sail the high seas, Congress established an exemption for the Delta Queen in 1968. Since then, the exemption has been renewed 9 times, in virtually every case, by near-unanimous votes in both the House and the Senate.
Without congressional action, the current exemption will expire on November 1, 2008.
[Ed. note: The Delta Queen has hosted many bands that play old-school classic jazz, including The Jim Cullum Jazz Band on several occasions.
Classic Jazz Media Online
Bix Beiderbecke's "Davenport Blues," New York Jazz Repertory Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, 1975. Personnel: Dick Sudhalter, cornet; Bob Wilber, clarinet; Kenny Davern, bass sax; Chauncey Moorehouse, drums; Marty Grosz, banjo; Warren Vaché Jr., cornet; unknown on trombone and piano.
Where to Hear Live Jazz
Regular Gigs:
Parties, Concerts, and Festivals: More comprehensive lists can be found on websites for the Mississippi Rag and American Rag. For a list of links to jazz societies nation-wide, click here.
18-19 Sutton's 8th Annual Jazz Party Pianorama. Featured artists include Dick Hyman, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ken Peplowski, Warren Vaché, and more. Marriott City Center, 1701 California St., Denver, CO. Call 303-838-4240 for more information.
On the Road with The Jim Cullum Jazz Band
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band appears Monday through Saturday nights beginning at 8:30 PM (note new time) at The Landing in San Antonio, except for highlighted dates below. To find out when the JCJB is coming to your town in 2009, view our event calendar.
October Events
There are no out-of-town concert dates for the Band this month, so it's a good time to pay a visit to The Landing in San Antonio. The weather is getting cooler and rather pleasant at night on the Riverwalk. Call 210-223-7266 during regular business hours for reservations (recommended for large parties or weekends).
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