The FCC has been in the news lately because of the repeal of net neutrality, but in California it might turn out that a lot more attention is being paid to the BCC, the Bureau of Cannabis Control. Nope, you're not dreaming, folks; bureaucracy has caught up to marijuana, which becomes legal for personal use … Continue reading The Harlem Hamfats Would Be Riding High
Category: Jazz
The Sound Of Royal Sax
A while back I posted a piece about a pair of 1960's combos with very similar names -- Tornados and Tornadoes -- but today it's a different kind of name thing. If you're at all interested in jazz, you might have run across a great saxophonist who worked with everybody from Ellington to Basie to … Continue reading The Sound Of Royal Sax
Barney Bigard Chose The Clarinet
Regular visitors to the GMC might remember that I once played the clarinet myself, and that probably contributes to my fondness for spotlighting clarinetists from the past. (The real thing, not hapless amateurs like me.) One of the best was Barney Bigard, whose career began in the 1920s and stretched for a half-century -- even … Continue reading Barney Bigard Chose The Clarinet
Hutch Hutchinson – High Society’s Favorite Gigolo
One of the most fascinating stories from the early jazz age would have to that of Leslie 'Hutch' Hutchinson, who left behind a budding career in the US in fear of the Ku Klux Klan, only to become a star in Europe. In fact, during the 1920s and 1930s he was one of the biggest cabaret … Continue reading Hutch Hutchinson – High Society’s Favorite Gigolo
Five-Star Favs – It All Began In Mexico
First a word of explanation to newer visitors (and a reminder to regulars). The Special Feature known as Five Star Favs is the one that spotlights a song that falls into a very unique category -- it inhabits space in the top tier of my music collection, which means I have given it a five-star … Continue reading Five-Star Favs – It All Began In Mexico
In Appreciation Of The Amazing Viola Smith
This is a different kind of post for the GMC. First of all, the only music I can find that features the spotlighted performer is on a video. But it's also different because I'm going to give you the basics, but then point you toward a couple of other places that do a much better … Continue reading In Appreciation Of The Amazing Viola Smith
Harry Reser Was A Special Picker
When you think of the banjo you would normally visualize either bluegrass or folk music, and we've featured plenty of both here on the GMC. But the banjo has been around for a long time and its popularity in the early part of the last century made it a natural fit for many of the … Continue reading Harry Reser Was A Special Picker
Arthur Prysock – A Crooner With Style
We haven't featured a crooner for a while, and today the spotlight falls on a guy whose smooth, glorious baritone and mellow singing style certainly made him one of the best. In a career that spanned more than forty years, Arthur Prysock demonstrated a high comfort level with just about every type of music, including … Continue reading Arthur Prysock – A Crooner With Style
The Amazing Valaida Snow
She was proficient on countless instruments but usually played the trumpet, and with such skill that Louis Armstrong declared her second only to himself (which led to her being called 'Little Louis'). She was also a talented dancer and a marvelous singer, with perfect pitch and the ability to handle everything from jazz to soulful … Continue reading The Amazing Valaida Snow
Swingin’ With The Eel – Bud Freeman
Those of us who are fans of the big band era know that the tenor saxophone was an important part of its success, and in the early years its use was popularized by guys like Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. But there was another saxman around in those days who could stake a legitimate claim … Continue reading Swingin’ With The Eel – Bud Freeman
Geezer Music Club 