the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy

Series produced by Guy Rathbun

Caption: Joe "King" Oliver
Joe "King" Oliver 

A weekly program of Music and Stories for "The Jazz Age."

Across the spectrum of pop and jazz from the late teens to the early 1930s, this weekly series from the Club McKenzie invites you the share in the talents and tales of the musicians and performers that created an unforgettable era.


594 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
The Organ Maestro
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Thomas "Fats" Waller
He was the first jazz organist. In many ways, it’s his alter ego. He wanted his legacy to be tied to his serious side. But, he was also the embodim...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Sep 21, 2023
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
The Saxophone Breakthrough
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Don Redman
At first it was thought of as an interesting musical toy. Not really suited to jazz or classical music. During the earliest decades in the formatio...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Sep 14, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
1929
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Carlton Coon & Joe Sanders
1929: For the first ten months of the year, everything seemed to be riding high. It was a great year. That is until that fateful day in October, “T...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Sep 07, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Collectors Corner part 3
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson
By the late 1920s, jazz dominated popular music. Although there was still a call for the dance bands that toyed with the edges of jazz, a little bi...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Sep 01, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Collectors Corner part 2
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Sol Hoopii
The first installment of this theme featured music written between 1920 and ’25. So, this edition moves into the following five years for those son...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 24, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Collectors Corner part 1
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Adelaide Hall
All music has merit, but there are those that become classic. Whether it’s the composition, lyrics, solo, or the ensemble, the song stands out. Thi...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 17, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Tailgate to Swing
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: J.C. Higginbotham
In the earliest days of jazz, the trombone was a harmony and rhythm instrument. It was background for the trumpet, clarinet or other lead instrumen...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 10, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Improvisation
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Earl Hines
Invent your own composition on the fly, and keep it in a specific number of beats. That is a primary characteristic of jazz and the most demanding....

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 03, 2023
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Transitions
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Don Redman
Musicians and composers are constantly searching for new patterns of expression. Think of the song “There’ll be Some Changes Made.” But I can’t he...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio) and KCBX


  • Added: Jul 27, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
We Got Rhythm
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Zutty Singleton
They added texture and variety to the rhythm section with instruments, including bass drum, snare drum, cymbals, tambourine, washboard, and woodblo...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio) and KCBX


  • Added: Jul 20, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
The Side Man
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Louis Armstrong
He was destined to become the greatest cornetist in America before 1960. Yet, he was humble and unassuming. Today, it is difficult to think of him ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jul 13, 2023
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
The Pioneers
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Frank Guarenti
By 1910 jazz is still without a name. The music, you might say, is just coming of age. Experimentation is the key. And New Orleans musicians are se...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio) and KCBX


  • Added: Jul 07, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
Small Black Bands of the 1920s
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Syd Valentine
When Chicago became the great musical center for jazz, there were many small bands to be heard in the South Side. It became a hub of creativity. An...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio) and KCBX


  • Added: Jun 29, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
Small White Bands of the '20s
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Adrian Rollini
They were inspired by the music emanating from New Orleans. First it was the riverboats that brought jazz north, but with the massive immigration o...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jun 21, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Jazz in Europe
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Sam Wooding
The introduction of jazz to European society before the 1920s is a complex story. While it was met with both enthusiasm and resistance, its influen...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jun 15, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Three of the Best
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, and Ben Webster. Each left an indelible mark on jazz, with their distinct styles and contributions to the developmen...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jun 07, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
A Bite of the Big Apple
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: The Back Room, NYC
It was one of the most infamous times in the history of New York. The city became the hub of a new emerging music: jazz, and the Big Apple was the ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jun 02, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Chicago Rarities
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Lovie Austin
When the New Orleans community of Storyville was shuttered in 1917, musicians began traveling north to find work. No one could have been prepared f...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: May 26, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Musical Review
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Paul Robeson
At the turn of the century, 1900, entertainment promoters discovered the value of staging musical reviews for introducing musical scores. In order ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: May 19, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Jam Session
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Natty Dominique
The Jam Session: It’s the proving ground for a musician. That’s where you test your chops. Your creativity. For 1920s jazz performers, these sessio...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: May 12, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1

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