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.


624 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Louisiana Piano
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Clarence Williams
Two very different styles, but both learned their craft in New Orleans. Clarence Williams preferred the jug and washboard style, while Luis Russell...

Bought by Delmarva Public Media and KCBX


  • Added: Mar 31, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 2
Songbirds
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Ma Rainey
Featuring those pioneering women of the 1920s who put voice to jazz, from Ma Rainey to Mae West.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Apr 07, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 1
On the Trail of Bunny
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Bunny Berigan
With his talent, he could have written his own ticket. Instead, Roland “Bunny” Berigan had a very wayward life full of bad decisions and numerous m...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Apr 14, 2022
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Joined at the Boot - Italy that is.
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Joe and Eddie
Giuseppe Venuti and Salvatore Massaro, best known as Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang in jazz circles, started a trend that had a large impact on the 1920...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Apr 21, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Louie & Sid
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Louis Armstrong & Sidney Bechet, Credit: Amica record label
These recordings have be come known as the “Armstrong/Bechet” sessions between 1923 and 1925. In reality composer and pianist Clarence Williams put...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Apr 29, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Mr. Trombone
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Jack Teagarden
He was a recognized master of his instrument. Weldon Leo 'Jack' Teagarden moved to New York City in 1927, and at the age of 25, began a quest that ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: May 06, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Gentleman of Jazz
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Bud Freeman
His nickname was ‘Bud’, but pianist Marian McPartland tagged him “The Gentleman of Jazz”. Tenor saxophonist Lawrence ‘Bud’ Freeman.

Bought by WNMU-FM and KCBX


  • Added: May 13, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
C-Melody Man
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Frankie Trumbauer
Frank Trumbauer is described as one of the most influential and important jazz saxophonists of the 1920s and '30s, including influencing the Lester...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: May 20, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Swinging Chicago
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Nightclubs of Chicago
Chicago became the hotbed of jazz in the early 1920s By the early 1930s, several major big bands took up residence in the popular clubs like the Gr...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: May 26, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Oliver's Journey
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: King Oliver
Pioneering trumpet artist of New Orleans jazz, mentor to Louis Armstrong, inspiration for the Harmon trumpet mute still used today, bandleader and ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jun 03, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Waller Legacy
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Fats Waller
Fats Waller's playful, exuberant jazz performances created the moniker of the "clown prince" of jazz. He relished crowds with his playful stage ant...

Bought by Delmarva Public Media and KCBX


  • Added: Jul 01, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
Deep Harlem
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: 1920s Harlem
As it is known today, Harlem opened its doors to jazz long before the music became popular. Not to say it was far ahead of the rest of the world; o...

Bought by KAAD-LP and KCBX


  • Added: Jul 15, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 2
Follies & Reviews
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Piece image
As jazz made inroads into popular music, musical producers realized they had to incorporate the new styles into their lavish productions.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jul 22, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 1
Sweet Harmony, Hot Rhythm
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Mills Brothers
There were several vocal groups in the 1920s that specialized in three-part harmony, but it was The Boswell Sisters and The Mills Brothers set the ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jul 29, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Bessie’s Jazzy Blues
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Bessie Smith
Although she wasn’t the first blues artist to record, she was most certainly an influential trailblazer. Frequently, her recordings were enhanced w...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 04, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 1
Washboard Blues
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Hoagy Carmichael
In 1927 Hoagy Carmichael was a law clerk. One day he happened to hear a sidewalk phonograph playing a recording of his song. He immediately decided...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 11, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Louis & Louis
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Louis Armstrong & Luis Russell
Two of the finest New Orleans musicians … Armstrong and Russell … brought the birthplace of jazz into the “Big Apple” in the 1920s, and heavily inf...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 18, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Clarinets Go Wild
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Senter & his Senterpedes
They were called "gaspipe" clarinetists. Their style was very popular in the 1920s. They emphasized peculiar sounds and startling effects, like, sc...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 25, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 1
Leading Voices in Jazz
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Adelaide Hall
There was no roadmap to success for the Early instrumentalists and vocalists in jazz. They were in untested waters and out on a limb. Nevertheless,...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Sep 01, 2022
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 1
Deeper Voices - Baritone & Bass
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Adrian Rollini
When Adrian Rollini introduced the bass saxophone to the front line instruments, several other reed artists were inspired to follow suit. The big d...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Sep 08, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1

Playlists That Feature This Series: