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
Caption: The Jug
When jazz was in its infancy, the most common bass instrument was the tuba. Convenient for the marching band. Eventually, bass clarinet and saxopho...

Bought by KLCC and KCBX


  • Added: Mar 13, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Zutty Singelton
This program features the percussionists of the 1920s. In the earliest days they emphasized woodblocks, cowbells, China cymbals, and tom-toms rathe...

Bought by KLCC and KCBX


  • Added: Mar 06, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: c1920 Recording studio
Before the mp3, Compact disc, and Long play record, Hot Wax was the medium. Vibrations of audio traveled through a recording stylus into the soft m...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Feb 28, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Bessie Smith
As jazz became Americas music in the 1920s, the jazz vocalist had to adopt to the key, tempo and pitch changes. This is a very creative era for the...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Feb 20, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: 1920s Valentine Card
Some the best love songs were performed in the 1920s. This program recognizes the work of Hoagy Carmichael, Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields, Yip Harbu...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Feb 13, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Piece image
The decade that became known as “The Jazz Age” consisted of a lot more than the music. The youth became style conscious thanks in large part to pop...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Feb 06, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Irving Berlin
When jazz became the popular music of the 1920s, Tin Pan Alley was in the thick of a Golden Age. This program features over 15 composers responsibl...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jan 30, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Bubber Miley, left
They’re best remembered for their mastery of the muted trumpet. Bubber Miley and Cootie Williams were standout musicians who performed with the Duk...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jan 24, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Toni Parenti
Shortly after jazz was introduced to a New York audience, many musicians migrated out of New Orleans, however, a core of the performers remained. F...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jan 16, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: 1920s Decade
The 1920s was one of the most inventive periods in American history. On the one hand, jazz became an music art form that swept the world, on the ot...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jan 09, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Butterbeans & Susie
A little levity from talented and inventive musicians can go a long way to putting some pep in your step. Fats Waller could hardly keep from adding...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jan 02, 2020
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Vocalion Records
This is a celebration of some of the finest music and talented musicians who recorded between 1923 and 1933. Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Bix Beid...

Bought by KCBX and KCBX


  • Added: Dec 26, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
Piece image
Although Atlanta isn’t thought of as a hub for early jazz, nevertheless, it was a hive of musical activity in the 1920s. There were enough venues, ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Dec 12, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Noble Sissle
Lyricist, composer, vocalist and bandleader Noble Sissle had a very successful 60-year career in jazz and musical theater. He’s best know as the mu...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Dec 05, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Clarence Williams
instrument was the jug. Clarence Williams was a professional, yet he thoroughly enjoyed a relaxed performing style. Add in a little hokum, and the ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Nov 27, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Ted Lewis
You might say he didn’t take his music seriously. On the other hand, bandleader and clarinetist Ted Lewis is one of the best known performers of th...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Nov 14, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Adrian Rollini
In the mid-1920s, the bass and baritone saxophone emerged from the rhythm section of jazz bands, to become one of the primary soloists. Adrian Roll...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Nov 08, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Punch Miller
Ernest ‘Punch’ Miller and Roy Hobson, both cornetists, had somewhat parallel careers. Both very active in the 1920s, and both recorded extensively ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Oct 31, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: City transport c1925
Throughout time, musicians enjoy performing songs about transportation. The challenges of travel are highlighted in this program.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Oct 24, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Lonnie Johnson
In the 1920s, jazz and popular music meant the same thing. At that point the guitar moved out of the rhythm section to became another solo voice.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Oct 18, 2019
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1