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.


623 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
City Slickers
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Jimmy Lytell
In the early years of jazz, musicians felt inspired to write about the cities that gave them unique images of the era. After all, each location has...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Nov 16, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Tin Pan Jazz
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Tin Pan Alley
The Alley of Song and America’s popular music of the 1920s, jazz, crossed over in 1917. It wasn’t long before musicians began to revive compositi...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Nov 09, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Four is a Crowd
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Edmond Hall
The most common makeup of bands in the 1920s was five pieces: trumpet, trombone, clarinet, bass and drums. But, inventive musicians in later years ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Nov 03, 2016
  • Length: 59:01
  • Purchases: 1
Forgotten Writers
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Fred Ahlert
When you hear about composers of American popular music in the 1920s and early '30s, the names that are remembered are Cole Porter, George and Ira ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Oct 27, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Apollo Theater
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: The Apollo Theater
The neo-classically designed Apollo with it’s plush interior opened for business in 1913. At first it was a burlesque venue. Later featuring vaudev...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Oct 20, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
A Bad Reputation
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Winold Reiss
When there's a movie chase scene, more often than not, the accompanying music is jazz.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Oct 13, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Southwest
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Walter Page
It too decades for jazz historians to recognize regional bands for their influence on the music.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Oct 05, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Really the Blues
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Mezz Mezzrow
In 1946 Milton Mezzrow, otherwise known as Mezz, wrote a tell all book about his experiences with jazz in the 1920s and '30s.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Sep 29, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Commodore Club
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Milt Gabler
Long before Milt Gabler became a major record producer, he owned a very small music store in a tumble down building in New York City.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Sep 21, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Andy & his Friends
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Andy Razaf
If someone in Hollywood were to write an accurate screenplay on the life of composer/lyricist Andy Razaf, few would believe it.

Bought by KMUW and KCBX


  • Added: Sep 14, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
Play It Again Sam
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Irving Berlin
Here is a selection of songs from the early years of jazz that had longevity. Their popularity lasted for decades.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Sep 06, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Spreading the Word
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Early Radio
Jazz connected with audiences in the 1920s, but it was the combination of a prolific recording industry and the abundance of radio’s that boosted i...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Sep 01, 2016
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Jack and Frankie: Trombone & C-melody
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Frankie Trumbauer
After performing together in small groups, both formed big bands in the late 1920s. Jack with his tasteful trombone, and Frankie with his distincti...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 25, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Snake Hips & the Dance Craze
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Jazz Dance
The spontaneous enthusiasm of jazz brought exuberance to the dance floor in the 1920s.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 17, 2016
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Personality Plus
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Josephine Baker
All that was required to stand out among your peers in the entertainment business was style, charisma, stage presence, phrasing, and, oh yes, perso...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 10, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Mile High: 1920s Alto Saxophonists
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Johnny Hodges
This program pays tribute to those inventive alto saxophonists in the early years of jazz.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 03, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Traps
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Paul Barbarin
As jazz began to dominate American popular music in the 1920s, drummers began to experiment with ways to incorporate more elaborate expressions int...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jul 28, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Musical Comedians
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Eddie Cantor
This program brings in those talents who saw the humor in their musical forays.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jul 21, 2016
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Essentials in Jazz
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Edythe Turnham Band
This program hones in on those two critical years 1923 and 24 when jazz began to transition from New Orleans to Chicago Style.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jul 13, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Anecdote Notes
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: 1920s flapper
Here are a few of the many stories surrounding the term jazz.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jul 06, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1

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