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
1928
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: 1928 Flapper
What do frog jumping, transatlantic telephones and sliced bread have in common? 1928. This program is a very brief overview of the music heard duri...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Aug 02, 2014
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Riverboat Shuffle
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Mississippi Steamboat
In the latter days of the Golden Age of steamboats, many musicians plied their trade with the orchestras traveling the Mississippi. Memphis and St....

Bought by KCBX, Radio New Zealand, and KCBX


  • Added: Jul 28, 2014
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 3
The Dorsey Brothers
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Jimmy & Tommy Dorsey
Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey were two very important factors in the formation of jazz in the 1920s. They performed together with the California Ramblers ...

Bought by KMUW and KCBX


  • Added: Jul 22, 2014
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 2
Windy City to the Big Apple: Early Black Big Bands
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: The Windy City 1920s
When we think of the Big Bands, it’s most often in terms of the Swing Era. Understandable, since those sweet and hot orchestra’s dominated the 1930...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jul 15, 2014
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Fatha & Satchmo
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Louis Armstrong & Earl Hines
When Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines met in 1927, it was immediate bond. A short time later, Louis disbanded his Hot Five group that was formed for ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jul 09, 2014
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Orpheans
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: The Savoy Orpheans
To say that London was not known as a mecca for early jazz is an understatement, however, Britain adopted America’s music very quickly. The Savoy ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jul 01, 2014
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
A Tale of Three Cities
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Luis Russell
A native of Panama, Luis Russell moved to New Orleans in 1919 after winning a $3000 lottery. He became a mainstay house pianist. But, in 1925 he mo...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jun 17, 2014
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
The New Orleans Owls
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: The New Orleans Owls
The electrical recording process revolutionized the industry in 1925. Besides improving studio quality recordings, major labels were now capable of...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jun 11, 2014
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Quality Serenaders
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Lionel Hampton
Paul Howard’s Quality Serenaders should be better known. But, they’re not. Part of the reason is their geographical location: Los Angeles - 1929. A...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jun 03, 2014
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Joe Sanders and Carleton Coon
The chance meeting of Joe Sanders and Carleton Coon shortly after World War I lead to one of the most successful bands of the 1920s. You could say,...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: May 29, 2014
  • Length: 58:58
  • Purchases: 1
The Panassie Sessions
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Hugues Panassie
French historian and jazz promoter came to America with enthusiasm in 1938 for one purpose: to put together a group of New Orleans musicians for a ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: May 23, 2014
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Louie's Lament
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Louis Armstrong
In the early years of recordings, Louis Armstrong became a trailblazing pioneer in the art of accompanying blues singers. I wasn’t as easy as it ma...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: May 20, 2014
  • Length: 58:57
  • Purchases: 1
Washboard Ripples
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Washboard Rhythm Kings
Spasm bands, or skiffle bands, (created out of found objects not usually found in musical groups) originated in the streets of New Orleans around 1...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: May 12, 2014
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
The Southwest
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Champion Records label
Overlooked as a gathering place for hot jazz in the 1920s, the Southwest sported some excellent musicians. Many went on to successful careers in th...

Bought by Radio New Zealand and KCBX


  • Added: May 07, 2014
  • Length: 58:56
  • Purchases: 2
Young Fats
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Thomas 'Fats' Waller
Although Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller was one of the most prolific recording artists in the 1920s and 1930s, very little of his earlier music is heard.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Apr 29, 2014
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
That's All
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Annette Hanshaw
She was known as “The Personality Girl,” with a singing style that crossed over between sweet and hot jazz-influenced presentations. Annette Hansha...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Apr 22, 2014
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
The Blackbirds of 1928
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Blackbirds Sheet Music
The review, Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds of 1928, opened at the Liberty Theatre on 42nd Street in May of that year.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Apr 16, 2014
  • Length: 58:58
  • Purchases: 1
Morris Code
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Thomas Morris
Cornetist Thomas Morris is somewhat of an obscure artist from the 1920s, although he was certainly very active recording with Clarence Williams, Si...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Apr 09, 2014
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
The Brunies Brothers
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: George Brunies
Half a dozen brothers and sisters, mother, father, and a cousin made up the core of the Brunies family. They were all good musicians. Many of them ...

Bought by Troy Public Radio and KCBX


  • Added: Apr 03, 2014
  • Length: 58:58
  • Purchases: 2
The First Lady of Radio
From: Guy Rathbun
Series: the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy
Caption: Vaughn De Leath
She was known as “The First Lady of Radio.” Vaughn De Leath’s recording career began in 1921, which lead to hundreds of titles over the next decade...

Bought by Radio New Zealand and KCBX


  • Added: Mar 25, 2014
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2

Playlists That Feature This Series: