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We had a great time in Ascona
The Jungle Jazz Band was thrilled to take part in the 40th anniversary of the Ascona Jazz Festival, one of the most beloved jazz festivals in Europe. Set in the stunning lakeside town of Ascona, Switzerland, this event celebrates traditional jazz in all its forms—and we were lucky to be...
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Jelly Roll Morton: Did He Really Invent Jazz?
Jelly Roll Morton was one of the most extraordinary characters in early jazz and he made one of the most extraordinary claims. The New Orleans pianist, composer and bandleader repeatedly declared that he had invented jazz, sometimes stating that he had done so as early as 1902.
At first, the claim...
George Gershwin: Composer of Rhapsody in Blue and Porgy and Bess
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist whose music refused to fit into a single category. Born Jacob Gershwin in Brooklyn, New York, in 1898 to Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire, he grew up surrounded by the Yiddish theaters and busy tenements of the city. He studied piano...
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