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.


618 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Fess Williams
In the decade of the1920s, jazz evolves into the heartbeat of America. The music is the catapult into a new era around the world. Looking back, it ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Mar 15, 2024
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Lovie Austin
The 1920s was a important time in the earliest years of jazz, as musicians began migrating to points north of New Orleans. Any time there’s a discu...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Mar 07, 2024
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Barney Bigard
It may feel like an overstatement to say, but it’s true, that the 1920s was a pivotal decade for jazz, and that’s especially true for New York City...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Mar 01, 2024
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Frank Teschemacher
The 1920s were a exciting time for jazz in Chicago. While all jazz musicians played crucial roles in shaping a style that took on the name of the c...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Feb 22, 2024
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Omer Simeon
The story of early jazz clarinetists is a fascinating journey through the evolution of jazz. Not only did it play a crucial role in shaping the dis...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Feb 16, 2024
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Lil Armstrong
the 1920s the watchful eye of a moralist group of private citizens known as the Chicago Vigilance Committee delivered an urgent message to the pub...

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  • Added: Feb 09, 2024
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Bertha "Chippie" Hill
The 1920s propelled America into the 20th Century, marked by a stark division between the 'haves' and 'have-nots.' It was during this era that jazz...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Feb 02, 2024
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Chick Webb
As jazz moved from Chicago to the Northeast an innovative presence was heard. Still embedded in the roots of New Orleans, New York added an element...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jan 26, 2024
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Graystone playbill c.1929
Detroit played a significant role in the development and popularization of jazz during the 1920s. The city's vibrant music scene and cultural envir...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jan 19, 2024
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Johnny Dedroit's Band, Credit: c. 1926
In jazz of the 1920s, melody is defined by improvisation and the blue notes. Rhythm is characterized by syncopation and provided a dynamic foundati...

Bought by KCCU Radio, KCBX, and KWAX


  • Added: Jan 12, 2024
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 3
Piece image
This is not about opera. Instead, it’s the early history of three pioneering saxophonists 1920s and ‘30s that had a major impact on the future of j...

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  • Added: Jan 04, 2024
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Earl Hines
During the first half of the 1920s, Chicago took center stage in the world of jazz. This era proved to be a highly innovative time for young musici...

Bought by RadioStPete Florida, WDCB, and KCBX


  • Added: Dec 25, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: British Biscuit Tin c.1920
Jazz and Christmas were not really considered well suited in the early 1920s. Eventually, as jazz became more popular, a perfect partnership evolve...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Dec 19, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Victoria Spivey
The 1920s was a time when traditional gender roles were deeply ingrained in society. Women were expected to conform to certain standards of behavio...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Dec 13, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Andy Kirk
On the previous program, the time was spent with the three primary “schools” of jazz: New Orleans, Chicago and New York. It’ now time to spend with...

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  • Added: Dec 07, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Jelly Roll Morton
Although it’s understood that Jazz was born in New Orleans, its siblings did not stay in the Crescent City. First, they migrated to Chicago. Then i...

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  • Added: Nov 30, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Spirits of Rhythm
An often times ignored facet of jazz is its hidden language … or “jazz speak”. The music wasn't just about the notes on the page but the language ...

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  • Added: Nov 21, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Duke Ellington
As jazz became popular in the 1920s, commercial orchestras began infusing elements of the new music into their arrangements. The change immediately...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Nov 16, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Jack Purvis
Trumpet artist Jack Purvis made his solo debut in 1929 to considerable acclaim. But, the potential of his lustrous career (albeit brief) never quit...

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  • Added: Nov 02, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: '20s Chicago
Guitarist Eddie Condon is quoted as saying that there was so much music in Chicago’s South Side in the 1920s, “you could hold a musical instrument ...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Oct 27, 2023
  • Length: 58:56
  • Purchases: 1