Thomas W. Jacobsen      New Orleans Notes
On a Norwegian fjord near Stavanger, with New Orleanians Lars Edegran and his band

Welcome

This site represents my first foray into the world of the web. One of my primary goals at this point is to resume the objective of my long-running column (of the same name) in The Mississippi Rag: to cover the traditional jazz scene in New Orleans. But I will also be paying attention to other jazz happenings of interest to me in the city and elsewhere. Please check in from time to time since I will be adding to all pages on a regular basis.

You will also note that I have recently changed the format of the "Works" page. My intention is to share some pieces I have written that may not be familiar to many readers.

My book, Traditional New Orleans Jazz: Conversations with the Men Who Make the Music, is in press (LSU Press), and the publication date is expected to be February/​March 2011.

Biography

Thomas W. Jacobsen (aka Thomas, Tom, or T. W.) was born, raised and educated in Minnesota. He eventually received a Ph. D. in classical archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Until retirement, Jacobsen spent his career in higher education, including 26 years on the faculty of Indiana University (Bloomington). He devoted his scholarly efforts to the study of prehistoric archaeology in Greece and the Aegean Basin. To that end, he worked in Greece for some 35 years, including 25 years as director of the excavations at the important site of Franchthi Cave. He also served as general editor of the multi-volume series Excavations at Franchthi Cave, Greece, published by the Indiana University Press. During his time in Greece, he wrote the first article in English on jazz in Greece (1987).

Jacobsen has been devoted to jazz music since he was a clarinet- and saxophone-playing teenager. It was at that time that he was introduced to New Orleans jazz by listening to the broadcasts of the New Orleans Jazz Club over the powerful Crescent City radio station WWL.

Upon retirement, Jacobsen moved to New Orleans where he has lived for about 20 years--during which time he has become deeply involved in the local music scene. He has published extensively on New Orleans jazz, having served as a columnist and New Orleans correspondent for the well-known traditional jazz and ragtime monthly The Mississippi Rag for more than a decade. He is also jazz columnist and on the editorial staff of The Clarinet magazine, as well as contributing to a variety of other jazz periodicals.

Webmaster's Corner

I expect that most lovers of traditional New Orleans Jazz have already read Song for My Fathers, A New Orleans Story in Black and White (2006) by clarinetist, author and educator Tom Sancton. If not, I urge you to do so. It has been extremely well received by reviewers. But now the book has been issued in paperback form (Other Press, 2010), and Sancton has added a touching and beautifully-written epilogue. I reviewed the original in The Mississippi Rag, and I can say that this expanded edition is even better. It is a must read for anyone seriously interested in New Orleans jazz.

While I'm at it, I must also mention a new CD issued earlier this year. It is called The Classic Jazz Trio and features the excellent clarinet work of Sancton and Tom Fischer joined by John Rankin on guitar(s) and vocals. The music is "pure New Orleans," as Rankin says. It is a most pleasant listening experience, and I heartily recommend the CD. You can contact Rankin at john@​johnrankin.net for more details and ordering information.

Threadhead Records Foundation (THR) is a non-profit organization based in Santa Monica, California. Its predecessor and affiliate, volunteer-run and fan-funded Threadhead Records, started in 2007 to help musicians struggling with the aftermath of the 2005 Katrina levee failures. The group has helped more than 24 individual New Orleans artists/​groups complete over 33 recording projects.

It was just announced that the latest Threadhead beneficiary is the New Orleans-Helsinki Connection led by trumpeter Leroy Jones and his trombone-playing wife Katja Toivola (a native Finn). NOHC has been around since 2002 and has performed extensively both here in the city and abroad. Their first CD, At Last, was released in 2004 and is now in its second printing. With the help of THR, the second album, Love Song for New Orleans, will be recorded soon for release next year. Look for it.