Join OWTK on Sunday, February 28th for a Putumayo Kids Jazz Playground concert (2 of ‘em, actually) at The Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. We love the whole Jazz Playground disc from Putumayo Kids – heck, I reviewed the album for Time Out New York Kids – but we’re especially...

The Putumayo Kids Jazz Playground disc is out next month (3/9). In the current issue (March ‘10 – on news stands now!) of Time Out New York Kids, I review the album.  In addition, I suggest some clever ways to introduce your kids to jazz in a live setting in NYC. Check out the feature here: click...

Photo by Alex Sigg Katy Bowser and Chris Donohue of Coal Train Railroad recently took some time to answer a few of my questions about their self-titled debut family album, their perception of the kid’s music community, the genesis and bright future of their jazz-for-kids project, and the importance...

…still swooning… Here’s a nice, tightly edited glimpse into a recent Coal Train Railroad show, in their hometown of Nashville, TN.  You’ll hear bits of 3 songs, including the fabulous “Snuggling Suits Me Just Fine”.  At the 1 minute mark, you’ll also hear a...

COAL TRAIN RAILROAD The Sound: Jazz.  Straight up, honest-to-goodness grown-up jazz music with kid-friendly lyrics. In the Cafeteria, They Sit With: Hayes Greenfield, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker Best Moments: I simply swoon over “Snuggling Suits Me Just Fine”.  My heart warms up a...

Scat singing is the easiest, most fun-tastic way to introduce kids to jazz. Babies coo and scat naturally. Toddlers scat ’cause it’s silly. And bigger kids use wacky verbalization to crack up their kid sisters/brothers and amuse their parents (or to delay teeth brushing or bedtime). A...