George A. Borgman
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George Allan Borgman (born January 22, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a journalist for several jazz publications.
Borgman was the only child of Herman Francis and Martha Vivien (Wecker) Borgman. He grew up in St. Louis and attended Indiana University Bloomington he studied journalism and received a masters degree in musicology.
In the 1950's Borgman, who played saxophone and clarinet played with such territorial big bands as Jack Everett's Dance Orchestra, Jack Stalcup Orchestra and Larry Tice. He also did a stint as a high school music teacher. After he got married and started a family he rejoined the U. S. Army in order to make ends meet.
It was only after his retirement from the army in the early 1980's that he began to write fulltime as a journalist for newspapers and as a jazz writer concentrating mostly on traditional jazz and ragtime although he has also written on big bands, bebop and modern jazz. He claims that his military experience in conducting interrogations has helped him in interviewing musicians.
He has written for several jazz magazines, newspapers and journals including the IAJRC Journal, Cadence Magazine, Joslin’s Jazz Journal, T-J Today for which he was the New England correspondent, a writer and reviewer and has written a monthly column called "The Yankee Jazz Beat" since 1991 for The Mississippi Rag where he is the New England correspondent and also a contributing editor.
He has written over 200 reviews, in-depth articles on the history of jazz and on numerous jazz musicians including Tommy Benford, Joseph F. Lamb and interviewed such artists as Ruby Braff, Al Casey, Buzzy Drootin, and Spiegle Willcox who played with Bix Beiderbecke.
In the late 1990’s he was voted in the top ten of jazz critics by the public in a Jazz Beat Magazine poll. He is a member of the Jazz Journalists Association and has written liner notes for Stomp Off Records, various jazz recording artists including Neville Dickie, Stan McDonald and The Happy Feet Dance Orchestra. He has also done writing for the annual Hot Steamed Jazz Festival in the United States.
His extensive writings and original research has been used as sources for a jazz encyclopedia and other works.
He has two sons including actor and filmmaker Eric Bruno Borgman and has a substantial role in his sons feature comedy film The Man in the Movie.
External links
- George A. Borgman Website (http://www.geocities.com/georgeborgman/Borgman.html)
- The Man in the Movie (http://www.geocities.com/ericbborgman/ManintheMovie.html)
- The Internet Movie Database (http://imdb.com/name/nm1744354/)
- Listing at TV Tome (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-255434)
Selected article sources
- Issues of The Mississippi Rag
- Who's Who in America 2005
- Internet Movie Database