In July 2002 Crescendo & Jazz Music magazine celebrated its 40th year of publication.The magazine is sold exclusively by subscription, and, in its entire history, has been advertised only once. This occurred at the beginning of the 21st century when the Crescendo Jazz website — a project donated, designed and published by Ron Simmonds, one of the magazine's veteran contributors and Webmaster of Jazz Professional — was launched in an attempt to drum up more sales on the Internet. The site was abandoned a year after it began due to a marked lack of support on the part of the magazine's proprietor.

Crescendo magazine was founded in July 1962 by Tony Brown and Dennis Matthews. Brown, the first editor, departed in 1972 and various editors came and went until the autumn of 1993 when Matthews took over as Editorial Director. Since then Matthews has managed the publishing side completely on his own. Until recently the magazine was published and sold by him from a tiny office in Holborn, London. The circulation figures of Crescendo are not available. The majority of the contributors—over the years there have been about 640 of them—have written for the magazine free of charge. It might be interesting to view the output of some of the main contributors to Crescendo.

Approximate number of full-length articles published (only those authors who have submitted over 100 articles are shown):

Les Tomkins, interviews and disc discussions, 771; Brian Gladwell, radio and television reports, 279; James Staples, technical, 241;  John Tayler, drum articles, 234; Les Evans, saxophones, 230; Ken Rattenbury, music editor, 223; Howard Lucraft, Hollywood reports, 211; Ron Simmonds, humour and technical, 205; Jack Carter, humour, 175; Harry Francis, jazz history, 171; Wally Horwood, articles, 164; Denis J. Williams, photography, 155; Alan Stevens, obituaries, 134.

It is clear from the figures above that the singer and journalist Les Tomkins, who put in a prodigious amount of work in interviewing visiting jazz stars, organising disc discussions and many other features, did rather more than his share in making the magazine, at that time, one of the most interesting and entertaining music publications in the world. Today many of the original stalwarts are, alas, no longer with us; others have departed for various reasons. Of all the names mentioned above only Howard Lucraft, with his Jazz Jottings from Southern California, and Brian Gladwell, with his radio and television reports, are still writing for the periodical. Les Evans, who managed to write over two hundred articles on the saxophone without ever repeating himself, retired in 1996. Both Jack Carter and Ron Simmonds were dropped from the magazine for no apparent reason. All of these men were dedicated to the cause of bringing the best of jazz journalism to the world.

A sobering thought: Each of the articles written by the above journalists usually took up a minimum of two pages of space in the magazine, a publication containing forty pages. Two hundred articles, at two pages a time, equals four hundred pages. Many of them, therefore, wrote enough over the years to fill up to ten entire issues. Tomkins alone would have filled over thirty-eight of them. Now that is dedication.

In the celebration issue of Crescendo acknowledgement was made of only a few of the people responsible for the success of this magazine. Jazz Professional pays tribute here to all of them.

Contributors to Crescendo are named below.

Colin A. Busby,  Max Abrams,  Bob Adams,  Freddy Adamson,  Nat Adderley,  David Ades,  Anthony J. Agostinelli,  Mike Aldred,  Dave Allenby,  Mose Allison,  David Allison,  Kwaku Alston,  John Altman,  Cat Anderson,  George Andrews,  Moke Aniseed,  Peter Appleyard,  Kenneth Arden,  Len Arthur,  Vic Ash,  Irene Kahn Atkins,  George Avakian,  Ray Avery,  David Ayres,  Jean Bach,  Kenny Baker,  Ted ARPS Baker,  E.C. ARPS Baker,  Kenny Baldock, 

Tom Bangbala,  Max Barker,  Norman Barker,  Ken Barnes,  George Barnes,  John Barnes,  Adam Baruch,  Alan Bates,  Mary Baxter,  John Bayne,  Rob Becker,  Gordon Beeson,  Louie Bellson,  Betty Bennett,  Ed Berger,  Stephanie Berger,  Lawrence Berk,  Milt Bernhart,  Lin Biviano,  James Blades,  Eddie Blair,  Mike Boom,  Charles Botterill,  Derek Boulton,  R. Brace,  Jack Bradley,  Allan S. and Flood Bradley,  Pat Brand,  Lawrence Brazier, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker,

Leon Breeden,  Peter Brenkus,  Derek Briggs,  Arnold Brilhart,  Stan Britt,  Tony Brown,  Gary Brown,  Terry Brown,  Lawrence Brown,  Ray Brown,  John Robert Brown,  Dave Brubeck, Iola Brubeck,  John Bunch,  Geoff Burdett,  Peter Burman,  Campbell Burnap,  Roy Burns,  Kenny Burrell,  Gary Burton,  Bill Byrne,  Forbes Cameron,  Chris Capstick,  Joe Carbery,  Harry Carney,  Roy Carr,  Ian Carr,  Barbara Carroll,  Jack Carter, Cass Caswell,

Barry Chandler,  Gary Chapin,  Bill Charleson,  Buddy Childers,  John Chilton,  George Chisholm,  Verne Christensen,  Keith Christie,  Susan Claeoni,  Kenny Clare,  Alan Clare,  William Claxton,  Claxton-Lang,  Peter Clayton,  Buck Clayton,  Freddy Clayton,  Jimmy Cleveland,  George Clinton,  Billy Cobham,  Bill Cochran,  Tony Coe,  Al Cohn,  Anne Colavito,  Nat "King" Cole,  Gracie Cole,  Bill Coleman,  Graham Collier,  Robert Cookridge,  Chick Corea, Irv Cottler, William Coupon, 

Paula Court,  Dennis Cracknell,  Bob Cranshaw,  Bill Crow,  J.B. Crumley,  Donald Currie,  Joe Cusatis,  Tony D'Amato,  Stanley Dance,  Harold Danko,  John Dankworth,  Stephen Davies,  Ray Davies,  Richard Davis,  Peter Davis,  Harold Davison,  Barry Dawson,  Buddy De Franco,  Jack de Johnette,  Chip Deffaa,  Paul Gerhard Deker,  Alan Dell,  John Denman,  Paul Desmond,  Dennis Detheridge,  Jerry Dodgion,  Jack Dorsey,  Lubomir Doruzka, 

Anne Drobisch,  Roger Eames,  Tony Eaton,  Mike Eatough,  Bernard Ebbinghouse,  Roy Eldridge,  Arthur Elgort,  Claude Elkington,  Ken Ellender,  Mercer Ellington,  Duke Ellington,  Nancy Miller Elliot,  Jean Elliott,  Nancy Miller Elliott,  Dave Ellis,  Alan Elsdon,  Jack Emblow,  Brett Estry,  Les Evans,  Brian Fahey,  Digby Fairweather,  Art Farmer,  Robert Farnon,  Jim Farrell,  Tony Faulkner,  Victor Feldman,  Maynard Ferguson,  Jerry Fielding,  David Fischer, 

John Flanagan,  Caroline Forbes,  Barry Forgie,  John Fox,  Harry Francis,  Bud Freeman,  Carol Friedman,  Norman Fripp,  Allan Ganley,  Jeremy Gardner,  Michael Garrick,  Ernie Garside,  Bill Geldard,  Eric George,  Stan Getz,  John Gibson,  Tony Gieske,  Mark Gifford,  Brian Gladwell, Jim Goatham,  Sylvia Goldberg,  Jack Goldzweig,  Eddie Gomez,  Paul Gonsalves,  Babs Gonzales,  Benny Goodman,  Harry Goodwin,  Dexter Gordon,  David Gornston, 

Harvey Gouldin,  Robert Gower,  Kenny Graham,  Victor Graham,  Pete Grant,  Milton Grant,  Stephan Grappelli,  Billy Gray,  Alec Graydon,  Steve Grayson,  Benny Green,  Grant Green,  Johnny Griffin,  Jimmy Guiffre,  Bobby Hackett,  Jim Hall,  Andy Hamilton,  Jan Hammer,  Lionel Hampton,  Slide Hampton,  Herbie Hancock,  Marvin Hanglider,  Tom Hanley,  Roland Hanna,  Bernard Harman,  Albert Harris,  Ron Harris,  Max Harris,  Tony Harrison, 

Eddie Harvey,  Paul Harvey,  Ray Harvey,  Michael Hasted,  Mike Hatchard,  Ali Haurand,  Alan Haven,  Dick Hawdon,  Hampton Hawes,  Johnny Hawkesworth,  Tubby Hayes,  Ronnie Hazlehurst,  John Heard,  Graham Hearn,  John Hemmings,  Joe Henderson,  Jon Hendricks,  Terry Henebery,  Mike Hennessey,  Brian Hennessey,  Woody Herman,  Ron Hetherington,  Christian Him,  Syd Hislam,  Tommy Hodges,  Paul Hodson,  Dezo Hoffman,  Cyril Holdsworth, Laurie Holloway, Johnny Holman, 

John Hopkins,  Michael Horovitz,  Raymond Horricks,  Wally Horwood, Johnny Howard,  Ken Howard,  Jack Howarth,  Peanuts Hucko,  Randi Huffin,  Jimmy Hughart,  Peter Hughes,  Everett Hull,  Randi Hultin,  David Humphreys,  Doc Hunt,  Lew Hunt,  Robin Hurst,  Bobby Hutcherson,  Tony Hyde,  Dick Hyman,  John Hynam,  Ike Isaacs,  Milt Jackson,  Frank Jackson,  Jazzology,  Eric Jelly,  Steve Jensen,  John Jeremy,  Miroslav Jodas, 

Andreas Johnsen,  Arthur Johnson,  Eric Jolly,  Quincy Jones,  Robin Jones,  Elvin Jones,  Chuck Jones,  Scott Joplin,  Ines Kaiser,  Vic Kalin,  Art Kane,  Marek A. Karewicz,  Liam Keating,  Johnny Keating,  Stan Kenton,  Alan Keohane,  Jack Kilby,  John R. Killoch,  Frank King,  Miles Kingston,  Arthur F. Kinney,  Roland Kirk,  Harry Klein,  John Knell,  John Knell,  Victor Knight,  Keith Knox,  Burt Korall,  Steve Lacy, Cleo Laine,

Bobby Lamb,  Don Lamond,  Christ Landergren,  Claxton Lang,  Harry Langdon,  Doug Le Vicki,  Joel Leach,  Dave Lee, Dennis Legg,  Brian Lemon, Tommy Leonetti,  Floyd Levin,  Peter Levinson,  Vic Lewis,  Stanley Lewis,  Dave Lindup,  Julian Lloyd Webber, Bernard Long,  Mundell Lowe,  David Lubarsky,  Howard Lucraft, David Lund,  Peter Lund,  Don Lusher,  Pat Lynch,  Humphrey Lyttelton,  Trevor Lyttleton,  Tony Lytton,  Peter Machajdik,  Andy Mackintosh,  Jean Maggs, 

David Magnus,  Ivor Mairants,  Erich Malter,  Henry Mancini,  Dennis Mann,  Herbie Mann,  Wingy Manone,  Marc Marnie,  Bill Marshall,  John Martin,  Gene Martin,  Roy Mathers,  Keith Matthews,  Lyle Mays,  Allon McCandless,  Susan McCheane,  Bill McGuffie,  John McKenzie,  Doug McKenzie,  Al McKibbon,  Jack McKinney,  Lewis K. McMillan,  Peter McMurray,  Marian McPartland,  Paul Meehan,  Charles Melville,  Milt Mendoza,  Don Menza,  Lennie Metcalfe, 

Stephen Middleton,  Tony Middleton,  Virgil Mihau,  Irving Mills,  Steve Millward,  Alex Mitchell,  Marion Montgomery,  Harry Monty,  Bill Moody,  Linda Moody,  Johnny Morgan,  Graham Morley,  Barbara Moss,  Gerry Mulligan,  Arnold Murray,  Lee Musiker,  Pete Myers,  Edward Nash,  Jack Nathan,  Albane Navizet,  LeRoy Neiman,  Peter Nero,  Can Nguyen,  Frederick Nilsen,  Frank Noble,  Claude Nobs,  Marc Norberg,  Antonin Novy,  Masashi Ohtsu, 

Terry O'Neill,  Absolem O'Rourke,  David Padbury,  Les Page,  Christopher Palmer,  Phil Parker,  Anthony Parker,  Chris Parker,  Chan Parker,  Jack Parnell,  Joe Pass,  Sonny Payne,  Ralph Pena,  Didier Pennequin,  Jack Perciful,  Ake Persson,  Jan Persson,  Rick Petrone,  Nat Pierce,  Christine Pierce,  Mario de Pietro,  James Platt,  Al Porcino,  Lewis Porter,  John Postgate,  Tina Pratt,  Ron Prentice,  Denis Preston,  Steve Race,  Steve Race, Janis Rainford,  Jimmy Raney,  Hardie Ratcliffe,  Ken Rattenbury, Cyril Rayson,  David Redfern,  Jiri Regentik,  Frank Reidy,  Gunther Reisp,  Don Rendell,  Rick Reuters/Wilking,  Stan Reynolds,  Buddy Rich,  Jerome Richardson,  Nelson Riddle,  Chris Ridley,

Howard Riley,  Max Roach,  Robert J. Robbins,  Geoffrey Roberts,  Allan Robinson,  Stan Roderick,  Diogo Rodrigues,  Jaromir Roller,  Sonny Rollins,  Tony Roper,  Terrie Rose,  Ernie Royal,  Burnap Rubin,  Ilan Rubin,  Carte Rudall,  Tony Russell,  William Russo,  Grange Rutan,  Rutan/Jones,  Arthur Ryall,  Dick Sadleir,  Gordon Sapsed,  Emilian Savescu,  Lalo Schifrin,  Don Schlitten,  Victor Schonfield,  Johnny Scott,  Ronnie Scott,  Oliver Seabrook,  Fred Seligo,  Esmond Selwyn,  Bud Shank,  Robert Share,  Jackie Sharpe,  Marc Sharratt,  John Shaw,  George Shearing,  Bobby Shew,  San Siegel,  Horace Silver,  Ron Simmonds, George T. Simon,  Geoff Simons,  Jim Simpson,  Frank Sinatra Junior,  Michael Skinner,  Terence G. Skinner,  Frank Slack,  Sam Sly,  Mike Smith,  Jimmy Smith,  Bill Smith,  Tony Smith,  Don Sollash,  Rhodes J. Spedale,  Graham Spiers,  David Spitzer,  Marvin Stamm, James Staples, Mike Steer,  Christian Steiner,  Tess Steinkolk,  Alan Stevens,  Louis Stewart,  Chuck Stewart, 

Sonny Stitt,  Lew Stone,  Harry Stoneham,  Joseph Stones,  Idrees Sulieman,  Kay Swift,  Peter Symes, Jimmy Tagford,  Eric Tann,  Clive Tarling,  Dick Tatham,  John Tayler,  Bill Taylor,  Martin Taylor,  Joe Temperley,  Henri Terpilovski,  Eric Thacker,  Ed Thigpen,  B. Thomas,  Rene Thomas,  Tom Thomas,  Wally Thompson,  Sir Charles  Thompson,  Eddie Thompson,  Don Thompson,  Ruth Thornhill,  Ken Tibble,  Les Tomkins, Geoffrey Totton,  Stan Tracey,  Clark Tracey,  Sheila Tracy,  Kenith Trodd,  Antonin Truhlar, Loose Tubes, Joe Turner,  David Udolf,  Sam Ulano,  Joe Vandyl,  Jack Vartoogian,  Jill Vaux,  Mike Vax,  Joe Venuti,  Doug Le Vicki,  Al Viola, Jake Vine,  Steve Voce,  Chris W. Mahne,  Graham Wade,  Terry Waitz,  Helene Waldner,  E.G. Wallace,  Glenn E.  Wallichs,  Martin Walsh,  Ward H.W.,  Guy Warren,  Earle Warren,  Guy Warren,  Frederick Warren,  Ron Waterworth, 

Bill Watrous,  Philip Watson,  Michael D. Watson,  Tommy Watt,  Ken Weatherley,  George Wein,  Alex Welsh,  Rick Wentworth,  Cedric West,  Mike Westbrook,  Shirley Western,  Randy Weston,  Pamela Weston,  Nick White,  Tommy Whittle,  Virginia Wicks,  George Wiggins,  Bob Wilber,  Cootie Williams,  Denis J. Williams, Ken Williams,  Bill Willis,  Val Wilmer,  Jack Wilson,  Teddy Wilson,  Phil Wilson,  Kai Winding,  Francine Winham,  Norma Winstone,  Cecil Winstone,  Flash Winstone,  Tiny Winters,  Manny Wise,  Hugh Witt,  Paul Wood,  Paul Wood, Sam Woodyard,  W.A. Woolf,  J. Wortley,  Francis Wright,  Peter Young,  Irene Young,  Robert Zachau,  Bob Zildjian,  Donna Zweig.

Copyright © 2003, Jazz Professional. All Rights Reserved.