Todd S. Jenkins
Encyclopedia
Todd S. Jenkins is a jazz author and journalist based in Southern California. He is a member of the Jazz Journalists Association
.
A graduate of California State University, San Bernardino
, Jenkins began his writing career in 1992, contributing to the tabloid-style montly magazine Marge Hofacre's Jazz News in Idyllwild, California. That same year he became a board member of the American Jazz Symposium, conducting concerts and educational events in the Inland Empire
region. In 1998 Jenkins began contributing record reviews and articles to All About Jazz
, and the following year he became a contributor to Down Beat
. His writings have subsequently appeared in Signal To Noise
, Route 66 Magazine, American Songwriter and Inland Empire Weekly. In 2007 he became one of the founding contributors of Jazz.com.
In 2004 Jenkins completed his first book, Free Jazz and Free Improvisation: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood Press, 2 volumes), an extensive overview of the history and performance of improvised music from the 1950s into the 21st century. It was followed by I Know What I Know: The Music of Charles Mingus (Praeger, 2006), a layman listener's guide to the recordings of jazz bassist and bandleader Mingus. In 2005 Jenkins contributed the sections on 1960s jazz and 1970s blues in The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz and Blues (Watson-Guptill
).
In addition to his books and magazine articles, Jenkins has written album liner notes for Jimmy and Stacy Rowles (Me and the Moon, AJS Recordings), Estelle Reiner
(Paradise, Clear Productions), Mike Vax
and Clark Terry
(Creepin' With Clark, Summit Records
), trumpeter Fred Forney (Into the Mist, Summit Records
), and pianist Chuck Marohnic (White Men Can't Monk, Summit Records
). Jenkins is also a composer of jazz and church-oriented music whose works have been performed across the United States and Europe.
Jazz Journalists Association
The Jazz Journalists Association is an international organization of all types of media professionals who document, promulgate, or appreciate jazz. As of 2011, it has approximately 500 members, primarily in North America but also on other continents...
.
A graduate of California State University, San Bernardino
California State University, San Bernardino
California State University, San Bernardino, also known as Cal State San Bernardino or CSUSB is a public research university and one of the twenty three general campuses of the California State University system. The main campus sits on in the suburban University District of , United States, with...
, Jenkins began his writing career in 1992, contributing to the tabloid-style montly magazine Marge Hofacre's Jazz News in Idyllwild, California. That same year he became a board member of the American Jazz Symposium, conducting concerts and educational events in the Inland Empire
Inland Empire (California)
The Inland Empire is a region in Southern California. The region sits directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Inland Empire most commonly is used in reference to the U.S. Census Bureau's federally-defined Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, which covers more than...
region. In 1998 Jenkins began contributing record reviews and articles to All About Jazz
All About Jazz
All About Jazz is a leading jazz music website for enthusiasts and industry professionals based in Philadelphia in the United States.Founded by Michael Ricci in 1995, the Web-Site is maintained by a volunteer staff of writers, editors, and musicians, and provides coverage of all genres of jazz from...
, and the following year he became a contributor to Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
. His writings have subsequently appeared in Signal To Noise
Signal to Noise
Signal to Noise is a graphic novel written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean. It was originally serialised in the UK style magazine The Face, beginning in 1989, and collected as a graphic novel in 1992, published by Victor Gollancz Ltd in the UK and by Dark Horse Comics in the US.The...
, Route 66 Magazine, American Songwriter and Inland Empire Weekly. In 2007 he became one of the founding contributors of Jazz.com.
In 2004 Jenkins completed his first book, Free Jazz and Free Improvisation: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood Press, 2 volumes), an extensive overview of the history and performance of improvised music from the 1950s into the 21st century. It was followed by I Know What I Know: The Music of Charles Mingus (Praeger, 2006), a layman listener's guide to the recordings of jazz bassist and bandleader Mingus. In 2005 Jenkins contributed the sections on 1960s jazz and 1970s blues in The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz and Blues (Watson-Guptill
Watson-Guptill
Watson-Guptill is an American publisher of instructional books in the arts. The company was founded in 1937 by Ernest Watson and Arthur L. Guptill. They also published the magazine American Artist....
).
In addition to his books and magazine articles, Jenkins has written album liner notes for Jimmy and Stacy Rowles (Me and the Moon, AJS Recordings), Estelle Reiner
Estelle Reiner
Estelle Reiner , described by The New York Times as "matriarch of one of the leading families in American comedy", was an actress, the wife of Carl Reiner, and the mother of Rob Reiner, Sylvia Anne Reiner and Lucas Reiner...
(Paradise, Clear Productions), Mike Vax
Mike Vax
Mike Vax is a jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and clinician. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he performs exclusively on Getzen trumpets, cornets, and flugelhorns and has the status of an International Artist for the Getzen Company. He has played lead and solo trumpet with the Stan...
and Clark Terry
Clark Terry
Clark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...
(Creepin' With Clark, Summit Records
Summit Records
Summit Records, Inc. is an internationally distributed record label that evolved out of the dynamic large brass ensemble, Summit Brass in the late 1980s...
), trumpeter Fred Forney (Into the Mist, Summit Records
Summit Records
Summit Records, Inc. is an internationally distributed record label that evolved out of the dynamic large brass ensemble, Summit Brass in the late 1980s...
), and pianist Chuck Marohnic (White Men Can't Monk, Summit Records
Summit Records
Summit Records, Inc. is an internationally distributed record label that evolved out of the dynamic large brass ensemble, Summit Brass in the late 1980s...
). Jenkins is also a composer of jazz and church-oriented music whose works have been performed across the United States and Europe.