# Mergner He Wrote

I was an editor & publisher of JazzTimes for 32 years. Now write and consult for Jazz Cruises, WBGO and others.

Page: <https://rssamplifier.com/leemergner-substack-com>  
Feed: <https://rssamplifier.com/leemergner-substack-com.md>

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## [My Favorite Reads of the Month (August 2026)](https://leemergner.substack.com/p/my-favorite-reads-of-the-month-august)

_2026-08-16 · Lee Mergner_

In the latest piece for my sub-Substack “Mergner He Read,” I offer my recommendations for five books for this month.

## [Ashley Kahn on Paul Simon’s “Graceland”](https://leemergner.substack.com/p/ashley-kahn-on-paul-simons-graceland)

_2026-08-12 · Lee Mergner_

My conversation with the author of “Days of Miracle and Wonder: Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland”

## [Helen Sung Carries the Music Forward with a Nod to her Mentors](https://leemergner.substack.com/p/helen-sung-carries-the-music-forward)

_2026-08-09 · Lee Mergner_

In her first big band recording, Oracles, the pianist pays tribute to jazz elders who inspired her along her musical journey

## [“I love playing great music with great people”: A Conversation with Jeff Hamilton](https://leemergner.substack.com/p/i-love-playing-great-music-with-great)

_2026-08-04 · Lee Mergner_

My interview with the lauded sideman for Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, and Monty Alexander—and current leader of not one but three working bands—who reflects on his long and storied career

## [The Signs Are Everywhere: The Festive Art of Nan Parati](https://leemergner.substack.com/p/the-signs-are-everywhere-the-festive)

_2026-07-29 · Lee Mergner_

The singular sign-maker for dozens of major jazz and roots music festivals talks about her unique career path

## [Bernard Fowler Voices the Words of Mick Jagger](https://leemergner.substack.com/p/bernard-fowler-voices-the-words-of)

_2026-07-26 · Lee Mergner_

My story about the jazz and spoken word album of Rolling Stones songs by their longtime backing vocalist and percussionist

## [The Ticket Taker](https://leemergner.substack.com/p/the-ticket-taker)

_2026-07-22 · Lee Mergner_

A story about fans of David Sedaris having an unusual encounter with him before a reading at UCLA

## [Jazzlore & More: Nicole Zuraitis’s Ambitious New Work](https://leemergner.substack.com/p/jazzlore-and-more-nicole-zuraitiss)

_2026-07-19 · Lee Mergner_

The jazz singer-songwriter on her album “The Devil I Knew” which she’ll celebrate in an album release show at Dizzy’s in NYC on Aug. 5

## ["It Was the Work of a Genius": Chris Crenshaw on Duke Ellington’s “Black, Brown and Beige”](https://leemergner.substack.com/p/it-was-the-work-of-a-genius-chris)

_2026-07-15 · Lee Mergner_

The trombonist and arranger for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra talks about Ellington’s rarely performed master work about the Black experience in America

## [Find what they just said (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/deQONVyfwDMp)

_2026-07-15 · **Sponsored**_

Surface recent public signals so you can send policy-aware, relevant outreach

## [My Top Ten ECM Albums](https://leemergner.substack.com/p/my-top-ten-ecm-albums)

_2026-07-12 · Lee Mergner_

A rundown of my favorite recordings from the iconic jazz (and new music) label run by producer Manfred Eicher