Metronome magazine

Metronome

September 1949 cover showing Artie Shaw.
Categories	music magazine
Year founded	1881
Final issue	1961
Country	United States
Language	English

Metronome Magazine (or Metronome) was a music-guide magazine published from 1881 until 1961.

The magazine in its early years catered for musicians in marching and then dance bands, but from the swing era, Metronome focused primarily on the genre of Jazz music appealing to fans. During the 1940s, the cover title was displayed as "Metronome" (in a cursive script-style font) with the subtitle words "BANDS · RECORDS · RADIO" (see Metronome logo image under "References"). Notable writers for the magazine were co-editors Leonard Feather and Barry Ulanov; Miles Davis cited them as the only two white music critics in New York to be able to understand Bebop. The magazine closed in 1961.

Metronome Magazine conducted an annual poll during the years 1939-1961 to choose the musicians whom their readers considered as the top jazz instrumentalists, for that year, playing each instrument. Often, the Metronome organization recorded the all-stars on a regular basis, with recording sessions of the bands chosen in 1939-1942, 1945–1950, 1953, and 1956.

In many cases, the all-stars group recorded two songs, with short solo performances, from nearly all of the participants.

In 1940, Metronome magazine organized the Metronome All Star Nine, including Harry James, Jack Teagarden, Benny Carter, Jess Stacy, Charlie Christian and Gene Krupa.

The all-stars band had several name variations: Metronome All Star Nine; Metronome All Stars; Metronome All Stars 1956; The Metronome All-Stars; or Metronome Allstars.