About Us
Jazz is the olive of music – an acquired taste. I remember well watching Dizzy Gillespie on the Ed Sullivan Show a hundred years ago (or so it seems) wondering why so many notes and so little melody. Many years passed before I was able to hear the melody in that flurry of notes and appreciate the act of spontaneous creation.
These articles reflect a bit of what was learned in those years, and how it influences my tastes in jazz today. Each one features a recording that hooks into either my psyche or my intellect; and a rare few that captures both. (That’s not ‘intellect’ as in ‘I’m really smart’, by the way, just ‘I can be rational, occasionally’.)
What’s in this for you?
Why should you care? You probably shouldn’t, this being one of a billion blogs on the ‘net. But you might come across some recordings worth adding to you collection, a new bit of info about the musicians or music and hopefully, if my aim is true, a wee bit of insight in to what makes a good recording good.
“Jazz” is a great big category of music, and the recordings covered here will run the gamut from bebop to trad to big band to West Coast cool to contemporary smooth to who know’s what. The “Categories” used here are for convenience, not to label the music. You might not agree that they’re all jazz. Some may be pop (or, I confess in advance, lounge) with a bit of improvisation. Hey, my blog, my choice, but your comments will help steer my thinking.
Why me?
Amateur guitarist and bassist, retired electronics technologist, website developer, relative late-comer to jazz. After too many years playing in country-rock bands (Urban Cowboy, Waylon and Willie – that period) I was introduced to jazz through participation in a (small) big band. On to jazz and lounge quartets and trios, 15 years in semi-professional big bands, trad jazz groups and small ensembles. Now enjoying the challenges of small-group jazz, including backing some great vocalists. On the board of the local Jazz Society.
This blog is as about me exploring the music I love. If you learn something or just get the occasional grin, that’s a bonus. Thanks for reading.