Members with an interest in Jazz?

C

CharlesW

The Rainmaker
Having recently read, (on another site), about a couple of members that have some interest in Jazz, I thought I might start a converstion along those lines.
My interest began back in the 50's and 60's with Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Miles Davis, Shelley Mann, Gene Krupa, Errol Garner, so many that I would have to dig out some of my old albums to even remember all the names. Cotrane, The Bird, and my personal favorite from the first time I heard them, The MJQ. Modern Jazz Quartet for those uninitiated folks. I don't thik MJQ is in the acronym list.:) Probably should be, though. :)

If a few are interested, I could probably come up with a lot of old albums and names to swap stories about.
The Kansas City Jazz Festival was the highlight of my year for many years. Between the performances, the jam sessions, and the local clubs where many of the performers sat in, it was unbelieveable.

Charles
 
I played trumpet for about 10 years, but stopped because college life became rediculously busy.

I still love to listen. A couple names that come to mind....

-Wynton Marsalis
-Miles Davis
-Maynard Ferguson
-Wes Montgomery

I'm looking to get more into it. I really enjoy listening and now that I am 21, would like to begin getting out to jazz clubs.
 
Most of the people I'm into are no longer with us...my taste runs to big band, swing, scat & bebop. My favorites include Basie, Bird, Diz, Prez, Duke (hey my last name is Ellington), Ella, Satchmo, Mingus & Dexter Gordon...I've got a thing for Chet Baker too...also get into Nicholas Payton (up until his latest album), the Marsalis brothers, and even Diana Krall.

If it swings I'm in...I love Dixieland too.

I got into jazz while in the Navy. We were in Philly & would go to Cafe Borgia near Penn's landing & listen to live scat every night. When I moved back to Atlanta in 1991, the jazz scene was a disappointment...Atlanta is a Kenny G kind of town jazz wise. So I've built up a collection of about 300 jazz CDs...recently I've been upgrading some of my favorites to the remastered 20/24 bit editions and some HDCDs. SilverLexus has been trying to talk me into SACD, but another expensive hobby is the last thing I need.

My jazz highlights include the nights in Philly, hearing Nicholas Payton live and going to the Funky Butt in New Orleans.
 
I've got alot of history in jazz... trad jazz, fusion, NAC/smooth jazz, just about anything having to do with jazz. Studied jazz theory in college. Met Miles Davis, Stan Getz, and other great players, and studied percussion with Max Roach, Billy Cobham, and Buddy Rich.

Also have worked in radio for the last 20 years or so, several of those years in smooth jazz. Gave me an opportunity to get closely involved with many artists that have since defined the the format. Artists like Peter White, Richard Elliot, George Benson, Bob James, Rick Braun, plus bands like the Rippingtons, Acoustic Alchemy, Fourplay... I'm only scratching the surface here.

Monterey Jazz Fest used to be the highlight of our season... one of the few better would be Kansas City. You are lucky to have attended one of the greatest festivals in the world. The side gigs were always best... jam sessions until morning, or until :drunk Ahh the good ol days.....

EDIT: After seeing mtodde's post I must add my 2 cents... Kenny G is not a smooth jazz artist. He's brought more disrespect to the format then anything else, and we would rarely put his tracks in rotation (how's that for a disclaimer!!). By the way, great tastes... DIG THE DUKE!! :bigups
 
Been into Jazz and Fusion for years. Some Jazz artist's I like are Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow, Jimmy Raney, Barney Kessel, Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, Grant Green, Early George Benson. Some Fusion stuff I like: Allan Holdsworth, Virgil Donati, Liquid Tension Experiment, Gongzilla, Michael Landau, Los Lobotomys, Steve Lukather, Akira Wada, Jing Chi, and many many more.
 
Must've been my thread that you read ;) Luckily, Jazz 88.3 out of Newark, NJ broadcasts live over the internet. I plan on continuing to listen to them at wbgo.org. It was through that station, as well as Temple U's 90.1 in Philly that I learned about many of the albums I have.
 
My interest in Jazz was born while I was in the army and stationed near Frankfurt, Germany. A friend talked me into going to a jazz concert and I was hooked.
Never ever got to meet any big names, but have been fortunate enough to see many of them in person. Not just in concert, but in jam seesions and small clubs as well.
Frankfurt had a small club in a cellar called The Jazz Kellar and we spent many hours there. The military had a curfew at that time and much of the local entertainment started at 9 to 10 PM to keep some of the GI traffic away. We weren't too welcome at first, but after a short time we were accepted as part of the group. I think every Jazz performer that toured Europe made a stop at the Jazz Kellar. Some real good times.

About the only local exposure to Jazz in my area is the Jazz in July series which is held each summer. The following was taken from the Metro Arts web page.

Jazz in July

Jazz in July draws more than 15,000 people to the banks of the river, city streets, local parks and other sites for 31 free concerts in 31 different locations around the metro area. An annual showcase of central Iowa musicians, Metro Arts employs as many as 250 local musicians to perform a complete range of jazz styles including Straight Ahead, New Orleans/Dixieland, Fusion/Funk, Swing/Big Band, Cool Bop/Bebop/Hard-bop, Latin Jazz and Smooth Jazz.

Several promoters have tried to hold Jazz concerts, but it seem that if it isn't country or rap, not enough people show up.
One other thing concerns me and that is the large number of white haired people, (including me), that make up the audience. Hopefully, when all us old fogies die, Jazz doesn't die with us.
That's why it is good to see some of you younger ones still keeping it going. Thanks.

Charles
 
Charles,

That's really great. For a while there I thought real jazz was becoming an endangered species. Nothing like it live. I would say even folks not crazy about this genre of music can appreciate it live. I ought to go to a show again sometime soon :bigups
 
CharlesW said:
... Several promoters have tried to hold Jazz concerts, but it seem that if it isn't country or rap, not enough people show up.
One other thing concerns me and that is the large number of white haired people, (including me), that make up the audience. Hopefully, when all us old fogies die, Jazz doesn't die with us.
That's why it is good to see some of you younger ones still keeping it going. Thanks.

Charles
Click to expand...
Welcome to our industry, Charles... sucks, doesn't it!! :wall

Promoters these days spend so much on facilities and promotion that if a tour doesn't have $$$$ all over it they won't even touch it... and when was the last time a jazz tour of any kind made big money??

Don't be concerned about the "white" hairs... I'm right there with ya, although I like to call mine "sparkling".:naughty It people like you that keep the tradition alive, and trust me... jazz will not die. One of the best trad/swing sax players I've seen in about 30 years happens to be all of 15 years old. The kid sounds like a cross between Coltrane and Getz, and he's got the groove to back it up!!! Just amazing!

For all of you that have a love for jazz, do yourselves a favor... next time you see a great jazz show, hang around after the band's set and meet the players. The band will want to talk with you as much as you want to talk with them, and their insights will give you a deeper appreciation for the music you love. Enjoy!!! :bigups
 
Hello

I cant say that i am huge into jazz music.. but being a musician (guitar) i am strongly influenced by it in my playing...

I enjoy

Dave Brubeck
Some Miles Davis

Although not in the jazz genre... strongly influenced.. JOhn mayer He is my favorite..

I am really more into Blues.. or huge into blues.. Stevie ray Vaughan is my favorite...

I will have to post some of my music sometime.. its quite jazzy..

Greg

Happy New Year
 
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