Young Gerry Mulligan

I have always loved this pic of young Gerry Milligan becoming cool!

Gerry Mulligan

Here he is being cool: https://youtu.be/7DCQVyD3whM

Japanese Fusion Jazz Riot

https://youtu.be/Wk6OxKlKdFc

When Jazz Finds You

When Jazz Finds You

I will never forget when I first "got" jazz. It was in 1989, during a lull in exciting new music- hair metal was getting old, 80s pop was way overplayed, and grunge was still a few years off. I was tired of the radio, my tapes, my music.

I was living at home, working and attending college. On a particularly sunny Sunday afternoon, I had the house to myself. I was going through the FM dial, looking for something new. On WYMS, at the time a jazz station, a song by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers called "Moanin" came on. And I was simply blown away at how much that song colored my mood, the mood of the afternoon, the mood of the house, everything. Plus, Art was really pounding the skins.

Art Blakey

Please have a listen: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers- Moanin

In those 14+ minutes, I was transformed. I had discovered a new, deeper universe that I needed to inhabit. Time stood still. It was magical. Just stopping, listening & being. Thus began my love with jazz.

Afterwords, I had somewhere to go in my car. I reset my station presets to now include the jazz station, tuned in, and set out on my ride. It was still sunny, but rain began to fall, just painting the day in a beautiful & bright translucence. Being 19, my beater without a heater didn't have functioning air conditioning either. The humidity sky-rocketed and the streets and sidewalks were steamy in the afternoon heat as the rain fell. All my car windows were open, and the only good thing in the car- the stereo system- was blaring John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme". Just sublime and other worldly:

John Coltrane

Please have a listen: John Coltrane- A Love Supreme

I recently had the pleasure of sharing this experience with my friend Carl Raven, who has been playing music for over 50 years. His current band is Collective Neurosis, whom I will be featuring on Freeze Frame Radio's The Jazz Hour in the near future.

Carl shared with me when he discovered jazz as a kid. It was Sonny Rollins

" Heard Sonny playing “Wagon Wheels” in my Dad’s car on a family ride back home late at night on Dr. Stu’s Jazz radio show--WTMJ AM. If someone could do that with that tune--or any tune-- I just had to play jazz. I was sold for life!"

Here is Carl's discovery of jazz: (I'm excited to hear this, it's not a song I believe I have heard!)

Sonny Rollins

Please have a listen: Sonny Rollins- Wagon Wheels

I will use this blog to share some more truly beautiful songs of jazz that I found me over the years and share these with you. Conversely, I would love to hear your story as well, maybe even share it here or on the air. Shoot me an email: jdthejazzdoctor@gmail.com and tell me your story of how you came to love jazz.