...All That Jazz

Here is where ...All That Jazz comes into the picture. I totally love jazz, especially smooth jazz.  I've come to realize that jazz covers every mood, emotion and situation.  Not only that but it goes well with just about everything. Back in March, Hubby and I went to Sonoma, California (better known as Wine Country) for a barrel tasting and food pairing event. It was amazing.  I promise to tell more about our Wine Country trip in a future post.  I brought this topic up because while we were there, we had the thrill of tasting foods, elaborately paired with the "perfect" wine selection. Alone, the food was wonderful and quite tasty but paired with the wine, each and every morsel was outstanding!

So it is with jazz music. Jazz is a music style that pairs well with just about anything. It offers a sound that is crisp, deep, electrifying and totally soul stirring.  When I was younger, I was never able to "get" jazz.  I mean, it had a great sound, but I didn't have a desire to keep listening to it. My first connection to jazz music came in the form of a high school crush.  Music Store Boy worked behind the counter.  He was cute and not only that, he had musical knowledge.  He was always talking about "my man, Grover."  I had no idea who Grover was, until he gave me a listen.  That was my first intro to jazz music icon, Grover Washington. It wasn't bad, but it still wasn't my time to really enjoy jazz. (By the way, Music Store Boy ended up being a pot smoking jerk, although he did have great taste in music.)

Years later, I heard Kenny G. and fell totally in love with his sound.  I wore out every Kenny G. album and cd I could get my hands on.  I still wasn't totally into jazz but I did enjoy Kenny G.

Then, I was introduced to the music styling of Boney James and shortly after that, a slew of other amazing artists.  That was all it took.  I landed a writing gig covering jazz festivals in Southern California and had the privilege of hearing performers I never even knew existed.  I learned to appreciate other instruments as well, but the sax became my number one fave.

There's something indescribable about sitting in an arena, concert hall, park...wherever, surrounded by the cool, jams of jazz.  At that moment, no matter what type of chaos might be going on in life, it simply fades away to be replaced by what can best be described as a feeling of floating.  It's as if you're really feeling the heart of the music.  It's mesmerizing. I've decided to feature a jazz artist each week along with some amazing photos. I won't tell you who will be my first feature artist, but I will give you a little hint...When I listen to this artist, I can't sit still. More soon!