Asking a musician for his favorite songs or recordings is like asking a beach lover her favorite drop of water in the ocean, or his favorite grain of sand on […]

I sing because it is the one activity in which my body, mind and spirit unite in a creative fashion. In my life, the dual objective of art- self-expression and […]

There was a posting online that lamented a local jazz scene, of which I’m personally familiar. While the complaints were valid ones, the proposed solution didn’t convince me. I had […]

Songs Old and New I’d like to know if there is a preference for the standards from the 40’s and 50’s like ‘The man I love’ and ‘Tenderly’ as opposed […]

I was listening to Oscar Peterson’s rendition of “You Stepped Out of a Dream” (which I have been unable to find on YouTube, sadly) from his album Tristeza on Piano, […]

I can understand why one would think that jazz mastery is not necessarily about change. We have had at least 2 kinds of jazz masters: 1) those who find a […]

Anonymous asked: <<I’ve just attended a jazz music class. The teacher gave us this question: “What is the difference between the styles of Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday?” I’m making […]

Charles McNeal recently posted “10 things I’ve learned in my musical career”. I liked what he had to say, but I found that certain points might benefit from being modified/clarified […]

Racial discrimination had a deep impact on the life and, consequentially, the music of Louis Armstrong. Such a pervasive force would have to affect the choices one makes on and […]

frail asked this question on 7/22/2000: Are there any Black Americans willing to give me some opinions about white people in jazz?   Scotty Write gave this response on 7/24/2000: […]