OK, everyone. I’m feeling jolly and I have this crazy thought. I’d like to cordially invite you to have a great week. We can all do it together – a group project! We might not be able to solve all of our individual problems just now but we sure as tootin’ can rock the next seven days, right? We’re cool. We deserve it. I’ll get us going with a few ideas and you can add your own in the comments. We’ll compare notes. It’ll be…
A few days ago, my friend Jason Parker, trumpeter, bandleader, educator and KPLU blogger, wrote a post entitled “Why Jazz Fans Shouldn’t Be So Quick to Dismiss Pop Music.” Jason is a member of a Facebook group “Jam of the Week” and wrote his post in response to negative comments that some “jazz snobs” had made about pop music. Jason makes a lot of good points. He questions the logic behind cutting oneself off from an entire genre of music. He also gives examples of…
The first time I heard Jimmie sing was at the Royal Room, where he was doing a duo performance with Seattle pianist Tim Kennedy. His sweet and breathy tone, his patient, intuitive phrasing and his overall lovely presence immediately mesmerized me. I was also captivated by the wide-open honesty of his original compositions. Jimmie Herrod had my heart in an instant. While some would try to Kung Fu fight me for the honor, I am quite certain that I am Jimmie’s biggest fan. By…
For this installment of “Passion, Fear and Drive,” I’m super happy to feature Claudio Rochat-Felix. Claudio is a Seattle-based drummer and one third of the rising electro/pop dance band Richie Aldente. A few days ago, Claudio and I sat down for coffee and conversation at a Capitol Hill cafe. Claudio is smart, driven and thoughtful. Our talk blazed across several subjects and delved into the philosophical. At times, Claudio most definitely challenged my thinking. Although there are many things I could exact from…