Everything Kaye...Music: Jazz.

Photo: Clem Onojeghou/Upsplash

All in Good Timing!

I don't really remember hearing jazz till my early teens. My mom listened to gospel and my dad loved Marvin Gaye. I would listen to pop music on the radio sometimes but that was the extent of my music genre knowledge. I was introduced to jazz around the age of 11-12, when my mom and her siblings found their baby brother who had been put up for adoption when he was born (my grandmother died during child birth). What was shocking is that he grew up only 60 miles away from his family. One weekend we went to visit him and his wife. He asked me if I wanted to go hang out in the garage; his hobby was restoring vintage woodwork. He was working on a large African statue. I sat on an orange milk crate, you know the ones the milkman would use to make deliveries? I was eating ice cream while he explained what he was doing. He was sanding and playing some loud music, I laughed. Two songs played before I noticed they never sung a word. Why would anyone listen to music without words? When the song was up beat, I wanted to know why they were happy or why they were sad when the music was slow and subtle. I shook my head-useless and over the top. I guess even back then I had a writer's mind. I wanted to hear a story, and lyrics for the most part gave you that.

Fast forward to my late forties, I'm living in a new city in a high-rise apartment. For some reason I can't hear the rain unless it's a bad thunderstorm. Have you ever been dead tired but couldn't fall asleep? The rain usually helps me but on this night it was impossible to hear. I grabbed my phone and googled rain sounds for sleeping, everything that popped up said rain and jazz, so I decided to give it a chance. It was love at first note!

I could actually hear each individual instruments, I've never heard anything so beautiful. I began to interpret the story it was telling. I was feeling the emotions the song was sending through my whole body. My arms began to have a feeling of air dancing under my skin. It wasn't goosebumps I was feeling. But whatever it was I didn't want it to stop. There's a time and a season for everything, I wasn't ready in my teens to really appreciate jazz. Living life opened me up to see jazz for what it is, and it's different for each of us. Now I can cultivate this new love and see what it flourishes into.

For the next week I listened to that playlist, and then café jazz, city jazz, bookstore jazz. Oh it had me, and it wasn't gonna let me go. As I laid in bed air tapping my foot, I decided I would go out and purchase some albums to play on my record player, that way the record would end and I would be sleep and I wouldn't have a dead phone in the morning. But who to purchase? I had no clue, this was all new to me. Since I loved the sound of the saxophone and the trumpet, I thought I'll focus on artists that played those instruments.  I googled trumpeters and  saxophone players, and took the list to a couple music stores. I purchased four albums that day. I've went on to purchase more jazz artist, but these were my first purchases.

Wynton Marsalis-Trumpeter

Grover Washington Jr.-Saxophonist

Najee-Saxophonist, Flautist 

George Benson-Guitarist

As I pulled them out for this blog post, I noticed I now have two Grover Washington Jr. albums. The second album, "The Best Is Yet To Come", he does a duet with Patti LaBelle. Go figure they do sing! Wynton Marsalis makes me think of Spike Lee's movie soundtracks. While Najee is best while cooking, some fabulous meals have made their way to the table listening to that brother. Now this is where I'll be honest; I had heard the song "On Broadway" before. I can honestly say I didn't know the artist at the time. I probably play Benson's double album, Live In LA everyday. Also a nod to Grover and Bill Withers, "The Two Of Us".  Yes I definitely heard that in my younger days. I can't believe I've lived without the enjoyment that jazz has brought into my life.  I have a lot of catching up to do! Take a listen you might become a jazz fan too! If you have a suggestion of a song/artist drop it in the comments and subscribe!

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