Jazz & Blues Lounge

Well, it was certainly an interesting year.  It was a year full of great music.  It was a year when we lost some jazz greats which, sadly, seems to be a constant yearly thing.  However, the good news is that guys like Buddy Guy are still performing great blues music and guys like Wynton Marsalis are still playing great jazz music.
It was a year when my own personal writing career finally took off.  I had a book published and I started writing about jazz and blues music (but mostly jazz) for the folks here.  It’s been a rewarding and exciting year …read more

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Just a quick post tonight.  There are probably some of you looking for some jazz or blues to see live for New Years Eve and such.  I want to thank the greatest radio station in Chicago for Jazz, WDCB for providing this information for me to post here.  Again, I can’t rave about that darn radio station enough.  Click on the link and check it out.
JAZZ
December 30, 2007
Anne Burnell Quartet featuring Bobby Ojeda
Andy’s, Chicago
December 30, 2007
Scott Earl Holman – solo jazz piano
Chicago Chop House, Chicago
December 30, 2007
Sparkling Jazz Sunday Brunch
Jacky’s Bistro, Evanston
December 30, 2007
Alison Ruble Quartet
Andy’s, Chicago
December 30, 2007
Kimberly Gordon …read more

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The death of Oscar Peterson got me thinking about jazz pianists recently.  As you may have known from reading past posts, I tend to be a man who is a fan of the horns.  However, if you read carefully, you will notice that I stray into other instruments from time to time.  I am a Lionel Hampton fan, for example, and he played the vibes.
I do enjoy jazz pianists.  However, who are the ones you should focus on?  Around here, I do try to imagine that people new to jazz stop by and check things out and, maybe, something I …read more

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I don’t want to delay too long on the death of Oscar Peterson.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s very sad that he passed.  I loved listening to him perform and loved his music, but he was in his 80s and had been a bit sick.  Not that that makes things all better, but you get my meaning. 
I also don’t want to appear as some kind of shill for Amazon.com.  They don’t pay me to mention them on this blog and I’ll show anyone my financial records to prove it.  It’s just that, well, you can find just about anything there.  …read more

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The problem with being such a fan of classic jazz is that, for the most part, the musicians who played that great music are either dead or quite elderly and, therefore, likely to pass away.  I am sorry to report that another musician who was key to my early jazz days, especially during my time working for KSLH radio, piano great Oscar Peterson has passed away in his home near Toronto.  Oscar was 82-years-old and, really, one of the best there ever was.
Within the music vaults of KSLH we had several Oscare Peterson Trio CDs.  The best ones were the …read more

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Well, I for one had a really great Christmas.  I spent most of it looking at my baby niece and marveling at the fact that she was so beautiful and starting to respond to my voice, make noises back at me and look around and notice things.  I mean, really, how incredibly cool is that.  I can also say, without a doubt, that she is the cutest baby in the history of babies.  Then again, I might be a tad biased.
I will confess, I had a remarkably music-free Christmas, however.  Much of the focus was on the baby and the …read more

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Hello one and all.  Thanks again for making 2007 a great year here.  I hope I have managed to entertain you a few times, at the very least and, perhaps, opened your eyes to some new music.  I hope to continue to do both of those things throughout 2008.
Since I cannot say for sure I will be able to post tomorrow, which is Christmas Day, I thought I would post my holiday greeting today.
So, to all of you out there I wish you and your family’s a very, very happy holiday, Merry Christmas and a safte return to this blog as …read more

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Not too much to write about tonight.  I just wanted to drop a quick line to all of my regular readers and wish you a very safe and happy holiday weekend.  It’s a crazy weekend.  I know, I was out in the crowds just trying to get my grocery shopping done.
So, take your favorite jazz and blues music with you wherever your travels may take you for the holiday.  Be careful at those Christmas parties and drive safely.  I hope you all get your favorite musicians, music, CD collections and what-not for Christmas.
Thanks for reading this blog on a regular …read more

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I LOVE writing this blog!!!  I love it when people leave comments and I LOVE the idea of jazz fans around the world reading this (slightly intimidated too).  I hope I can live up to those expectations, I truly do.  I am one man, based out of Chicago and I do the best I can to come up with stuff on a daily basis.  Not all of it is going to be good, but I try.
I LOVE you readers.  I especially love those of you who leave comments.  Maybe the holiday season is making me all drippy here, but I …read more

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I am a fan of rock and roll.  Yeah, sure, I write about jazz and blues on this blog, but I am hardly some kind of snob who only listens to one type of music.  Heck, I have been known to enjoy a classical tune or two in my day as well as rock and roll.  I have problems with rap and country, but that’s about it.  I have few hard and fast rules when it comes to music.  If it’s good, I don’t really care what genre it is.
It’s just that I have a particular fondness for jazz music …read more

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