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Meet the Staff
Meet John Kelman
3. I've been getting increasing work writing liner notes and press sheets for artists like John Abercrombie, Terje Rypdal, Tom Harrell, Joe Chambers, Bill Bruford, Dave Liebman, Marc Copland, Alex Sipiagin, Wallace Roney, Joe Locke, John McLaughlin, Samuel Blaser, Jan Erik Vold, Arve Henriksen, Greta Aagre & Erik Honoré, and a slew of other independent artists, for labels including HighNote/Savant, Hatology, ECM, Criss Cross, Rune Grammofon, Fresh Sound New Talent and Motéma.
4. Writing about ECM for AAJ led directly to an invitation to contribute to Steve Lake and Paul Griffiths' book Horizons Touched: The Music of ECM (Granta, 2007) and Die Blaue Klang, another ECM book but, sadly, currently only available in German.
5. Shooting photos for AAJ has led to them being in liners and on covers for artists including Terje Rypdal, Tomasz Stanko, Ketil Bjørnstad and Jan Erik Vold/Arild Andersen/Bill Frisell, as well as for a number of jazz magazines including Jazzwise and Jazzthetik.
6. I have met more musicians (some, even, become friends) that have meant so much to me; met so many fine writers who continue to teach me things day in and day out; and a small but fine group of editors, who keep AAJ content moving smoothly. I've become so immersed in the Norwegian scene that I've now already curated a series at the 2012 Kongsberg Jazz Festival, and there may be more similar work on the horizon.
In a nutshell: Writing for AAJ has led to absolutely every extracurricular activity in which I am now involved. It's something I never forget and for which I am always grateful. Sure, I'm a decent writer, but there are plenty others as good or better. To them, I say: AAJ can lead you anywhere you please, all you have to do is take advantage of it by contributing solid content on a regular basis to build a readership, then take full advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. It all starts here, and can go absolutely anywhere you want.
John Kelman at All About Jazz.
Photo Credit
Page 1 (with Dave Liebman): John R. Fowler
Page 3: Courtesy of John Kelman
