Guitarist Dom Minasi weighs on the topics of today.
Goodbye Borah
Up until eleven years ago I had never heard of Borah Bergman. Priding myself on being aware of many of the avant players and being a devout fan of pianist Cecil Taylor, I should have known about Borah, but I didn't. Many of my early public performing years were devoted to playing straight-ahead and then to ...
What Is Jazz Now?
Back in February, All About Jazz Managing Editor John Kelman asked me to develop a column based on points I made in the comment section of the article BAM or JAZZ: Why It Matters. I still feel the same way, but trumpeter Nicholas Payton's statement that jazz died in 1959 made me think, and I've been ...
The Importance of Being Earnest (or What It Takes To Be A Good Teacher)
Question: Why write an article about being good music teacher? Answer: Because there are too many bad teachers out there! For some unknown reason people who have been playing their instruments for a few years think they can teach, especially when they don't know some of the basics themselves. Through the years, I have had to ...
The Grammy Awards: To Be or Not To Be?
I very rarely watch award shows. I feel like the entertainment industry is constantly patting one another on the back. I don't understand the need to have so many of the same types of award shows. Artisans seem to have an irresistible need to be consistently told how wonderful they are and so very often. Why ...
Anthony and Me
When I was asked to write a column for All About Jazz, my question was what should I write about? I was told anything that was music-oriented. I decided that being a professional musician for more than fifty years, I could write about the things I care about, know about, have strong opinions about based on ...
Transitions: Musician To Artist, or Finding Your Own Voice
Professional and amateur musicians come in all hats and sizes. There are classical, blues, jazz, country, rock musicians and musicians that specialize in all kinds of music. There are musicians from every corner of the world. If your definition of a musician is someone who: 1. Is a master of his/her instrument; 2. Can ...
What's The Point, Part 2
This is the second entry for my new column at All About Jazz. I actually published What's The Point? in my own blog in January 2012. All About Jazz asked if I would be interested in writing for them; I was surprised and honored. I decided to update and rewrite the original article; because of the ...
What's The Point, Part 1
This is the first entry for my new column at All About Jazz. I actually published What's The Point? in my own blog in January 2012. All About Jazz asked if I would be interested in writing for them; I was surprised and honored. I decided to update and rewrite the original article; because of the ...
