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Steve Cook

Louisville transplant from Nashville who loves jazz and running.

About Me

Born in Nashville, TN, I grew up spoiled on great musicians and vocalists and chances to hear them perform live. One of my first concerts was the last Grand Ole Opry show/broadcast from the Ryman Auditorium before the radio program moved from there in 1974. The first jazz album that grabbed me was Stanley Jordan's Magic Touch (Blue Note, 1985). Hendrix's “Angel” and The Beatle's “Eleanor Rigby” were familiar to me, the Monk and Davis tunes were not. My love of jazz grew after I recognized my dad's record collection, there all along, as a great site of exploration. In the same relative era, I had the chance to hear Dizzy Gillespie twice, once in a concert hall with orchestra and once with a small group at Blues Alley. While I do not play an instrument, I am proud to be a jazz fan. When I met McCoy Tyner at Iridium in late 2001, he asked me if I played piano. After I said that I did not and that I was “just a fan,” he responded with assurance: “Jazz needs fans, too.” As someone who lives outside of the major hubs, resources like AAJ mean a lot to me. When not catching shows in my current hometown, Louisville's relative proximity to Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Nashville, etc. also helps to scratch my itch for live jazz. Besides jazz, I love to run. NYC Marathon 2022 will be my third marathon, along with a qualifier in 2018 and Boston 2019, with pandemic delays accounting for the large gap.

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My Jazz Story

I love jazz because... I was first exposed to jazz... I met [musician name]... The best show I ever attended was... The first jazz record I bought was... My advice to new listeners... Or whatever else you have in mind.

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