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I've probably been a jazz fan since I watched Mister Rogers
Neighborhood as a kid, enjoying the sounds of guitarist Joe Negri and
(the late) pianist Johnny Costa. As a Pittsburgh native, these guys
remain very special to me. I remember thinking how cool the music on
PBS's the Electric Company was too. As a teenager in the mid 70s, a
very kind lady on my paper route introduced me to the sounds of fusion
and talents like Bob James. I took up the alto sax, flute, piano,
guitar - and just about anything else I could get my hands on - just
to experience what these guys were playing. A friend at the University
of Pittsburgh (where I went to college) turned me on to a broader
scope of jazz that included much of the Blue Note, Verve, Impulse and
Prestige stuff from the 60s. To this day, it is still the music I like
best. At 34 years of age, I'm a financial-services marketing slave who
lives just outside of Washington, DC. But my love for jazz prevails.
I've developed Web sites dedicated to some of the musicians who've had
special impact on me: the music of Hungarian jazz guitarist, Gabor
Szabo (Iconoclasm), jazz pianist and film/TV composer Lalo Schifrin,
Oliver Nelson and Gary McFarland. I also like much of what is
considered "acid jazz," "bachelor pad" - and the more serious (and
more creative) music that goes by names like modal and bop. I tend to
prefer music without words. Because, as Miles Davis suggested, it
doesn't take words to make the feeling of jazz enjoyable and the music
doesn't take labels to make it worthwhile. In writing reviews, I look
for what I like in the music and share it with others who might find
something similarly appealing.
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About Douglas Payne