All About Jazz Turns the Big 3-0!

Thirty years ago, I launched All About Jazz—a passion project born in the wild, uncharted days of the early internet. Back then, the web was a playground of possibilities, where hobbyists like me could dream big and build something from scratch. At the time, Google didn't exist, Amazon was just a bookstore, and Usenet newsgroups were our social media. The web was commercial-free, accessed from a modem, and slow. Still, for a young tech entrepreneur like myself, it was a thrill to be a part of something brand new. After considering other topics (including a website for cartoonists), I chose jazz as I'd been a longtime fan, concertgoer, and record collector. And since websites were listed alphabetically in 1995, I chose to name it All About Jazz, though AAA Jazz Website was tempting. ;-)

When I sat down to write today's newsletter, I considered what to include and wanted to avoid a lengthy blow-by-blow history. So, rather than cramming everything into one, I decided to create an AAJ @ 30 section and share stories throughout our 30th year. If you're curious about how All About Jazz began, we published two interviews: a 2003 conversation (courtesy of Jazznin Magazine) and a more expansive 2015 interview conducted by Ian Patterson. You might wonder why I'd be interviewed for my own site, but with little media interest in AAJ's story, documenting our work ourselves felt essential—and Ian captured it beautifully.

All About Jazz has been a wild ride, equal parts exhilarating and challenging. Like any enduring platform, we've had to evolve with disruptive technologies and navigate financial hurdles. Yet, thanks to our community's dedication and the careful stewardship of our resources, we've not only survived but thrived. As we celebrate 30 years, our future looks bright, and like John Coltrane, we're committed to being a force for good in jazz and beyond.

AAJ @ 30

My background is not in journalism or publishing, so I had to learn as I went. I was fortunate enough to meet Gene Lees in 1996. If you're unfamiliar with the name, you can learn more about him here. Gene always offered words of encouragement and valuable insight, and later encouraged me to publish select articles from his Jazzletter on All About Jazz, which we did for quite some time. Sadly, most of those articles were lost in the hack/crash of 2003. However, in 2017, I rediscovered one and republished it here. Many individuals helped set All About Jazz on the right path—and Gene was one of them.

Our Staff... Through the Years

As part of our 30th anniversary, we created a new page to celebrate our staff. You can view them by year joined, by articles published, by articles edited, by followers, or by name. We also recognize our legacy contributors, including Chris May and John Kelman.

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Posted to Publisher's Desk IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci