Jazz Articles

The Global Jazz Orchestra: Global Standard

by Jack Bowers
March 2, 2003

Good things sometimes happen to those who open their mouths and say hello to a stranger. Browsing the booths at the recent IAJE conference in Toronto, I noticed one tucked in a corner beneath a sign that read “Koyo Conservatory-Kobe, Japan.” Approaching its lone occupant, a small and very courteous man, I engaged him in conversation and managed, in spite of the language barrier, to make known my interest in big bands. Smiling, he reached beneath the counter, picked up ...