Jazz Radio & Podcasts: Liner Notes

A few years ago, in a conversation with a colleague of mine after a gig, we realized that our generation gleaned much of our knowledge of the history of jazz music from reading the liner notes off the backs of LPs. Today my students have fluid access to more recordings than they could ever possibly listen to, but they often know little about the musicians who play on the recordings, why the recordings were created, or what they are about. In the era of iTunes and Spotify, the liner notes that provide this information are not easily available when downloading ... show more

A few years ago, in a conversation with a colleague of mine after a gig, we realized that our generation gleaned much of our knowledge of the history of jazz music from reading the liner notes off the backs of LPs. Today my students have fluid access to more recordings than they could ever possibly listen to, but they often know little about the musicians who play on the recordings, why the recordings were created, or what they are about. In the era of iTunes and Spotify, the liner notes that provide this information are not easily available when downloading a recording. In thinking about this void of knowledge, which I feel is a real lack of connection between the artist and listener, I conceived of a podcast/radio program intended to serve as a tool to fill in the gaps in this lack of knowledge, that additionally would provide an artist the opportunity to reveal the humanity behind the music. This project is an extension of my creative research, in that I believe that I have an obligation to this music and to my students to make connections between the artist and listener.

show less