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Chet Doxas

About Me

My Jazz Story

I was first exposed to jazz... by my father - a music teacher, guitarist and bassist. We had two cd's in 1984... which probably cost $30 each! We had Thelonius Monk's "Underground" (this was scary album art for a four year old... I couldn't stop staring at it) and one of "Ella and Louis". I'm grateful that this was the first recorded music that we were exposed to. All these musicians are so swinging in their own way and full of heart and imagination. The best show I ever attended was... Any chance that I got to hear Dewey Redman, Ornette Coleman or Lee Konitz were the best shows. Their sounds were lessons in themselves. Their tones and phrasing made an ever-lasting imprint on me. These players had sounds that were so compelling to listen to live, that the mixed feeling of "how?" and "joy" was always overwhelming. The first jazz record I bought was... When I was thirteen I bought "Stan Getz meets the Oscar Peterson Trio". Stan's flow of ideas is brilliant and his approach to playing eventually led me to the discovery of his biggest influence, Lester Young. Thanks to Stan Getz, Lester Young is my favorite improviser too.