Christian Doering

I love jazz because it's the sound of now, and you have to listen to other people to make it. I was first exposed to jazz in high school when Dizzy brought a quartet with James Moody to play in our auditorium. I met David Friesen, Ralph Towner, John Abercrombie, Pat Martino, John Stowell, and Wynton Marsalis. The best show I ever attended was Ornette Coleman at the Portland Jazz Festival 2007. The first jazz record I bought was Forest Flower by the Charles Lloyd Quartet with Cecil McBee, Jack DeJohnette & Keith Jarrett. My advice to new listeners: give it time. Be open to surprises.