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Donise Cheeks

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My Jazz Story

My dad was a Jazz connoisseur. He played the congas for fun and on occasion had the opportunity to sit in with locals and legends alike, while at Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland back in the day. I love jazz because my dad loved jazz. He introduced me to Jimmy Smith, Dave Brubeck, Montreux Summit, Miles, Coltrane, and Stanley Turrentine. I fell in love with Jimmy Smith's, 'The Cat'. Oh my goodness!! I must have played that song at least 40 times every year. I claimed it as mine. We had one of those floor to ceiling tension stands which held 3 shelf-like areas that could hold about 15 LPs each. I placed that album in the front of the top shelf. Dave Brubeck was the front of the second shelf, and of course, Mongo Santamaria rounded out the group. My dad passed in 2016, and I inherited his wonderful collection. Every week I am blessed to listen to a plethora of genres as I coast down memory lane...

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