Esther

I love jazz because I love the sounds and the freedom of it, and the American roots of it. I was first exposed to jazz upon hearing a Billie Holiday recording with my brother while driving to college. I met vocalist Norah Jones at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA. I opened for Madeleine Peyroux once at the Iota in Arlington, VA. I got to join in with Bill Kirchen's "guitar army" at the State Theater in Falls Church, VA, and I held the rhythm guitar position in the Tom Cunningham Orchestra for about four and a half years at the Glen Echo Ballroom. Also got to sing in a jazz vocal trio and quintet with that band. Played at the Chesap;eake Bay Blues Festival with our trio, Hokum Jazz. The best show I ever attended was Betty Carter in Eilat, Israel; also, attending the North Sea Jazz Festival in 1985, where I saw performances by Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy and Pat Metheny. I went to the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands in 1985, where I saw Miles Davis perform. The first jazz record I bought was an anthology with Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, and Lena Horne; also a Bill Evans record: You Must Believe in Spring. My advice to new listeners...listen and ask others to recommend their favorite recordings. ( p.s. it looks like someone else entered this information. Though the content is correct, this is not my style of writing! I'll edit this later. -eah 1/17/23).