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Joan Gannij

Joan is a writer, photographer, and lyricist.

About Me

I've been digging jazz since I was 14 years old and got my first FM radio. I was tuned into KBCA and KLJH in LA, never realizing that less than a decade later I would be a radio DJ on pop and jazz stations in LA and San Diego, as well as a correspondent for Downbeat. When I got my first stereo set with two small box speakers (the very basic G-E model), my Uncle Sel sent me a box of LPs culled from his impressive music collection. All of Monk's recordings on Riverside, a variety of Charlie Parker, Mingus, Eric Dolphy, and a selection of Django Reinhardt. After that, it was Straight Ahead, no detours, and I would never listen to the Beach Boys again. My mother sneaked me into the jazz clubs on the Sunset Strip: Mocambo and the Interlude were my favorites: after listening to June Christy, Chris Conner, Carmen, Julie, and Abbey, I was set on being a jazz singer. But my voice was meant for late night FM radio and not smoky jazz clubs. These days I write songs for jazz and pop singers. My first was the title track of Denise Jannah's Blue Note recording (her third!), The Madness of our Love, which won the equivalent of a Dutch Grammy in 2001, and they commissioned me to write the liner notes! The jazz clubs aren't smoky these days. I don't have to lie about my age to get in, and I still have an FM radio voice.

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My Jazz Story

I met [musician name]...Miles Davis backstage after a concert at Humphrey's San Diego around 1984. I was invited to the reception room and was the first to arrive. The door opened and Miles walked in from the far side of the room, just minutes after leaving the stage. He wasn't expecting anyone and I got that. We looked each other straight in the eye. I nodded, he nodded. Then I turned around and walked out. It was like an encounter with a panther. The first jazz record I bought was...Take Five Dave Brubeck; the second was Kind of Blue. A few thousand albums later, the rest is history. The first jazz concert I ever attended was at the Crescendo on Sunset Strip in Hollywood, next to the other noted jazz club, Mocambo. My mother was a habitue and took me there often. I was 14 and you had to be 21 to get in, but a little lipstick and high heels fit the bill. On my premiere visit, June Christy was the headliner and that memorable evening remains etched in my senses. After that, it was Chris Conner, Julie London, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae. Yes, I was into jazz vocalists. And Thelonious Monk is still my all-time favorite musician. Or whatever else you have in mind.