Michelle Dowdy

I love jazz because it so beautifully expresses any mood -- upbeat, poignant, emotional, romantic. As a music lover of all types, jazz is my first love because I was first exposed to it by wonderful father. I still remember the Grundig player we used to have, and him playing various albums. My parents took me to see Duke Ellington and Nina Simone as a very young woman in Chicago. My mom passed when I was 14 years old and dad when I was 16, so all memories of them are very precious. Music is a huge part of my life and I have so many tunes in my head and heart, thanks to the seeds planted when I was very young.