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Neil Kelly
Multi-instrumentalist, writer, radio programmer, coffee enthusiast, lover of all things creative.
About Me
Originally from Louisiana, I was born into a musical family steeped in bluegrass, country and rock. Music of all varieties found its way to my ears, but as I learned to appreciate these forms, I found all forms represented in jazz. As a younger man, I cut my teeth performing with Little Rock area musicians in many different genres. I currently program Jazz on the A-1 Audio Network. http://a-1audionetwork.com/jazz/
My Jazz Story
The first jazz record I bought was Mahavishnu John McLaughlin's "My
Goals Beyond". I stumbled upon a record store in the deep south that
was going out of business, and they had rows of promos, cutouts and
returns they were blowing out for pocket change. In the midst of all
of the frisbees and future rolling trays in that bin, there was this
Ryko vinyl reissue on clear wax. I admit the clear vinyl was the
selling point, as I had no real formal jazz knowledge other than
George Benson pop crossover cuts and what I had learned in marching
band a few years earlier. In other words, nothing could have prepared
me for the ear-opening moment that happened when the stylus fell into
the lead-in groove before "Peace One". That's where it all started for
me, and I've been following the musical genealogy of jazz before and
after that record ever since.
