Smapster Payne

I love jazz because...it's one of the true original art forms that America can claim; too bad Europeans understand it better than us. I was first exposed to jazz...as a teen; just about the time I heard rock & roll. I met [Joey DeFancesco]...at a special Christmas show at Crooners night club in Minnesota; his trio of Philly pals. The best show I ever attended was...the Blue Man Group at the Target Center in the mid 2000's. The first jazz record I bought was... My advice to new listeners...is to listen for a theme, then, the variations, and finally, isolate on one instrument you like. Or whatever else you have in mind.