Tia Bee

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I love jazz because it was created by my people, Black people. It is beautiful, it has rhythm, it makes you move and it's creative. I was first exposed to jazz when I was a kid spending time at my aunt's house. My uncle listened to 'smooth jazz', and I was intrigued by the melodies and harmonies of the CDs he would play as background music to my aunt & uncle's daily life. I wanted to listen to more of it, and it was more interesting than what my peers listened to. Later in high school, a music teacher introduced me to jazz flute artists, specifically Latin jazz artists Nestor Torres and Dave Valentin. I fell in love. I met Dave Valentin when I was around 17 or 18 years old. I was too shy to talk to him, so my grandmother told him about me, that I played flute and that I enjoyed his music. He told me to keep playing. That was inspiration for a lifetime! The first jazz record I bought...I cannot remember, but I have a fond recollection of searching HARD for other jazz flute players and finding an Ali Ryerson CD and adding it to my collection. It was Blue Flute and it's still one of my favorites. I finally met Ali Ryerson in 2023 and I could barely contain my admiration for her and for her work.

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