Jazz & Juice
Vocalist, songwriter and certified sommelier Kristen Lee Sergeant explores the intersection of music and wine in writing, video and podcast with the idea that “Knowledge is pleasure.”
Pairing a wine with a curated jazz selection each month, Kristen takes us on an interactive journey of appreciation that enhances enjoyment of what’s in our glass and our ears.
Effervescence: Art Tatum Meets Champagne
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
This edition of Jazz & Juice comes with a warning: both the bottle featured and the musician spotlighted are explosive, and should be handled with care. Uncork and listen responsibly. Effervescence When something sparkles, literally or figuratively, it bursts with life. In liquid, there is a perpetual motion of bubbles escaping in a dazzling show of speed within a seemingly static glass. When we listen to effervescent music, we experience something that lifts us in delight and velocity ...
read moreTransparency: Pinot Noir Meets Ben Webster
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
Welcome back to Jazz & Juice—after last month's venture into the opulent, it's a perfect time to venture into the idea of less being more. Transparency When something is transparent, we see beyond it. In a way, transparency gives us another dimension of appreciation; we not only experience the object or the work that we are seeing through, but also what is behind it. Seeing, or hearing, through something means experiencing its causes and influences, whether that be ...
read moreOpulence: Grenache Blanc Meets Sarah Vaughan
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
Welcome to 2022's first Jazz & Juice--I'm excited to journey with you into the realm of wine and song in this new year! I think you'll enjoy this month's hedonistic theme no matter what you've resolved for the new year. Opulence Opulence brings to mind abundance, ornamentation, wealth and, well, muchness. A profusion or abundance of something can hazard gratuitousness, yet it also may lead to the delightfully decadent. Opulence brings us past the point of necessity and ...
read moreTension: Riesling meets Eric Dolphy
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
Welcome back to the second season of “Jazz & Juice!" Last week, I published something called the Tasting Spiral as a bonus podcast/post. It's a great way to visualize wine tasting and is in keeping with our journey together. You can check it out on the website here if you're curious! Onto the first adventure of our season... TensionThe word tension comes from a root meaning “to stretch." The best literal examples of tension in application are musical--an ...
read moreWildness: Syrah Meets Mingus
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
Welcome to Jazz & Juice's season finale article—I hope you've enjoyed our first forays into the fun fusion of jazz and wine learning, and found that the 'knowledge is pleasure' axiom has proven itself true for you. Now, after the patience and restraint of the last segment, we venture into the world of the wild, in both wine and music. WildnessNietzche wrote: “One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing ...
read moreRestraint: Chianti Classico Meets Sonny Rollins
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
Welcome to August's Jazz & Juice—I'm looking forward to diving into some new wine and music with you, moving from the Loire Valley and Mary Lou Williams (here's a link to the article, video, and podcast if you'd like to catch up) and into the world of Italy and one of jazz's greatest tenor saxophonists. RestraintRestraint implies patience—the ability not to quickly react to something, and when it comes to any craft, what one chooses to do, or ...
read moreEvolution: Chenin Blanc Meets Mary Lou Williams
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
Welcome to July's Jazz & Juice--I thoroughly enjoyed our trip on the wilder side of winemaking and improvisation last month (here's a link to the article, video, and podcast if you missed it.) Now, we'll delve into two examples of great women in jazz and wine who will lead us on an inspiring and trailblazing journey with tuneful and tasteful results. EvolutionThe word evolution seems to imply that there is an ultimate destination, some perfect state of arrival ...
read moreSpontaneity: Zinfandel Meets The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
Welcome to June's Jazz & Juice! So if last month we took a deeper look at things that might be familiar and formal (in prose, video, and podcast,) in this one we'll be celebrating the pleasures you can't plan for. Spontaneity There's no mistaking music that's truly of and in the moment. Virtuosity, organization, and composition are all to be admired; however, spontaneity and improvisation are big parts of what sets jazz music apart from any other. Having ...
read moreEase: Chardonnay meets The Modern Jazz Quartet
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
I'm thrilled to have you back for the second month of “Jazz & Juice“--thanks to all of you who made April's adventure all the more fun with your comments on the article, video, and podcast. I'm excited to share this month's music and wine with you without further ado! EaseI've found that the biggest misconception about any art or craft is that it must be difficult to grasp in order to be considered seriously. As students of a ...
read moreStructure: Bordeaux Meets Duke Ellington
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
I'll begin with a maxim —Knowledge is Pleasure. The reward of learning (especially about music and wine) is the ability to enjoy what is studied all the more. To me, the mark of a connoisseur is not the expert ability to analyze, but being able to revel in both the nuance and totality of what makes something great. The pursuit of knowledge has hedonistic rewards. Which is to say, welcome to Jazz & Juice. The articles, videos and ...
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