Ken Dryden

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My interest in jazz began during my undergraduate days at Tulane University during the early 1970s. attending a Dave Brubeck concert and buying various jazz LPs that looked interesting. I was already a fan of Frank Zappa and after hearing his composition "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue" I happened to see a Dolphy LP and I ended up acquiring nearly his entire discography. Living in the southeast has had its drawbacks, as national jazz acts rarely play all that often anywhere near where I have lived. I never had the opportunity to meet any artists until I spoke to Brubeck around the time I began broadcasting a jazz series on WUTC-FM in 1987, though I would end up interviewing him many times over the rest of his career, along with seeing him perform on 25 or so occasions in numerous cities. My first date with my wife was a Brubeck concert, neither of us could have predicted that she would end up being a part of a choir accompanying him in a 2000 concert of his sacred music. I entered jazz journalism by chance, after discovering that the local newspaper arts editor had traded in a Duke Ellington CD at a local used record store. I called and asked about writing reviews and quickly became a regular contributor. The Brubeck connection came up again, when I proposed an article about the quartet's appearance at the Reagan-Gorbachev Moscow Summit in 1988, since I had just completed a phone interview. That became my first published free lance article, though I would later contribute to The Jazz LInk, Cadence, AllMusic.com (where I wrote thousands of reviews over a 14 year period), the short-lived Jazz Review and briefly revived Coda and many other publications. Now retired from my day job as a public radio development officer, I have more time to write and returned to the AllAboutJazz family with my Phillip Johnston interview in November 2018. I relaunched my Timeless Jazz series on WUTC in February 2019 and now produce it from my music library at home, which saves a lot of wear and tear from the long trip to the downtown studios. I have created indexes for several books by jazz authors over the past several years, which includes a bit of proofreading, especially check names. But my big project is transcribing the best of 37 plus years of jazz interviews that I've done, it is a massive project and I hove to have a book published in the next couple of years, stay tuned for more information. I've also become an occasional concert producer, hosting local benefit concerts by nationally known jazz artists. Right now I have one planned for September 11th, but I can't reveal the artist just yet, the approval was given, but the paperwork isn't finalized. All I can say is that it's a well known, veteran artist who you should have in your library. If things go well, we hope to produce one or two concerts annually, keeping it to solo artists or a duo to control costs, as it is hard to get people around Chattanooga to pay much over $25-$30 for a ticket, although a local concert in late 2024 by Herb Alpert had tickets starting at around $95. Listeners today have the ability to sample music excerpts and often complete performances on line, so take advantage of previewing music if you are unsure about buying it. I feel like buying CDs, LPs or downloads (if you prefer them—I don't), is very important to support the artists. Read enough by any reviewer to get an idea of what kind of music appeals to him or her, then consider that when evaluating their work compared to your tastes. Also be open to explore music outside of your normal listening habits, not everything will catch your ear, but you may be surprised at what you like. That said, I've found that music which was not enjoyable for me in the past rarely changes if I sample it again. As a reviewer, I prefer to leave the packaging, press materials and playlist out of sight when I hear a new CD for the first time, this also helps me consider the possible source of the chord changes for some tracks, along with deciding for myself what influences are present. Occasionally, I also discover incorrect or missing information by not consulting the playlist or liner notes. I still remember when one hapless writer was praising a wonderful live version of Herbie Hancock's "Dolphin Dance" in a review of a live CD, the only problem it was McCoy Tyner's "Passion Dance," the track was misidentified on the release. i feel like both songs are well enough known that this mistake should have been avoided if the writer had been a seasoned listener. When I don't know a composition being interpreted by another musician, I research the original. After over a half-century of collecting, there is a good chance it is in my library, although there are usually good online sources available for reference, too. It's always nice to hear from readers. I am happy to provide additional information or address concerns if that is the case, unless you are trying to locate the CD Yanni: A Tribute to Art Tatum. We are also underwriting concerts by nationally known artists in Chattanooga to benefit non-profits. Our first featured pianist Alan Broadbent on September 11, 2025, Ticket proceeds benefitted WUTC-FM in Chattanooga. With the cuts in CPB funding, the station has a lot of ground to make up and proceeds from ticket sales are a small part to help make up the difference. If I have reviewed your music, interviewed you or written an article about you over the past 37+ years and you are interested in being considered for a future concert, please get directly in touch with me via private message. Right now we are focusing on solo concerts, but if the series takes off, we may consider small groups. The venue has 452 reserved seats.

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