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Joseph La Barbera

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My Jazz Story

I love jazz because it communicates so completely. I was first exposed to jazz as a child by my parents on some wonderful 78 RPM recordings followed by Miles Davis LPs my brother Pat brought home. I met McCoy Tyner with my brothers when we were teenagers. He played in Rochester with Coltrane and spent his entire break talking with us outside the club. The best show I ever attended was Miles Davis sextet at Lennie's on the Turnpike in Boston. The band was Miles, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Gomez and Tony Williams. Incredible! The first jazz record I bought was Donald Byrd Pepper Adams Quintet on Brunswick with Herbie Hancock, Laymon Jackson and Jimmy Cobb. My advice to new listeners... jazz is about feeling so don't try to be too analytical about it; just react as you feel.

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