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Derrick Johnson

The only music that speaks to me

About Me

I am a lover of Jazz and am in the process of starting a Jazz radio station. As metropolitan as Jacksonville, FL appears to be there is hardly no Jazz scene and no Jazz radio! I hope to at least provide Jazz fans with some listening pleasure!

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because there is no expression of art like it anywhere else in the world. I was first exposed to jazz in 1971, my uncle was playing Freddie Hubbard's "First Light." I've been a fan ever since. I met Brandford Marsalis at the Savannah Music Festival in April 2015 and Cecile McLorin Salvant at a performance at the Alfred and Rosa Maniaci Theatre May 2015. The best show I ever attended was Gregory Porter at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival in 2017. The first jazz record I bought was Miles Davis "Kind of Blue." My advice to new listeners: Jazz is like wine, you have to try a lot of styles to find what you enjoy.

My House Concert Story

We had an opportunity to also see Joey Alexander at the 2017 Jacksonville Jazz Festival. It was simply amazing to see someone so young with such a technical proficiency in expression.