Gerry Sanders

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I love jazz when it moves me emotionally, especially when it swings; it makes makes me smile. I play a bit, too, with a local big band. I was first exposed to jazz in the 4th grade. In high school I was lucky enough to see Dave Brubeck live twice and my music teachers brought me to two Sunday afternoon Count Basie performances in a local nightclub. Brubeck and Basie have been, along with the Duke later, my touchstones in Jazz: cool Brubeck and swinging Basie. Later in life, I volunteered to do Google Adwords for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival and in the course of time, I met Azar Lawrence, with whom I became friends. I saw Azar at Dizzy's in NY in 2012, one of my more memorable jazz performances. Great man, gentle soul, powerful sound. I used to host BackYard Jazz house concerts in Santa Rosa, CA. but I've moved on now. I still support Healdsburg Jazz Festival and use my BackYard Jazz newsletter to alert BackYard Jazz fans to local jazz performances. I also post to JazzNearYou. My advice to new listeners is listen with your eyes closed.

Hosted Backyard Jazz house concerts 3 years in Santa Rosa CA, 2010, 2011, 2012 featuring local and touring artists. Each concert was opened by student groups from either Santa Rosa Community College or Sonoma State University jazz programs.

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