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fiction and musings from a gay black dude with delusions above his station

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the gar spot fiction and musings from a gay black dude with delusions above his station

Tag: jazz

Influences: Music and Family

Posted on October 29, 2017 by gar

[Part of a series of posts previewing the novel Sin Against the Race.] Sin Against the Race did not start life as a “jazz novel.” When I first started this journey, I listened mostly to classical. Dvořák, Chopin, Mozart, Brahms, the usual suspects. My music habits changed after my mother died. Miles, Coltrane, and of course…

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Calling All Jazz Artists: Save KCSM Jazz 91

Posted on February 28, 2017March 1, 2017 by gar

My favorite section of Hajdu’s Strayhorn biography Lush Life, the part with the strongest storytelling, is where he talks about Billy Strayhorn’s cancer diagnosis. For this chapter, he relied on the vivid memories of Marian Logan, Harlem socialite and wife of Dr. Arthur Logan, physician to both Strayhorn and Duke Ellington. Strayhorn took his diagnosis…

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Mocean Worker – All About the Bass

Posted on February 10, 2017February 11, 2017 by gar

I first noticed the music of Mocean Worker when NPR’s All Things Considered used his tune “Tickle It” to introduce their feature “All Tech Considered.” It tickled my ear, so I bought the album it came from, Cinco de Mowo!. I’ve been Mowo-ing ever since. His blend of classic jazz and electronics struck a chord with…

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A day at the Monterey Jazz Festival

Posted on September 20, 2016 by gar

Until this year, I’ve never been to the Monterey Jazz Festival. One of the premiere events on the jazz calendar, one would think I’d have been all up inside it by now. Sadly, such is not the case. This year, opportunity dropped the festival in my lap when a friend passed along comp tickets to…

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This is Johnny Hodges

Posted on July 25, 2016July 25, 2019 by gar

Duke Ellington’s Famous Orchestra had many great soloists. Indeed, it was a band of great soloists. But one stood a notch above them all, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges. Jazz writer Scott Yanow states that Hodges possessed “the most beautiful tone ever heard in jazz.” He formed his style early in his career and never varied…

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A Night of Jazz with Daria and the Beatles

Posted on June 26, 2016June 26, 2016 by gar

My earliest Beatles memory: Mom dancing in the kitchen and singing along with “Hello Goodbye.” I peered at her through the bars of my crib. I was probably 3 or 4 years old. My parents, my three older brothers, and I (no sister, yet) still lived at my maternal grandmother’s house. Having been born a…

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Mom – 20 years later

Posted on June 22, 2016June 22, 2016 by gar

A megathrust earthquake struck on June 22, 1996. Mom died. So powerful an event, I knew it had happened without solid confirmation. The nurses kindly said that there had been no change in my mother’s condition, though the pauses in their speech told me what they did not want to say. Later that morning, I…

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Jazz on the Hill, 2016

Posted on June 12, 2016June 13, 2016 by gar

{Editor’s note: This piece in celebration of music was conceived and written before the horrific events of Saturday night, June 11, in Orlando, Florida. the gar spot conveys condolences to everyone affected by this unspeakable tragedy.} I have a cold. I hate getting late spring/early summer colds. The weather invites outdoor explorations, but the body’s…

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The Anton Schwartz Loft Concert

Posted on April 20, 2016 by gar

I love house concerts. Listening to music in so intimate a setting places the music front and center, where it belongs. The audiences tend to be connoisseurs that have a strong bond with the performers and the music. The setting is warm. I remember going to an Indian music house recital in Los Angeles many years ago that featured…

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A Strayhorn Lagniappe: More Music & A Picture Book

Posted on January 10, 2016January 10, 2016 by gar

First, I have to correct a glaring omission. In my post recommending Strayhorn recordings to pick up, I left off something that I myself own: Marian McPartland plays the music of Billy Strayhorn. Why did I clumsily leave it off the list? Because when I went to my collection to pull out stuff to recommend, I neglected to find…

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Sin Against the Race

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