OPENING
Let it be said that if music be the food of love, play on. The music of my passion, the music of my life and my being is jazz and it can play on as long as I have breath enough to exist. I am no expert but for the past 60 years jazz has been my soundtrack and the pleasure I have accumulated over the years has been central to my existence. Whatever else I have done in my life, my sanctuary has all too readily been jazz, in all its manifestations and styles. My jazz journey has taken me from New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta to Chicago and on to New York and the West Coast of the USA. Thence to London and to European capitals and across the globe to my current abode in Western Australia. The passion is still there and my exploration never stops.
My hope is that this blog will be a showcase for jazz – the musicians, the recordings, the history, the memories, the pictures and all manner of jazz-related themes and reminiscences that will, perhaps, bring joy to those who may or may not know the music. For this showcase is not just for the in-crowd. It is also for those coming fresh to the music, those who do not yet know whether jazz is for them or even what jazz means. For the aficionados, there will be much here that you know already and I hope that you will feel able to share your knowledge and your memories, correct any falsities that may emerge and enhance my own jazz canvas and that of our readers.
Central to the blog is the place where I live, the port city of Fremantle in Western Australia where I receive my live jazz diet on a weekly basis. The survival of jazz depends on ensuring that there are spaces for jazz musicians to be heard. JazzFremantle is my local jazz club, a not-for-profit membership organisation that provides weekly concerts showcasing jazz musicians from Western Australia and well beyond. A major purpose of the blog is to draw attention to JazzFremantle, to highlight its weekly programme, to introduce you to the musicians that play and the 25-year history that has brought us to this day. Check out the web site at jazzfremantle.com.au .
This is the start. There is much more to come and I have much more to learn to make this blog entertaining, informative and a true reflection of the magnificent sweep that was jazz yesterday, is jazz today and will be jazz tomorrow.