Over the holidays, I caught a few episodes of Ken Burns' jazz documentary. The main thing I learned was that these musicians were messed up drug addicts. I kept thinking, how in the world they could be so wasted and play such scientific, mathematical, beautiful music without hesitation or mistake. I am now moved to delve into my Dad's records and learn more about jazz, therefore, maybe I will learn more about my Dad.

      Dad was a DJ at the University of Florida in the 1960's and hosted a jazz show. That is all I know about that. I became a DJ at Georgia State University in the 1990's and I hosted just about every show. I was addicted to the radio booth for over 20 years. I've finally quit it. I think. My Dad became a Newsman after college. He hung on to the jazz records he loved during his time in college for the rest of his life. I, however, was such a poor DJ, that I sold almost every promo CD I had to CD Warehouse. I even managed to pay a month's rent with CD's. Stupid CD's.

      Dad's records are so much cooler than any of  my CDs or mp3s or anything else. I picked up a 1976 Technics turntable at a thirft store for $8. I had it cleaned and had to nuke the rubber mat in the microwave to get it even so the records wouldn't warble. Dad died almost 5 years ago and I have had those vinyl records just sitting around the whole time. I left my husband and 10 year marriage in that time, so it is obvious to me now that I am doing all of this to "find myself."

     I do love listening to jazz. I especially love listening to Dad's records that he kept in near perfect condition. I really hope that me handeling them does not physically damage them. I started to sell a few of these records on ebay. I googled each artist and records on about half of the collection. Many of the records turned out to be rare limited editions. People were willing to pay good money for them, even though the jackets are slightly worn out. Let me tell you, there is not a scratch on them.

     I heard some previously unreleased Miles Davis music on NPR the other day. They said it was music in preparation for Bitches Brew. I proceeded to listen to that album all weekend. This morning, Stan Getz popped into my head. I didn't even know what instrument he played. After going to the website and finding a community of Stan Getz fans which included Getz family members, I thought. my Dad totally missed this. I can't imagine the joy he would have found in those people. At the same moment that I was signing up for the community, I started this blog and this idea. I'm going to investigate and write about each of the artists on Dad's records as I listen to them. I sincerely hope this isn't another one of those ideas that I don't finish. So, hopefully I'll catch you cats on the flip side.