We've moved: http://www.jazzjunkie.net/

It was a short-lived stay here, but this site has moved to a dedicated server in order to allow for more customizations and hopefully a better experience for the users accessing this site. The new site has been registered and should be up and running by Tuesday, November 22, 2011 (it can take up to 72 hours after registeration before the site is avialable).

Thanks for stopping by! Would love to have you at the new site where updates will be a-plenty. Happy listening!!

http://www.jazzjunkie.net/

Veteran's Day 11/11/11 - The Most to Me

On Friday, 11/11/11, I was able to spend Veteran's Day with 3 people who mean the most to me, listening to music that means the most to me, and honoring those who mean the most to our country. Yes there is a bit of patriotism in that last sentence that would make Henry David Thoreau roll over in his gave, but so be it. This Veteran's Day, one I will never forget, was spent with my father, Keith, nephew and godchild, Brandon, and best friend, Todd (aka Old Man River). The evening started with drinks, appetizers, pizza, and talk of everything Wisconsin Badger, before heading to The Outer Edge for a benefit concert by The Swing Time Big Band.

Appropriately on this Veteran's Day, the benefit concert raised money for the Old Glory Honor Flight program; an organization dedicated to flying local WWII veterans to Washington D.C. to see the memorials built in their honor. A great cause to honor the men and women who fought for our country!


Once the concert began, The Swing Time Big Band took those in attendance back to the 1930s & 40s with perennial favorites by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, and many more. It was traditional big band with group arrangements, few solos, and a cohesive music driven by that feeling of swing. It transported me back in time to some of my favorite jazz; images of jazz greats filled my head: Lester Young - his saxophone cocked sideways - in the smokey Reno Club in Kansas City; Louis Armstrong, with handkerchief in hand, scat singing in front of a large band; and Artie Shaw coaxing delicate notes out of his clarinet. Musical bliss from a decade which witnessed a world world, the dust bowl, and 30% unemployment.

To my father, my nephew, and my best friend, I say thank you for a rousing night!
To The Swing Time Big Band - thank you for that enriching of the soul which can only come through live music.
Most importantly, to all those who have served or are currently serving THANK YOU!!!

For more information on the Old Glory Honor Flight program or The Swing Time Big Band, please click the appropriate link below:

Old Glory Honor Flight program: http://www.oldgloryhonorflight.org/

The Swing Time Big Band: http://theswingtimebigband.com/
Youtube video of The Swing Time Big Band performing "Alright Ok You Win"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jaLqLMsyGg

The Outer Edge: http://www.outeredge.com/

What is Jazz at Night?

Is there really a need for another jazz blog? A quick google search of any semi-famous jazz artist will unveil a long list of reviews of his or her work; not only are there a vast number of reviews, but many are from the largest or most well respected media companies: LA Times, Downbeat, JazzTimes, NY Times, and so on, and so on.  Well, what about jazz blogs? Multiple the number or returns from your google search by around 75 and you’re starting to get close. Viewing those blogs will take you from the amateurish to the professional, from the blog updated daily to the one last updated in 1997 – or to the blogger who felt it necessary to make one post and like the dinosaurs, failed to ever return. So back to the initial goal of this post – why another jazz blog and what is the purpose of Jazz at Night?

The primary focus of Jazz at Night is music reviews. On a smaller scale, you will also find news and some book and concert reviews. The difference between this blog and other blogs and review sites is the intended audience. Since I am not a musician, you will not find posts filled with technical jargon that the average listener will not understand. Instead, you will find easy to understand reviews that will help point you in the right direction of new jazz music to explore. Recommendations will be straightforward and comparisons to other artists will be a key component to each review; I find it extremely frustrating to finish readying a review and have no general idea of how the album sounds – instead you are given the names of each musician in the lineup, a history of the band leaders work, and a breakdown of the time signatures of each track. In other words, you leave the review with no pertinent information on if it’s something you’d enjoy. Although the music reviews will focus heavily on contemporary jazz, older albums will also be fair game.

If you have any suggestions, comments, or feedback please feel free to e-mail me. I would also be happy to make recommendations based on your current listening interests or to review suggested albums.