fings | Jazz and me.

Growing up, anytime I heard something that was described as "jazz", it was something I disliked. Years later, I realized that most of what I heard described that way was either "smooth jazz" (ugh) or some modern form, like free/cool/avante-garde. Still, the association stuck, and I steered clear of anything labeled "jazz", even though there was plenty of stuff out there I was listening to and enjoying; I just didn't realize it was jazz!

Like this, for example, from Sesame Street. (That was done by Turk Murphy's San Francisco Jazz Band.) Or Disney's Jungle Book -- Louis Prima is the King of the Swingers, for crying out loud!

Still, the light was slow to go on. One of the key events was at

1cmf and

onecrazymother's wedding reception. They played a lot of old time stuff, including Louis Armstrong, and I was grooving on it. Much of it was familiar, stuff I had heard in bits and pieces over the years, but all together it had an impact.

My interest really started expanding in the early 2000's, back when emusic still offered unlimited download subscriptions. That really encouraged experimental listening. I rediscovered Louis Armstrong in a big way, along with Cole Porter, Louis Jordan, Cab Calloway and a host of others. Ken Burns's Jazz was a big help too, exposing me to a more organized history of the subject.

Now I look forward to listening to Hot Jazz Saturday Night every week (usually sometime during the following week via streaming from the website, or downloaded to my mp3 player.) I like most jazz from the first half of the 20th C, and traditional and dixieland stuff from after that, plus a smattering of other stuff. I've gotten into swing music, crooners, and big band. I've even been listening to Sinatra with a new ear, which is tough after living in Hoboken for so long.

Intermixed with all this has been my exploration of other jazz-age related art forms, such as Jeeves and Wooster, the art of George Barbier and John Held, Jr., and art deco architecture.

I leave you with a song I discovered today, while trying to find out where the phrase "vo-do-de-o" and its variants arise: Crazy Words, Crazy Tune. (Not the origin of the phrase, but popularized it. You hear it everywhere; a version even shows up in Rubber Duckie.)