Believe me, that's not a simple feat.
My introduction to jazz was Miles Davis and it came in the form of an episode of The Cosby Show. The song was If I Were a Bell and it was the very last song played on The Cosby Show.
I was so young but I remember thinking that the song was so beautiful and unlike any of the jazz that my mother played.
When I got to middle school and joined the band, my mother wanted me to play the saxophone. I chose the trombone. I wasn't being rebellious. We just didn't have the money to pay for an instrument and the school only gave out so many...and everyone wanted to play the flute or sax. Trombone was all that was left when it was my turn to chose because I wasn't playing something girly like the clarinet or flute.
There was this guy I liked who played trumpet in the jazz band so I had to play in the jazz band too. Sorry parents, it starts early LOL. Being the only female trombone player in my school changed my life. I got good and I got good quick. But I only became a good trombone player because of my friend the trumpet player. He LOVED Miles Davis and would play songs for me before rehearsal.
I started to love Miles Davis too and began to listen on my own. At this point I'd given up trying to impress this guy and focus on the music. That's when I discovered Coltrane. If you've been following me on Twitter or Facebook, you know that my introduction to Hendrix was a life altering experience. Davis and Coltrane are also on that list.
While it differs so much from the jazz that I've really grown to enjoy, ie Bob Reynolds, Kenneth and Kirk Whalum, Boney James, Norman Brown...etc, I always go back to Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Their music transcends EVERYTHING. It's smooth but so full of spirit and sometimes even joy. I can't get enough of it. It calms me when my mind is muddled and full of turmoil.
It's soothes me.
Here's a favorite of mine. You should recognize it. Enjoy
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