As a frequent contributer to various lists and newsgroups over the years I decided to eliminate the middleman and start my own blog. I'm a professional jazz guitarist and teacher, with three CDs out under my own name. As of May 2006 my family and I moved from the Twin Cities, MN, USA to Brownsville, TX. I play gigs 3-5 times per week in this area, commonly referred to as the Lower Rio Grande Valley or the RGV for short. I also now teach at the University of Texas Brownsville; as of the fall 2007 I'll be teaching a jazz guitar ensemble and an improv class.
The RGV is growing rapidly, but from what I can tell it has stubbornly resisted change. Jazz is still somewhat of an oddity here although there is a yearly Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival which started in 1997, so we are moving a bit with the times.
My idea for blogging was to create a forum for discussing my ideas and methods for playing jazz, not just as a hobby in one's living room, but also in the clubs, festivals, and other places live jazz occurs. From teaching in college settings I often find a disconnect between what's being taught in the classroom and what goes on in the so-called "real world," which is a shame considering how much time and money the students are spending in these schools. So, every so often I'll put together some ideas for a topic and share what I know or believe to be true about it, based on my 35 years in the game.
In case you're wondering why I'm doing this, let me give you a completely non-altruistic answer. I rely on playing and teaching completely for my income, and it is, shall we say, moderate. I hope that you'll find this information useful, and will want to show your appreciation by:
That's it for now, and I hope to see ya'll real soon!
