Pat Bythe – All That Jazz Part VI

This is going to be a long one…….

For the early students of jazz, there were no books or educational courses. The best a young musician had was listening to the music live, following by recordings. You couldn’t take a live performance home, and recordings could be scarce, or simply out of reach financially. As jazz grew in popularity throughout the decades, more and more recordings made this rapidly changing genre more available and attainable.

Pat Blythe – The greatest bass player in the world…..and (his) music

I never seem to know what I’m going to write about from one week to the next. Sometimes I plan things out, gather the photos, etc. and then BAM! Something else falls in my lap and I’m heading down a totally different path. I love these journeys. This is one such trip.

I have been introduced, quite accidently, into the world of bassist Jaco Pastorius after discovering a video of Joni Mitchell with Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays performing with her. I forwarded it to a friend who loves all three of the artists I mentioned. The name my friend “picks out of the crowd” however, is the bassist Jaco Pastorius. Me, wouldn’t know him if I tripped over him. That changed pretty fast! Next thing I know I’m getting schooled in all things Jaco and we’re watching the 2014 documentary about his life.

Roxanne Tellier: Cheap Eats, Hot Jazz and heymacs

Remember the heyday of The Old Spaghetti Factory?  Massive as the place was, there were always lineups, and you’d eagerly await that call of your name … “Smith, party of 4!” “John, party of 3!”