About Jazz Showcase

About Jazz Showcase.... I’m a native of Dubuque, Iowa. After hearing different jazz musicians on various radio stations (usually from Chicago) throughout the late fifties, and early sixties, my first real introduction to, and education about jazz came, primarily, from three sources: First, my grade school instrumental music teacher, Richard Zimmer, who was a jazz clarinetist. Second, high school brass players who were members of the Junior Drakes Drum and Bugle Corps and who listened to Miles, Chet, Art, and particularly Maynard to learn licks to add to their bugle solos. Third, the University of Dubuque radio station that played an eclectic mix of music, with an emphasis on jazz at certain times of the day. My cousin Dale, who lived in Chicago, and was six years my senior, loved jazz, although he was not a musician. In those days was a hub of live jazz, hosting the world’s top jazz talent who visited often as well as presenting outstanding hometown jazz and blues talent. So, every summer while my family visited relatives in and around Chicago, I received a two-week immersion in jazz, blues, and classical music in a way not possible in Dubuque, Iowa.   Classical music, especially opera, was and is my first love; hence my 35-year (and sill going) career as an opera singer. That does not mean, however, I have disregarded other forms of music. I was a rocker, singing with a “Top 40” group in the middle to late sixties; I have done several national tours with musical theater productions, as well as many regional tours, and local productions. A pianist and I did the club circuit in and around Chicago, including the Pump Room, Byfield’s, the Playboy Club (both Chicago, and Lake Geneva), Park West, and others. I was a featured singer with several Chicago area big bands during the swing craze of the late eighties. I even did a stint at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as a feature singer in “Jubilee”.   I played in my high school jazz band, and in jazz bands in college and graduate school, and was featured vocalist fro all. I have had the good fortune to study with some of the finest jazz teachers in the U.S. at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa and the University of North Texas (then North Texas State University,) Denton, Texas.   I am a fan of classic mainstream Jazz, which is what I play on my show. That doesn’t mean I will play everything an individual artist has recorded. Artists go through periods of exploration, and growth, which is good for them, but not always good for the listener. Therefore, I try to be a little selective as to what I play, but that doesn’t mean boring, repetitive, or stodgy. My standard is: whatever it is, it has to be good. At times when I’ve played something, and asked over the air, “Is that Jazz?” listeners will call and tell me “If it says Jazz on the label, that’s all I need to know.” I’m not quite sure I’m as accepting, or my criteria are as broad. There are a few of the new players and singers who really have “it”, whatever the indefinable and enigmatic “it” is, but most, to paraphrase Gerry Mulligan, have all the tools and talent, but forget the music.   Quality is the gage I apply to producing my show.  Sometimes there is a thread running through the show, sometimes not. I am putting together future shows based on the Playboy Jazz Polls of the fifties, sixties, and seventies, with a few from the eighties and beyond; but other than those, I don’t premeditate or preprogram my shows. Once I start to play through various pieces a few hours before airtime, the show forms itself. Listeners are a great help in molding shows; their feedback is invaluable. So, I am constantly giving the station phone number, and soliciting comments. In my other incarnation as a jazz host at another station in Omaha, my show averaged more calls per night (6pm-2am, Friday, and Saturday) than the station received in all the rest of the time they were on the air during the week. I really want to know what listeners think about what I’m playing, and what they want to hear.  Many artists I play were unknown to me before being recommended by a voice on the phone. I am gratified by the age range of listeners; grad school to seniors, and by the wealth of knowledge and experience in jazz they give to me via their calls and email.   When I’m sitting in the studio playing the music, I often wonder who’s listening, where they are (especially since we can be heard around the world on the web) and what they feel about the music they are hearing. When people call and relate how the music touches their lives, or the memories it stirs, I’m thankful I’m able in some small way to contribute to their happiness, and give them moments of pleasure.