Yeah, I bitch a lot. I'm not a happy camper when it comes to all the shit in this market that has been fed to the gleeful peons who suddenly have been hijacked by "Insiders" and the like.Crappola? You betcha.
I am a big fan of most music, particularly jazz and big band. My late father played the clarinet and jammed with the likes of Jack Buck and Buddy Rich. He wasn't famous but he played with famous musicians and was a regular at Earthquake Magoos and the Fairmont Hotel.
I bring this up because I love KCSM-FM, the tiny gem of a listener-sponsored radio station on the grounds of the College of San Mateo. They somehow manage to play the greatest of the greatest jazz 24/7. Like all non-profits, they need money. It's a tough economy and all, but KCSM is a good cause. If you listen regularly like me, you know how vital and wonderful this remarkable outlet is and what it brings to the Bay Area.
KCSM is having a pledge drive. They didn't ask me to give them a plug. But anything I can do to help them is good. If you can help, all the better: Call 1-800-527-6911 and give 'em 10 bucks or more if you have the change and appreciate good music.
*Follow me on Twitter
Too bad California's biggest jazz fan lives in LA. Maybe, Rich, you could go onto NBA Great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's website, and tell him that a jazz station is in trouble. Betcha that Captain Sky Hook won't take that lightly. Give it a try! Leave a post with Basketball's Greatest Center Ever! Jabbar has built an unmatched jazz collection the past nearly 30 years. And he had another one before that before a fire destroyed it in 1983-84. I say go for it!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Jazz is one of the most unappreciated of our country's arts, as many dense people seem to favor such vapid music as technopop, rap, and much of the other 'crap' that now passes for modern American music.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've given the jazz station a little love Rich. it's a shame KJAZ went out of business some time ago. Loved that station!
I was lucky enough to see in person performances by the likes of Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Louie Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Mel Torme,Dave Brubeck, and Astrud Gilberto (she was the Brazilian woman who popularized the tune: 'The Girl From Ipanema.')
Three of the best things America has produced:
The Constitution, Baseball and Jazz! Long may they survive and thrive!
Nice piece It's depressing that so many people today have never heard Dizzy, The Duke, Miles, Coltrane or Brubeck (okay they may have heard Take 5). Beyond the classics, there are many modern artists today putting out exceptional music. KCSM is far from perfect, but offers up 24/7 serving of America's great art form. When you get tired of all that diva pop, burned out R&B or moldy Classic Rock, let your mind discover Jazzz.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest jazz fans are NOT in LA. LA can't even support a major jazz club. The closest thing is the Jazz Bakery and that is a non profit. LA is a jazz desert. The Playboy is no Monterey, not even close.
ReplyDeleteI listen to KJAZ on-line (out of Long Beach).
ReplyDeleteAnd to the snob up above...NYC WAAAY outnumbers SF when it comes to Jazz fans.