I like music, all kinds of music. But sometimes I am in the mood to listen to a certain instrument. When that happens I turn to a musician who plays the instrument I want to hear. If I’m in the mood for vibes, I’ll search out the music of Milt Jackson or Gary Burton. Likewise I’ll search out Jimmy Smith’s music, when I am in the mood for some great Hammond B-3.
For many years my choice of musician was limited. I had my favorites: Wes Montgomery was the primary got to, when I was in the the mood for guitar. Likewise, Jimmy Smith for Hammond B-3 and Burton for vibes.
When I started to blog more about Jazz, I realized I needed to explore the genre more fully. Most of my favorite musicians came from the mid-60s to the mid-70s. Those were the years when my musical tastes were developing. But now I decided that I need to discover more about those who came before and after my heroes! I also wanted to know who are the current jazz artists I should be listening to.
As I went about my explorations of jazz, I used several methods. I would almost on a regular basis check the jazz birthdays at All About Jazz. You will find a lot of posts on this blog wishing artists a Happy Birthday. Additionally, I review typically, two jazz music charts. First the Roots Music Chart:Jazz Chart and JazzWeek Chart.
I always review the birthdays and the charts looking for artists, I am unfamiliar with, who play an instrument that I love, i.e. guitar, vibes and organ.
But after doing this for a while the list of instruments that I was listening to grew to include almost every instrument in the orchestra!!Anyway here are links to the archives of the musicians I’ve explored based upon the instrument they play.
