But as a player, each second is divided into a million fractions, each one a moment of reflection on the immediate and distant past, each one a reaction to a newly updated musical context, each one an opportunity to move in an infinite number of directions, each one stepping into the future and rendering it the present. Every moment necessitates a decision, and each decision is a manifestation of desire or restraint, a communion with or opposition to history, an aesthetic statement. In its own small but essential way, every decision transforms our culture. There are millions of these moments in every second. The spontaneity of jazz is my endorphin rush.
Jazz is also a rich tradition of bountiful heritage.
But it is a tradition that demands evolution and broadness of creative response. When this is forgotten, jazz changes from a tradition to a bit of preserved history. I began playing jazz piano in college and have studied it informally but passionately ever since. I like to play solo jazz piano, but it is especially thrilling to communicate in a small group. We work together with jazz trumpeter Scott Bauer in a quartet configuration too.