I’m Really Not the Jingly Type…

You’ve seen me on the road, behind the wheel: I’m one of those folks who goes straight through the car roof when I hear holiday music coming through my speakers before Halloween. It was 72° yesterday and I did not need to hear Sinatra’s “Mistletoe and Holly”. Nor do I need to see the endless loop of a cracklin’ log fire on cable tv. You can assume at this point that I won’t spend any time watching A Christmas Story Christmas (A Christmas Story 2 has been scrubbed from all memory.) My thing is a week before is enough time to observe any holiday. Those inflatables can’t stay up forever in the front yard, y’know.

Live for the moment, people!  

And since I’m on a rant-roll here… 

Did you know that the first Jazz Music Awards ceremony has come and gone? It was news to me. It was held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, GA on October 22 and presented by Jazz 91.1 WCLK. Billboard reported on it on October 24. Where was I? For an event like that, I would expect an APB sent to all Jazz programmers in America. Not a beep, not a peep, not an oop bop sh’bam. Wow. Why is Jazz such a well-kept secret? With such talent as drummer Terri Lyne Carrington (the Award’s music director), a “band of all-stars” – pianist Orrin Evans to name one – and renowned nominees (saxophonist Kenny Garrett, The Baylor Project) and winners (vocalist Somi Kakoma and Samara Joy), couldn’t a by-the-way press release been sent out? No one is going to hear the message of Jazz and improvised music as being rich in history and beauty if we keep a tight lid on an occasion like this.  

Truly a missed opportunity.  

Speaking of missed opportunities…if you’re looking for one, you gotta catch a holiday movie special guaranteed to pitch your eyeballs to the back of the room - A Husband for Christmas.

Got one, thank you. And he still works pretty well after thirty-one years (though his dishwashing skills have never improved.)