I met musical agent and businessman Max Gail, Sr., in November 1971, after driving through a snowstorm to get to his Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, home for an 8am appointment. He was looking for a piano player who could sing.

I first saw Judy Roberts perform at the Back Room on Rush Street, Chicago, in 1975. In those days, Rush Street was crackling with entertainment, and Judy had one of the premiere Chicago bands. She sang and played an electronic keyboard, and her quintet had a hip jazz fusion style. I remember the musicians in…

In the summer of 1967 Michael Brecker and I played together in a student combo.

The 12-bar blues is the most popular and the most-used blues form
Here is the basic 12-bar form with Roman numerals representing the scale degree of the (major) chord.

In general, for beginners or advanced listeners, the best way to take in jazz, or any kind of music, is to listen in an open way, without much judgment or analysis, and experience the expression the performers are conveying.

“Jazz” and “blues” are words that define styles of music. What’s the difference in these styles?

This quality of “Swing” found in jazz music is hard to describe in words. It can inspire and enhance dancing.

I think simultaneously singing, and playing is, in a sense, a different instrument, a different mode of performance, and it needs to be approached and judged differently.

A Steady Piano Gig at the “Combat Zone” Strip Club  

Fifty Years Later – Jazz gig today still pays $75!