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Doug Collette

DC writes regularly about jazz and blues plus rock and roll, composing reviews of CDs, DVDs, live performances, books and films.

About Me

As my ears become ever more finely-tuned to the art of improvisation, my passion for blues and jazz, plus rock and roll, grows by leaps and bounds. And with each successive year in that evolving process, I regularly rediscover what moved me to love hearing and watching musicians play in the first place, that is, the naturally dramatic theater and perpetual element(s) of surprise. I became interested in writing the same time I became interested in music beyond the Beatles. When I was in high school, I went to my first concert: the original Woodstock Festival. I've never lost my interest in writing or music since...in fact my passion for both has grown. I have always been able to find an outlet for my writing, just as I've always been able to discover new bands who've reignited my love of and fascination for music, the greatest of all the arts !

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because at its root, it is all about possibility and potential. I was first exposed to jazz by my parents speaking in awed tones about Miles Davis. I met Phil Lesh, Charlie Hunter and David Hidalgo. The best show I ever attended was, bar none, The Who at Tanglewood, Lenox MA, (July 7 1970) The first jazz record I bought was In A Silent Way by Miles Davis. My advice to new listeners... take chances and be ready for surprise!