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Tarik Townsend

I'm a writer, avocational musician, and collector of jazz on vinyl who loves jazz more than almost anything in the world.

About Me

Born in California. Grew up there. Became jazz fan in while in 4th grade (thanks, Dad), and have been constantly tapping my foot/snapping my finger ever since. Began playing trumpet in 5th grade (shout-out to the band teacher for not letting me play saxophone like I wanted). Discovered Dave Brubeck in 2006, still dealing with consequences.

Became mildly interested in vinyl in 2011, then became an enthusiast the following year as I began to search for Brubeck recordings available only on vinyl. In the ensuing years, I have spent way too much money increasing my record collection, which is 89% jazz, 5% classical, 5% easy listening (mood music) albums from the 1950’s & '60s (don’t judge), and 1% random stuff.

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because it's the most democratic, contagiously fun music in the world. Creating something new with others is absolutely exhilarating! The best show I ever attended was either Esperanza Spalding when she came to Birmingham, Alabama in 2013 or some of the live club jam sessions I caught in NYC in January 2020 before everything shut down. The first jazz record I bought was a Vince Guaraldi album, 'A Boy Named Charlie Brown' or something like that, on Fantasy. I was in fourth grade and from that point on I was a dedicated jazz head.