Curator
Hi, I'm Donna - music aficionado, curator and sometimes blogger on the ElementsOfJazz website.
The general public's perception of jazz is that decent, enjoyable music is no longer being created. I used to think the same thing about the genre until...
I immersed myself into the world of jazz in early 2007. That was my way of dealing with the unexpected death of a dear friend. Jazz was the music that he adored. I began listening to and reading about it 24/7/365. What was initially a therapeutic process turned into a passion.
I decided to launch the EoJ website to explore new music with you, learn about the musicians & vocalists, and to blog about jazz shows & festivals.
There is a vibrant, sexy world of jazz out there. Want to find out more about it? Let's find out about it together.
:Donna M (March 2010)
Addendum #1 - I can't believe that it's been over two years since I started this website/blog! Where did the time go? So many cool things have happened because of ElementsOfJazz - I've met and become friends with many musicians, bloggers and music fans; been interviewed by NPR's A Blog Supreme, worked on projects behind the scenes to get jazz a broader audience, traveled to Los Angeles twice to participate in the GRAMMY Community Blogger program, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. :)
There's even a group of people in Los Angeles that appear to lack any creativity whatsoever and decided to piggyback on the ElementsofJazz name and buy a second tier domain extension. I know that people say that imitation is the highest form of flattery but come on. 0_o
Anyway, let me get back to the positivity of the ElementsOfJazz experience! You all have been a wonderful inspiration and support for me. I thank you for your faithfulness. It's only going to get better!
♥ Donna (April 2012)
Contributors
When I asked Alvin Black III back in March 2010 to give me bio information, he replied with a succinct "I like making images." That was it. LOL
After a little coaxing, I got him to share more about the banner he created for the website:
"I like making images... it doesn't matter if they are on websites, canvas, or paper. For the header image on the EoJ site, I wanted to have a full gamut of representation, singers and varied instrumentalists, both male & female. In terms of the general look of the piece, the painterly nature of it, that's a result of my efforts to get my fine art work to inform my digital stuff more, which I think is starting to happen. There is a density that invites people to explore...Having it on this white field, it's like you wipe away at the surface and you have this beautiful symphony going on right underneath, full of passion."
Ian Fong is a musican and blogger from the San Francisco Bay Area. He started playing the alto saxophone when he was 9 years old and switched to the tenor saxophone three years later.
He was bitten by the jazz "bug" in the 8th grade. Ian's early and continuing influences include John Coltrane, Joshua Redman, Coleman Hawkins, Hank Mobley, Joe Lovano, and Wayne Shorter.
His blog is Jazz in Perspective.
Atane Ofiaja is an audiophile and passionate jazz fan. He writes the majority of the album reviews for the website.
In the past, he has written numerous articles and covered music events, concerts and festivals, primarily for J&R Electronics in New York City.
His blog is The Sophisticated Audiophile.
Ms. Crystal Leotaud develops singers into musicians while delivering a holistic approach to her technique. Crystal is a vocal coach and intructor in the New York area.
She is trained mezzo-soprano, and has worked in several arenas performing a multitude of genres.
“Ms. Leotaud is the most inspirational, wise, and encouraging teacher that pushes you to strive for greatness.” - Alexandra Selby, Student
Doug Ramsay is a dad, hubby, Mac fan, AFOL, musician, recording studio owner, podcaster and mellowly cool.
He hosts a weekly podcast called The Sunday Soundtrack (TSS).
Are you seeking relief from the underwhelming aural experience of the stagnant programming on commercial radio? TSS will expose you to indie artists in genres such as electronica, nu jazz, downtempo, and experimental.
~~~
[Disclosure: Donna M is an affiliate of Amazon.com, iTunes, AllPosters.com, GoDaddy, MagazineAgent, Ticketmaster, Blog World, HDTracks, Wine.com, Ghirardelli, Boca Java, Second Spin, Napster, Google, Groupon and Second Life.]
