Quote of the day from 'New Face of Jazz'

I LOVE the below quote from Sonny Rollins and wanted to put it in some form or another on Twitter. It is from the upcoming book The New Face of Jazz by Cicily Janus and Ned Radinsky.

(I love the quote, and since Janus is in Colorado as we speak, I'm letting this squeak its way into a Local Music item.)

The quote I LOVE from Mr. Rollins ...

"I’d like to see people feel more optimistic so young musicians can come along and feel they have a platform. Be encouraging. They should feel optimism around them. It’s good to be encouraged and to know your music means something."

Here's what Janus has said, via an email list, about her interview with Mr. Rollins:

"As one of the most esteemed musicians of our time, I felt quite honored to take time with him and was granted a small look into his ideas and philosophies. We did not talk equipment, or specific dates in clubs or tunes, we did not speak of rumors or criticisms of his past performances. It's pointless when he's been interviewed hundreds of times on those subjects, as I don't think I would have touched upon anything new or particularly revealing. You can find that information on dozens of websites and magazines throughout the past few decades. Also, I think it is more important to learn life lessons from someone who has endured the ages and changes this music has brought about in his lifetime, and most of which he has played a role in. I believe we need a connection to this music. We need to be able to establish a common ground that was once a large part of the music industry. That can only be achieved by bringing out the humanity in this music. The human experience is something we all have, whether musicians or not, in common."

You can pre-order The New Face of Jazz via Amazon. Janus and Radinsky will be making their way around the country for signings and like events beginning in July.

If you'd like to schedule a talk or join the mailing list, email Janus directly at newfaceofjazz@gmail.com. You can follow her on Twitter at jazzwriterchick.

For jazz lovers, Janus recommends sites such as www.nineteen-eight.com and www.maxxjazz.com for great buys.

Here are a few of her recommendations:

Ted Nase: The Mancini Project
Noah Preminger: Dry Bridge Road
Sean Jones: Roots
Chanda Rule: I Too Speak of a River
Melody Gardot: My One and Only Thrill
Miles Okazaki: Generations
Mike Moreno: Between the Lines
Ken Hatfield: String Theory
Aaron Parks: Invisible Cinema
David Weiss: The Mirror
Marcus Strickland: Of Song
EJ Strickland: In This Day
Marcus Miller: Marcus
Wynton Marsalis: Standards and Ballads
Sonny Rollins: Road Shows, Vol. 1
Arturo Sandoval: Trumpet Evolution
Carli Munoz: Maverick
Darcy James Argue's Secret Society: Infernal Machines
Tom Harrell: Wise Children

Both the cover of The New Face of Jazz, shown here, and the quotes are used with permission of the authors.

Click here for the link for the book on Amazon.com ...