Listening to music is mostly a solitary experience for me, my SO enjoys jazz and loves that I have a passion for listening to it, but does not always want to sit and listen. Fortunately, I have met so many great people online, here, and especially on instagram(same handle) that I can share my thoughts and chat with. The social aspect really has helped deepen my connection to the music, as well as recently starting to learn and understand the influences and history of jazz and improvised expression.

I started out with records as a rock listener about 5 years ago, and started finding some jazz here and there, which I enjoyed, but one day it really clicked.

The recording was Satch Plays Fats, which starts with the one-two emotional punch of Honeysuckle Rose(with Velma Middleton) and Blue Turning Grey Over You. The first track deeply affected me, and I was moved to tears by Louis’ trumpet playing on the second. From that moment I was hooked on jazz, because I have never felt such an emotional connection to any other type of music.

Since then, the rock sections have shrunk to bare minimums and the jazz sections are ever growing and expanding.

Some of my favorite and most deeply affecting moments in jazz are:

The aforementioned Louis Armstrong tracks

Sonny Rollins’ sax lead into to “Why Don’t I” and his launch into solo on “Night in Tunisia” Live at VV

Resolution—goosebumps every time

The whole of Ascension.

Roland Kirk’s extended circular breathing solo on Many Blessings

McLean’s scream into solo on title track “Fickle Sonance”

Bud Powell title track “Time Waits”

Tina Brooks solo on “Good Old Soul” complete with the SKRONK at the end

Eric Dolphy’s perfectly angular and eccentric solo on “Clarence’s Place” shortly followed by a intensely logical Wayne Shorter solo

In more recent music, there are a few moments on Kamasi Washington’s The Epic that affect me almost as much as the older recordings. I also saw him and his band play last year on my 23rd birthday, front row, and I left the concert feeling emotionally wrought and refreshed. Extremely powerful experience.

On that last note, I also feel immense sadness that I can never experience a live performance of so many of my heroes, and I suppose the collecting and curation of their albums is as close as I can get.

P.S. the Stan Getz clip was as Rudolf said: Haunting. That solo passage builds to a point where I expected an emotional release, but it did not give. Very powerful moment.