Lara Pellegrinelli’s NPR Jazz Blog: Meet the Jazz Audience (Do I have to?)

An interesting set of posts from Lara Pellegrinelli (NPR journalist, A Blog Supreme). Pellegrinelli interviews attendees at New York jazz festival events.

1. Funniest post

This one is very entertaining (interviewee is in post-coital bliss after attending a Chris Botti concert). Pellegrinelli sets the bait masterfully, which is then swallowed  whole.

Favorite quotes:

Q: What brings you to the show?

A: I’ve seen him on television. He’s absolutely intoxicating. I get goosepimples! . . . He was incredible. That’s some talent. Now I feel like I’m — I’m full. I can’t describe it any better. I was soaking it up like a sponge. I didn’t want to miss a drop. I wasn’t even talking to my husband.

Ah…the joy and bliss of total Botti immersion: husband fades to the background, sponge-like absorption, not a drop missed, goose-protrusions, and that wonderful “full” feeling.  Now that’s amore!!

Q: Would you check out other concerts now that you’ve been here?

A: Oh, absolutely. I didn’t realize they had more. Do they list them all in the paper?

Um, yes, they list them in the paper. And on this freaky new medium called “the Internet.”

There are a lot of good quotes here, I can’t list them all.  OK, stop begging, here’s another:

Q: Have you ever come to this festival before?

A: Not this festival. This is the first time we came. We couldn’t. I also go to Florida, too, so I miss it. But this is my life. I love it. I’m not much into television or anything like that. Seeing him is really wonderful.

Huh?  EE Cummings can’t touch this.

OK, I changed my mind–THIS is my favorite:

Q: Do you consider yourself a jazz fan?

A: Yes. Oh my God, I love Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday. You name it. These are some great artists.

[I must apologize, I was totally off on this, completely wrong.]

Q: Are you familiar with some of the other jazz musicians that Botti was talking about (Freddie Hubbard, Michael Buble, the Marsalises, Miles Davis)?

A: Davis. He’s the only one I recognized. The other ones, no, to be honest.

Apology retracted.  When will I learn to trust my inner cynic?

2. Nice Post from Young Guy

Q: What did you think of the show?

A: My mind is just blown to be seeing the respect of all the musicians on stage.

Me too. I think.

3. Best post

A literate grownup, expressing a longterm appreciation of jazz, who is not so enamored with the large venues (amen).