About Us

We’re from Detroit. No, really. That’s it pictured above. Nice, eh? Of course, somewhere out there, a wise guy is asking why we didn’t call this blogsite “Dead Like Detroit” instead of “Dead Like Jazz.” Oh, we’re laughing, pal. Hard.

As for Detroit, Europeans seem to get that it had, and still has, one of the world’s great musical pedigrees. Americans, even while they’re listening to something either made here, made by musicians from here, or made in a way that’s deeply influenced by the city’s music, don’t seem to have the same perceptual abilities of their European brethren. People may remember Motown, but they always forget about Iggy. And John Lee Hooker. And Donald Byrd. And, and, and. The list is endless.

Anyway, Detroit makes people mean. And cranky. And cynical. But it also makes people perceptive. And creative. And wise. And, it allowed us to grow up listening to some of the greatest music ever made. Not only the kind made here, of course, but the local water contains something that makes music an essential part of our beings, regardless of its origin. We like to think this blog combines these traits in a way that illustrates a fairly singular and depressing point: that American music, at least as a creative, evolving, living set of forms, is dead. Not sick. Not in a rut. Dead. Musicians, fortunately, are not. Well, not all of them, anyway. We will celebrate their efforts when we can, but understand that this is more a of paean to past triumphs than an optimistic view of the present or the future.

As for who “we” are, we’re essentially one, ambitious moron. I use “we” because this is a not only a labor of love, it’s a for-profit site. You’ll see ads, and links to things that cost money. God forbid. It’s all above board, and we do endorse most of what’s advertised here. If in doubt, ask us. From time to time, we will run affiliate and otherwise random advertising, like Google Ad Words. While typically fairly innocent and topical, we have no control over its specific content. If you see something inappropriate advertised here, let us know! The other part of the “we” designation is our intent to broaden our scope by adding authors who share our vision and point of view. As our readership increases, ask us about opportunities.

The “I” part of the “we” is a middle-aged white male baby-boomer from Detroit. Educated in Detroit Public Schools, then at a large midwestern university of some standing. This “I” person did some college jazz radio back in the 70’s, and was lucky enough to meet and interview a few dozen famous jazz musicians from that, and previous, eras. I have written on and off over the years about jazz and related subjects. I played various genres of music for a living until the late 80’s, and given my age and background, I of course have a large collection of vinyl. I try to stay sober until after sunset, and I have reasonably good hygiene. But enough about I. Or me.

Jazz is our primary, but by no means our exclusive, focus here. We may seem snobby, but we’re really just big-hearted and magnanimous when it comes to acceptance of all creative genres. Really. We welcome comments, and we even welcome hard retorts to our often skewed opinions about the state of American music. Keep it clean, and to the point, and we’ll be glad to engage.