About
Hey what’s up? I am Denver-based …sloe walker; retired deejay, emcee and uber-jazz aficionado. My story begins in Detroit. I was raised in a household where jazz was a constant in our day-to-day lives. My mother was a marvelous singer, a Billie Holiday disciple and often sang my brother and me to sleep. As a younger woman she sang semi-professionally in Detroit’s Mark Twain hotel.
Full disclosure: I am not a critic, I am not a journalist, I am a chronicler of the jazz scene, nothing more, nothing less. One other thing, I am not a musician. The closest I’ve come to serious playing was as a percussionist for the Motor City-based, backroom jazz group, GIA.
For much of my life I have enjoyed reading incisive, highly literate jazz critique wherever I find it. It is worth noting, however, that the most provocative commentary primarily focuses on acoustic (straight-ahead) jazz and its players. What relatively little that is written about contemporary (smooth) jazz is, more often than not, dismissive and derogatory. This leads me to wonder just how much of these erudite compositions are actually read and appreciated by the workaday jazz public, especially by those of us residing outside the metropolitan Big Apple area, purchasers of jazz product.
As a proselytizer, I created this site to serve as a blog and portal for the ordinary jazz consumer, paying faint consideration for one style over another. JazzNyumba is also intended for the roused non-fan interested in learning more about this original American art form. Not being an academic and the blog not intended for academics, we chronicle for the everyday people who dig it, regardless of the school of preference. So saying, I hope to see you around sometime, perhaps on a cruise, in a club or at an event. Stay jazzy.
As a prostate cancer survivor I bear witness to the potentially life-saving benefits of regular prostate testing and early detection, which is why I wholeheartedly support the good work being done by the Prostate Cancer Foundation. To all my 40-year old + gentlemen guests, do yourself, loved ones and friends a favor and get yourself tested, and then make sure to return for regular screenings. Please click HERE to make your generous donation to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. 100% of all donations go directly to PCF in support of their fight to eliminate prostate cancer once and for all. Thank you.
PCF Mission Statement: The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) funds the world’s most promising research to improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of prostate cancer and ultimately cure it for good.
Hit me up by email at sloewalker@jazznyumba.com with your questions, comments or suggestions.