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[antenna]

What influenced you into the world of music?

 
For me, there were two main things.

My Dad was a jazz pianist in the 30's - 40's.  My earliest memories place me sitting on the piano bench next to him as he played and practiced.

Then there was the constant presence of music in the house.  Usually, at the time, WNEW-AM in NYC.


But there was always music in the house.

And, I still have to say, there currently is always music in my house.  Though not WNEW-AM anymore, but 1071ThePeak. (can I post a link?  OK, I'll try ....https://www.1071thepeak.com/

 
Yeah, when I don't have JRMediaCenter providing tunes for me (many hours, oh so many hours), that radio station is my choice.

[KingSparta]

I played piano, trumpet, French horn, and clarinet.

I played in the Jazz band, marching band (we had to memorize the music), concert band.

When I first got into music, popular bands were Tommy James & The Shondells, The Doors, The Beatles.

I watched JFK get shot on TV and killed, later I bought all the local feeds, CBS, ABC, and NBC, that's when I noticed there was a world out there and it was not safe for anyone.

my mom always had the radio on.

Listening to: 'When I'm Gone' from 'Download' by '3 Doors Down' with JRiver Media Center

[antenna]

I watched JFK get shot on TV

I was walking home from school from the bus stop with a friend, and we stopped in a store to buy a candy bar.

On the radio in that store I heard the news of JFK being shot.

A vivid memory for me.  I remember it quite well.

my mom always had the radio on.

Yup, same here.

It was my Mom who had the radio playing when my Dad was not on the piano.

Interesting insight ... the radio we had (it was in the kitchen (viewed more as a utility than anything else) was AM/FM.  Back then, it was before the FCC required all radios to be able to receive both AM and FM stations.  Yeah, there was a time when AM-only radio were the norm.  But I digress. 

But this radio was peculiar.  It had the ability to tune the "left channel" to an AM station, and the "right channel" to an FM station.

https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/roots-of-radio/how-fm-stereo-came-to-life
How FM Stereo Came to Life

sort of marketplace “AM-FM stereo” system standard for binaural broadcasting appeared, with one channel on the AM (left) and the other on the FM (right). These were the days before NRSC audio frequency reduction, so the audio response on AM was notably better. Vendors offered better receivers to the connoisseur; and the reception environment was far friendlier than today, with less electrification, less band noise and fewer stations. AMs could sound pretty good; all FM signals were hi-fi mono.

Of course, the left/right speakers on the radio were a few inches apart, so the stereo ability was more for marketing than listening.


 

[Dawgincontrol]

We watched Hee Haw which was followed by Lawrence Welk on Saturday evenings.

Older brother's garage band practiced at my house.  Played in the jazz band in high school.

That's why I have a diverse musical taste. 

[KingSparta]

Hee Haw, I remember when they said the population of my town that I lived in at the time In the 1960s (about 1,000)

https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/washington/othello

[antenna]

We watched Hee Haw which was followed by Lawrence Welk on Saturday evenings.

Older brother's garage band practiced at my house.  Played in the jazz band in high school.

That's why I have a diverse musical taste.

For me, a lot of my musical diversity came (comes?) from my Dad.  He was a Jazz pianist in the 30's and 40's in NYC (before he went off to war).

So, Teddy Wilson, Ben Webster, Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and so many others, are a part of my musical experience.

The "Classic Jazz and Swing Group" playlist I uploaded represents a lot of that experience.

As i listen to those artists, I notice things.

For example, Teddy Wilson seems to be quite precise in his playing of the piano.

Art Tatum, on the other hand, seems to wander around the notes being played, almost having fun with the melody.

Great stuff to listen to ...