27: JAZZ!  International Jazz Day Apr 30^th! 

Before I knew what it was called, I loved jazz.  What about you? How many live jazz performances have you attended?  How many GREATS have you experienced playing in person?  Ohhhh, this is something to truly make an integral part of your life, and, yes, give thanks for experiencing. This goes for listening to today’s evolving greats, also. 

   As there are many kinds of jazz, from Dixieland to whatever is the newest kind of fusion, find what you like.  I personally enjoy a variety of jazz, from straight up-front jazz to a blend of jazz-soul-rhythm-and-blues.  When I lived in NYC, a jazz paradise, I went to Central Park, or any of the other parks throughout Manhattan and the boroughs, lay down on the grass, or bundled up in the snow, and basked in the best of the best as these astounding musicians poured out their souls with this astounding heart-enriching music.  Yes, definitely, also the clubs!

     Now, I am in South Florida, also a haven for live JAZZ!!!!!  The first Sunday of the month, at Jazz on the Riverfront near Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, I am there, sitting with friends or up on the dance floor or the grass, participating with other jazz aficionados, dancing, celebrating, thanking SOURCE for these astounding musicians, the beauty of the planet, the gorgeous sun, trees, grass, flowers, people, all of it, in the midst of whatever else may be happening elsewhere.

    My insides celebrate.  If you want some of the SECRETS of ETERNAL YOUTH, get up and dance, listen to jazz of all kinds that appeal to you, from the soft melodic soul-stirring mystical variety to the hard driving wailing saxophone and astounding drum beats that reflect the movement of the spheres in the multi-verse, the pulse of our blood and hearts.  What not to do is listen to or immerse yourself in hateful music filled with insulting derogatory language for and toward anyone.  Stop doing any of that.

   We can also have a mixture of jazz and hiphop-rap.  Yes!  Absolutely! Listen to this, also.  Infuse yourself with the joy of youth plus the wisdom of maturity.  Not the resignation that some people adapt over time because that person has given up on her or his soul dreams.  Always keep, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, advised, your dreams alive!  You may need to tweak ego dreams, as what you wanted when you were 10 may be different from what you desire when you’re 20, 30, 50, 70, 90.  Keep the essence of your soul being’s dreams ALIVE!  Jazz can awaken this!  Go after this, and allow this to manifest for and in you.

    I have a personal relationship with jazz, as my former spouse was a jazz musician, as were his dad, sister, and other family members.  They are all now with the ancestors, though, my former common-law-father-in-law’s music is world renowned, available to anyone who chooses to hear it.  As he and my ex used to say, and I agree, drums are the heartbeat of the music.  Listen, reminisce, create newly, celebrate, have great food and beverage, soak up the beauty of being, bask in the miracle of what is unfolding in front of and within you.  Be present in the moment! Jazz.  Ahhhhhh. Yes!!!!!