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All About Jazz Turns the Big 3-0!
When I sat down to write today's newsletter, I considered what to include and wanted to avoid a lengthy blow-by-blow history. So, rather than cramming everything into one, I decided to create an AAJ @ 30 section and share stories throughout our 30th year. If you're curious about how All About Jazz began, we published two interviews: a 2003 conversation (courtesy of Jazznin Magazine) and a more expansive 2015 interview conducted by Ian Patterson. You might wonder why I'd be interviewed for my own site, but with little media interest in AAJ's story, documenting our work ourselves felt essentialand Ian captured it beautifully.
All About Jazz has been a wild ride, equal parts exhilarating and challenging. Like any enduring platform, we've had to evolve with disruptive technologies and navigate financial hurdles. Yet, thanks to our community's dedication and the careful stewardship of our resources, we've not only survived but thrived. As we celebrate 30 years, our future looks bright, and like John Coltrane, we're committed to being a force for good in jazz and beyond.
AAJ @ 30
My background is not in journalism or publishing, so I had to learn as I went. I was fortunate enough to meet Gene Lees in 1996. If you're unfamiliar with the name, you can learn more about him here. Gene always offered words of encouragement and valuable insight, and later encouraged me to publish select articles from his Jazzletter on All About Jazz, which we did for quite some time. Sadly, most of those articles were lost in the hack/crash of 2003. However, in 2017, I rediscovered one and republished it here. Many individuals helped set All About Jazz on the right pathand Gene was one of them. Our Staff... Through the Years
As part of our 30th anniversary, we created a new page to celebrate our staff. You can view them by year joined, by articles published, by articles edited, by followers, or by name. We also recognize our legacy contributors, including Chris May and John Kelman.
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All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
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