Home » Jazz Articles » Meet the Staff » Meet Doug Collette
Meet Doug Collette
Peter Case
guitar and vocals
John Scofield
guitarb.1951
As he has been since 2003, Collette is currently a senior staff writer for All About Jazz. In addition to reviewing CD's, DVD's, books and live performances and conducting artist interviews, he composes quarterly columns on blues and jazz new releases for this comprehensive web resource.
Doug has also been a featured contributor to Glide Magazine since 2008. There he proffers content similar to that for AAJ, but has also honed a distinctive voice for this eclectic independent culture site by composing quarterly columns on historic concerts, notable reissues as well as retrospectives on significant milestone albums.
Having become fascinated with the process of written communication in high school, the man who considers music the greatest of all the arts contributed to the school paper there, at the same time his taste in music was broadening—and exponentially so, upon attending his very first concert, Woodstock in 1969 (he saw everyone that mattered except
Jimi Hendrix
guitar, electric1942 - 1970
Doug subsequently began a freelance career while writing for the University of Vermont student newspaper and, over the ensuing decades, he's lent his increasingly fine-tuned skills to local, regional and national publications, including Sweet Potato, Fusion Magazine, ZooWorldI and PopTopI. In doing so, he's honed his flair for a potent mix of insight and information.
When curiosity compelled him to explore the resources of the internet, Collette quickly discovered multiple outlets for his prose, eventually carving a niche for himself, while simultaneously speaking to the two distinctly different audiences of the websites mentioned above. As long as the music never stops, the inspiration to write about it won't either!
I currently live in:
South Burlington, VT, not far from the shores of beautiful Lake Champlain.I joined All About Jazz in:
2003What made you decide to contribute to All About Jazz?
I wanted to hone my writing skills and offer my insight about music to the public via the web.How do you contribute to All About Jazz?
I review CD's, DVD's, books and concerts in addition to conducting artist interviews. I believe my eclectic taste(s) has helped broaden the appeal of the site.What is your musical background?
I believe I've loved music since a small child as I recall loving the themes from TV series. I remember doting on AM radio and when I discovered
The Beatles
band / ensemble / orchestraWhat was the first record you bought that you would still listen to today?
Meet The BeatlesWhat type of jazz do you enjoy listening to the most?
Acoustic jazz, most probably the piano/bass/drums trio, but no-holds barred fusion with a funky undercoating, such as
Medeski Martin & Wood
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1991
Aside from jazz, what styles of music do you enjoy?
I relish eclectic rock and rollsuch as that of
Los Lobos
band / ensemble / orchestra
Gov't Mule
band / ensemble / orchestra
North Mississippi Allstars
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1996
Davy Knowles
guitar
Allman Brothers Band
band / ensemble / orchestra
Grateful Dead
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1965
Jeff Beck
guitar1944 - 2023
What are you listening to right now?
Robin Trower
guitar
Sonny Rollins
saxophoneb.1930
Dexter Gordon
saxophone, tenor1923 - 1990
Rory Gallagher
guitar1949 - 1995
Andy Narell
drums, steelb.1954
Warren Zevon
piano1947 - 2003
Which five recent releases would you recommend to readers who share your musical taste?
" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Petty; Wildflowers & All The Rest (Warner Bros.)The Allman Brothers Band; The Final Note (Peach Recordings)
Billy Martin
drumsb.1963
Mike Dillon
vibraphoneSavoy Brown
band / ensemble / orchestraWhat inspired you to write about jazz?
Quite simply, for the same reason I began to listen to it seriously: I was bored by rock and roll (this was the mid-to-late Seventies!)What do you like to do in your free time? Any hobbies?
I love to read, in particular science fiction and mysteries (as well as music-related books) and I savor the immersion in a good film now and then (but not so much so as binge-watching DC superhero TV series like Arrow!). I also spend much of my time exercising and enjoying the outdoors, that is, when I am not following current events—but the news definitely comes third in THAT hierarchy.What role does jazz music play in your life?
It is a source of liberation as well as spiritual and intellectual nourishment, to the extent that improvisation is a metaphor for how I navigate myself through the world. Over the years, it has also become a means of cleansing my musical palate.How does writing about jazz contribute to the music itself?
Writing about jazz, and music in general, is simply another means of deepening the pleasure I take in the music.What do you like most about All About Jazz?
The willingness to expand beyond jazz and do so in a deep, exploratory manner.What positives have come from your association with All About Jazz?
I've developed a bonafide pride in what I write about music as well as a realization of what a creative outlet it has become.Vinyl, CD or Streaming?
Most definitely CD and I finally realized why just a few months ago: the uniformly excellent sound quality reminds me of how FM radio sounded when I discovered itWhich article from your archive is the most memorable and why?
I would have to say The Beatles: Masterful in 2009 because it was not only the first such comprehensive article I composed, but it put me firmly back in touch with my roots in a way even my pieces on The Allman Brothers Band had not.What surprises you most about the 'Most Popular'/Most Read' article counts?
Two things never cease to astound me: that I regularly have entries in each category and what absolute puffery is often the most popular.Visit Doug at All About Jazz.
Tags
Meet the Staff
AAJ Staff
United States
Vermont
Burlington
The Beatles
Medeski Martin & Wood
Los Lobos
Gov't Mule
The North Mississippi Allstars
The Allman Brothers Band
Grateful Dead
jeff beck
Bob Dylan
Jimi Hendrix
Tom Petty
Comments
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz
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.
Go Ad Free!
To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
Burlington
Concert Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses
| More...
Buy Now
