Jazz rescued me in the eighties, a disoriented fan who came from a somewhat exhausted symphonic/progressive rock scene, so '70s and first '80s fusion was my first jazz immersion. From there I gradually opened up to all classical eras and styles, but when I got more into the avant-garde, (some) free jazz and loft jazz, things really got terrific. ��Tradition In Transition,�� as Chico Freeman said, is perhaps a good definition of my favorite tastes: but, obviously, Satchmo, Ellington, Tatum, Parker, Holiday, Clifford, Miles, Trane, Mingus, Getz or Evans are in my musical backpack, among thousands of other magnificent creators. From the climax of bebop to the first years of the new millennium, these are my areas of ?? greatest interest, but I keep an ear open to quite a few things in the current scene.