ONE LP PORTRAITS: ARTS | MEDIA | VENUES: H - Z: LEROY DOWNS: LeRoy Downs: Jazzcat,seeker,broadcaster, MC

“When it comes to this vast, vast amount of music we call jazz that we love and these days everything is really incorporated. As a program host, as a radio host, as a television program host I think about music differently.A lot of people think about music as nostalgia and they think about it in terms of remembering these vibrations that they had along time ago when they heard the music which is why they like to continue to keep hearing the same music again.For me I think people are in a bad habit of that - I mean that’s a good feeling but that closes people off to thinking about new sounds and new relationships and new vibrations that you get and what the music can do to you.So when I’m on the air, when on the radio, when I’m on television I try to chose artists you that can’t lock down a certain sound from them and all of those different artists put together in this set of music creates this Jackson Pollack of sound.And back in the day when people used listen to music, they used to listen to the radio, they used to hear a great song they’d used go to the record store buy it, pull the album out, start reading the liner notes - we don’t do that anymore man - that tactile feeling we have with the music has been lost.I’m still all about the education, I’m still all about I want people to hear new sounds and what makes me feel the best is when I’m playing some music and experience jazz musicians - man - who was that? What was that?Then I know I’m doing my job and that’s the question I want people to say to me - what was that? or I’ve never heard that. I’m a seeker, and I love people who seek the music, I’m always looking for new sounds in the music.I don’t think I’m doing any justice by playing the music you’ve already known for the last eight or nine decades. I want people to learn and I want them to feel good about new sounds and not be scared of sounds.People hear certain sounds and immediately they’re put off and they’re closed off, I want to know why - why that is.People in jazz, music - or whatever they have this amount of knowledge and it’s only this amount of knowledge which means they know everything about “all of this” but they don’t know the things outside of that circle of knowledge and when I present those things to them it puts them in a little odd space - they want to stay within their circle of comfort.I want to present sounds to the world and people who aren’t afraid of it - I don’t know what that is - I want to know what that is. It makes me feel great you know when people want to learn about new music.So that’s kind of how I think of it, I’m always listening for new sounds - like what is that? - next time I’m on the air I’m gonna play that.When you put this music together on the radio - when I’m programming it I really go in with one sound - one particular album that I’m going to play first maybe after that man they all come to you know and it’s such a freeing experience and I hope that people get when they get a chance to listen to it - especially jazz music.”“When it comes to this vast, vast amount of music we call jazz that we love and these days everything is really incorporated. As a program host, as a radio host, as a television program host I think about music differently.A lot of people think about music as nostalgia and they think about it in terms of remembering these vibrations that they had along time ago when they heard the music which is why they like to continue to keep hearing the same music again.For me I think people are in a bad habit of that - I mean that’s a good feeling but that closes people off to thinking about new sounds and new relationships and new vibrations that you get and what the music can do to you.So when I’m on the air, when on the radio, when I’m on television I try to chose artists you that can’t lock down a certain sound from them and all of those different artists put together in this set of music creates this Jackson Pollack of sound.And back in the day when people used listen to music, they used to listen to the radio, they used to hear a great song they’d used go to the record store buy it, pull the album out, start reading the liner notes - we don’t do that anymore man - that tactile feeling we have with the music has been lost.I’m still all about the education I’m still all about I want people to hear new sounds and what makes me feel the best is when I’m playing some music and experience jazz musicians - man - who was that? What was that?Then I know I’m doing my job and that’s the question I want people to say to me - what was that? or I’ve never heard that. I’m a seeker, and I love people who seek the music, I’m always looking for new sounds in the music.I don’t think I’m doing any justice by playing the music you’ve already known for the last eight or nine decades. I want people to learn and I want them to feel good about new sounds and not be scared of sounds.People hear certain sounds and immediately they’re put off and they’re closed off, I want to know why - why that is.People in jazz, music - or whatever they have this amount of knowledge and it’s only this amount of knowledge which means they know everything about “all of this” but they don’t know the things outside of that circle of knowledge and when I present those things to them it puts them in a little odd space - they want to stay within their circle of comfort.I want to present sounds to the world and people who aren’t afraid of it - I don’t know what that is - I want to know what that is. It makes me feel great you know when people want to learn about new music.So that’s kind of how I think of it, I’m always listening for new sounds - like what is that? - next time I’m on the air I’m gonna play that.When you put this music together on the radio - when I’m programming it I really go in with one sound - one particular album that I’m going to play first maybe after that man they all come to you know and it’s such a freeing experience and I hope that people get when they get a chance to listen to it - especially jazz music.”LeRoy Downs
LeRoy Downs: Jazzcat,seeker,broadcaster, MC, The New Sounds

 

“When it comes to this vast, vast amount of music we call jazz that we love and these days everything is really incorporated. As a program host, as a radio host, as a television program host I think about music differently. 

A lot of people think about music as nostalgia and they think about it in terms of remembering these vibrations that they had along time ago when they heard the music which is why they like to continue to keep hearing the same music again. 

For me I think people are in a bad habit of that - I mean that’s a good feeling but that closes people off to thinking about new sounds and new relationships and new vibrations that you get and what the music can do to you. 

So when I’m on the air, when on the radio, when I’m on television I try to chose artists you that can’t lock down a certain sound from them and all of those different artists put together in this set of music creates this Jackson Pollack of sound. 

And back in the day when people used listen to music, they used to listen to the radio, they used to hear a great song they’d used go to the record store buy it, pull the album out, start reading the liner notes - we don’t do that anymore man - that tactile feeling we have with the music has been lost. 

I’m still all about the education, I’m still all about I want people to hear new sounds and what makes me feel the best is when I’m playing some music and experience jazz musicians - man - who was that? What was that? 

Then I know I’m doing my job and that’s the question I want people to say to me - what was that? or I’ve never heard that.  

I’m a seeker, and I love people who seek the music, I’m always looking for new sounds in the music. 

I don’t think I’m doing any justice by playing the music you’ve already known for the last eight or nine decades.  

I want people to learn and I want them to feel good about new sounds and not be scared of sounds. 

People hear certain sounds and immediately they’re put off and they’re closed off, I want to know why - why that is. 

People in jazz, music - or whatever they have this amount of knowledge and it’s only this amount of knowledge which means they know everything about “all of this” but they don’t know the things outside of that circle of knowledge and when I present those things to them it puts them in a little odd space - they want to stay within their circle of comfort. 

I want to present sounds to the world and people who aren’t afraid of it - I don’t know what that is - I want to know what that is. It makes me feel great you know when people want to learn about new music. 

So that’s kind of how I think of it, I’m always listening for new sounds - like what is that? - next time I’m on the air I’m gonna play that. 

 

When you put this music together on the radio - when I’m programming it I really go in with one sound - one particular album that I’m going to play first maybe after that man they all come to you know and it’s such a freeing experience and I hope that people get when they get a chance to listen to it - especially jazz music.”“When it comes to this vast, vast amount of music we call jazz that we love and these days everything is really incorporated. As a program host, as a radio host, as a television program host I think about music differently. 

A lot of people think about music as nostalgia and they think about it in terms of remembering these vibrations that they had along time ago when they heard the music which is why they like to continue to keep hearing the same music again. 

For me I think people are in a bad habit of that - I mean that’s a good feeling but that closes people off to thinking about new sounds and new relationships and new vibrations that you get and what the music can do to you. 

So when I’m on the air, when on the radio, when I’m on television I try to chose artists you that can’t lock down a certain sound from them and all of those different artists put together in this set of music creates this Jackson Pollack of sound. 

And back in the day when people used listen to music, they used to listen to the radio, they used to hear a great song they’d used go to the record store buy it, pull the album out, start reading the liner notes - we don’t do that anymore man - that tactile feeling we have with the music has been lost. 

I’m still all about the education I’m still all about I want people to hear new sounds and what makes me feel the best is when I’m playing some music and experience jazz musicians - man - who was that? What was that? 

Then I know I’m doing my job and that’s the question I want people to say to me - what was that? or I’ve never heard that.  

I’m a seeker, and I love people who seek the music, I’m always looking for new sounds in the music. 

I don’t think I’m doing any justice by playing the music you’ve already known for the last eight or nine decades.  

I want people to learn and I want them to feel good about new sounds and not be scared of sounds. 

People hear certain sounds and immediately they’re put off and they’re closed off, I want to know why - why that is. 

People in jazz, music - or whatever they have this amount of knowledge and it’s only this amount of knowledge which means they know everything about “all of this” but they don’t know the things outside of that circle of knowledge and when I present those things to them it puts them in a little odd space - they want to stay within their circle of comfort. 

I want to present sounds to the world and people who aren’t afraid of it - I don’t know what that is - I want to know what that is. It makes me feel great you know when people want to learn about new music. 

So that’s kind of how I think of it, I’m always listening for new sounds - like what is that? - next time I’m on the air I’m gonna play that. 

When you put this music together on the radio - when I’m programming it I really go in with one sound - one particular album that I’m going to play first maybe after that man they all come to you know and it’s such a freeing experience and I hope that people get when they get a chance to listen to it - especially jazz music.” 

LeRoy Downs