I'm somewhat amazed that in this land that invented the art form of jazz there are no such sounds in the city of Lakewood. One of my hobbies over the years has been to both play in a band and to collect recordings that cover the many facets of this invigorating and delightful music. I am talking about swing, "mainstream" and traditional jazz rather than the ultra modern, fusion and "far out" styles. I recently wrote a piece for the Denver Jazz Club newsletter (they hold their sessions once a month at the Elks Club in Westminster) bemoaning the lack of Lakewood jazz. Maybe the music is not everyone's "cup of tea", although to hear a small group playing familiar tunes from the Great American Songbook, for example Kern, Berlin, Gershwin and Arlen, while enjoying a meal in a restaurant can be a most relaxing experience. I know quite a few musicians, so maybe we can pull this idea off somewhere locally.

The sound of jazz hasn't been completely barren in this area, as recently I wrote in the Hub of an exhilarating experience when attending the Count Basie Orchestra concert at the Lakewood Cultural Center in March. I recollect that occasionally there have been other groups at that venue, although this is not the intimate setting I am talking about to hear small group jazz.

Also in March the Gaslamp Grill, at the corner of Alameda and Garrison, was the venue for the 50th anniversary celebration of the Queen City Jazz Band. In the late 1950's. the band assembled in this very building, known at the time as the "Mon Vue Village." Some readers may remember this particular club. Such is the camaraderie of jazz bands, there were several permutations of musicians on stage that anniversary night. The food, wine and acoustics were excellent, the music producing a feeling of joy and well-being. That is what this happy music is all about. If your feet start to tap and your head nods in time to the beat then that's the style of music I'm talking about.

My experience of playing in Dixieland and small groups happens to have also started in the 1950s after being influenced by my cousin who played drums in the Derby Jazz Band (U.K.). A piano and drum kit in his 'front room', many 78 records, plus a visit to the American Red Cross Club in the city for a session and I was hooked!