My parents bought a stereo before we had a couch.  

Among our scant albums, there were a couple of standouts. These inspired dancing and listening. The kind of listening that was a form of study. Where Mom and Dad waited ‘til after the song was ended to discuss, but their faces and hands and head nods spoke volumes as they indicated, “listen to this,” or “this is my favorite part.”

The albums were Getz/Gilberto – I still remember every note, every breath and phrase exactly - and “Howard Roberts is a Dirty Guitar Player,” and there were others. Cal Tjader, Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Wes Montgomery, Sarah Vaughan were among the favs.   

It was my parents who inspired my interest in jazz. They were young and fun and beautiful.  They used to go into San Francisco to hear the greats and the 60s was a great time for it.  They dressed up and seemed glamorous when they went to hear these special artists.  I thought they were cool - and they were.

The music was special and it has stood the test of time. Thanks Mom and Dad for the introduction!

This is part of a series about how CapRadio staff fell in love with the artform of jazz. 

We're inviting you to share your story of how you came to love jazz, in 200 words or less. Email your essay to jazz@capradio.org before February 14. We’ll read the top submissions on air and award several prizes.