We’re well into December, but it’s not too late to do some last minute shopping. May I suggest for the music and book-loving people on your list a copy of Never Givin’ Up: The Life and Music of Al Jarreau? Since its release in August of 2023 this biography has gained a reputation beyond just Al’s home state of Wisconsin. It won a prestigious award from Foreword Indies, an important player in the world of independent book publishers — the 2023 SILVER Winner for Performing Arts & Music. It also made the list of finalists for the annual awards for the Association For Recorded Sound Collections; specifically, in the BEST HISTORICAL RESEARCH IN RECORDED JAZZ category. You can order this book from your favorite online outlet. But I would strongly recommend ordering it from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, even if it means paying a little more. Or buy it from a local book store! If you want a personalized signed copy, contact me through this website. Perhaps you’re looking for a wider view of Wisconsin jazz: try my earlier book, Wisconsin Riffs: Jazz Profiles from the Heartland. Or check out John Harmon’s passionate history of our groundbreaking 1970s band Matrix, From the Heart: The Story of Matrix.

Speaking of Al Jarreau, through a surprising confluence of events, two “new” Al Jarreau albums are newly available. One is from very late in Al’s career; in fact, it was his last recorded project. Ellington is a wonderful album of re-imaginings of some of Duke Ellington’s greatest songs, recorded in late 2016 by Al and the superb NDR Big Band. The other “new” album is from very early in Al’s career. It is: Wow! Live in Performance at the Childe Harold, recorded in Washington, D.C. in 1976. You will hear Al in the excitingly experimental early part of his career. Both albums are also available from a variety of outlets. For Wow! I would recommend the website of Resonance Records, the outstanding label that has recovered many great heretofore lost performances by many fine jazz artists. https://resonancerecords.org/product/al-jarreauwow-live-in-performance-at-the-childe-harold-cd/

Finally, from a different sphere of my musical life, I recommend to you the new album by my son Paul’s Elemental Quartet, A Small Patch of Earth. This is Paul’s fifth album of original music, with his fourth different group of players. It’s a beautiful work of contemporary jazz. Paul talks about it here: https://www.pauldietrichjazz.com/post/a-small-patch-of-earth-is-coming-soon It can be ordered at: https://shiftingparadigmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-small-patch-of-earth And for those of you in Wisconsin and the Chicago area, look for four different album release shows in January. You can find those at Paul’s website as well.

And having mentioned Matrix above, Larry Darling has reworked some historic recordings by the band. The music still sounds great! Check out Matrix (or John Harmon) on Spotify and Apple Music, especially the stunning set from the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1976 (mistakenly listed as Monterrey).

Finally, very best wishes to all of you out there. It’s not been an easy year for many; and there are plenty of challenges facing us for 2025. But we will keep the faith, and keep making music and talking and writing about it. Happy Holidays!