About
“I can’t stand Jazz, it’s self-indulgent and pretentious,” I protested. I was 17 years old, and my musical landscape was shaped by the thunderous riffs and beats of Led Zeppelin. Jazz wasn’t cool, and if you confessed to liking it, you were a prime candidate for a beating at school. For me, and many others, it was musical masturbation – artists getting off on their own talent with no consideration for the audience. So for years I avoided it like the plague and worshipped the power chord instead.

Then, in my early 20s, I heard Kind of Blue for the first time. I was beguiled. Its melancholic siren lured me towards a new sophisticated sound. Suddenly my beloved rock music appeared one-dimensional, the riffs and beats primitive. What’s more, this Miles Davis guy was cool: he dressed sharply, got the ladies and drank like Ernest Hemmingway.

After that, the musical floodgates crashed open and I rushed out to buy similar sounding records. Maiden Voyage followed, then In a Silent Way as I hastily expanded my jazz collection. Later, inspired by the beautiful playing of Bill Evans, I took some piano lessons. I was never really proficient, but I delved into the theoretical side of music and studied modes. That’s when I discovered the type of jazz I liked actually had a name: modal jazz.

So fast-forward to now. After "Googling" modal jazz, I was left feeling frustrated at the lack of information available. I decided it was time someone created a tribute site to this musical genre. I hope you enjoy my modest efforts and glean something from them. And yes, I still head bang to Led Zeppelin. After all, let’s not forget that John Bonham was inspired by Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich!

Stephen Pollock
ModalJazz.com Editor