Daniel Gonzalez

I love jazz because it’s alive. It listens back, breathes, and tells the truth in real time. I was first exposed to jazz through my dad, who played Tom Scott and the L.A. Express around the house, long before I knew what jazz even was. At four years old, hearing John Guerin on drums did something to me; his feel and pocket made sense in my body before it ever made sense in my head. Jazz was never distant or academic. It was home, it was rhythm in the room, it was conversation without words. My advice to new listeners is simple: don’t try to “get it.” Just listen, feel it, and let it meet you where you are, because once jazz gets into you, it never really leaves.