More jazz blogs you may enjoy

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Before I started this site, I did some searching to see what other sorts of jazz sites were out there on the Web. One result of this research was that I added links to a number of what I think are the best general interest jazz and creative music sites to the lower part of the sidebar.

I also found a number of worthy sites that had a narrower focus. I've got a future post planned about other sites devoted to the jazz scenes in specific cities, but today I'd like to point out some more personal sites - specifically, jazz blogs.

Even though there are millions of blogs out there, so far I've found surprisingly few devoted to the subject of jazz. However, these particular sites are definitely worth a look:

Miles Radio is the site for a radio program dedicated to the music and legacy of Miles Davis. The show airs Sundays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on 90.1 FM in the Rochester, NY area or online at Jazz901.org. Host/blogger Erik Telford is obviously a true Davis fan, and the blog contains some thoughtful and informed commentary as well as stuff like transcripts from interviews with Miles and even some MP3s.

Xanax Taxi (subtitled " Jazz, improvisation, fusion, funk (and the rest)") is primarily an audioblog, and posts often revolve around a theme. Recent posts include one collecting several songs dealing with the concept of silence, and a series comparing various versions of the standard "Stella By Starlight" as recorded by a variety of different jazz artists.

Straight No Chaser also includes MP3s and podcasts, too, but blogger Jeffrey Siegel tackles a wide variety of topics, from stuff he's found on the Web to local jazz happenings near his Springfield, MA home.

I found jazzofonikjamaica interesting just because it offers a perspective on jazz from outside the USA. Writing from Kingston, blogger Michael Edwards posts about American and international jazz musicians as well as about what's going on with the Jamaican jazz scene (which heavily influenced the Sixties precursor of reggae known as ska.)

Finally, the Arts Journal site has enlisted jazz journalist Doug Ramsey to create a blog called Rifftides. Ramsey knows his stuff, writes well - his recently published biography of saxophonist Paul Desmond is getting some good reviews - and tackles a variety of jazz-related topics, from posts about specific musicians and albums to more general "state-of-the-music" type musings.

Have you run across any other jazz blogs that are worth reading? If so, please leave a note in the comments, or email me. My plan is to create a folder on the St. Louis Jazz Notes Bloglines page specifically for newsfeeds from other jazz blogs. I'll start with these five, and add others as I learn of them.