Home » Member Page

Kevin Press

Kevin Press is the author of The Moderns, a collection of reviews, profiles and interviews available now at amazon.com.

About Me

Kevin Press writes about jazz, electronic and new classical music for All About Jazz, Exclaim! and his own themoderns.blog.

My Articles

Contact Me

My Jazz Story

Like a lot of kids, I was excited to add U2's Rattle and Hum to my collection in the fall of 1988. I went straight to my bedroom, tore open the rectangular box that housed CDs in those days and powered up my disc player. Track 10 opened with Bono belting out "John Coltrane and A Love Supreme," which by coincidence was the other new CD in my shopping bag that day. The first jazz record I'd ever bought. I stared at the Coltrane disc as U2 ran through its lovely Billie Holiday tribute. I'd been introduced to A Love Supreme at a college radio station in Toronto known as CKLN-FM. It was a magical place that I would cling to for a decade, hosting - and more importantly - listening to as many radio shows as I could. I was lucky enough to learn about Coltrane and Miles at the same time I learned about Don Cherry, Nina Simone, Ornette Coleman and countless other avant-garde greats. Amidst that musical avalanche, Coltrane was my northstar. Three decades later, he still is. And A Love Supreme is the album I most often recommend to young music fans.

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.