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Patricia Myers

Patricia Myers is a journalist and photographer who reviews jazz events and interviews musicians in the U.S. and Europe.

About Me

I'm a peripatetic journalist and photographer for national and global publications and websites, specializing in jazz, travel and food. I no longer review CDs for AllAboutJazz. In 2014, I launched my all-AZ music website with concert and venues information, features, interviews and reviews -- www.MusicSceneAZ.com

I've been writing about the Arizona statewide jazz scene since 1972, the metro-Phoenix area currently boasting a live-jazz scene of 50+ jazz venues plus 20 more throughout the state, as well as 20-some blues venues, and more than 50 jazz concerts per month. My live-jazz specialty writing focus since 1995 has been the Paris and European summer scenes, subletting tiny Paris apartments to escape the torrid Arizona climate.

As one of nine founders in 1977 of Jazz in Arizona Inc. (Jazz in AZ), I was the newsletter listings editor for 35 years, also producing numerous local concerts and festivals. Concurrently, for 17 years I wrote a weekly jazz column for two daily newspapers, plus a 5-minute twice-weekly local-jazz update show for two Phoenix radio stations.

My jazz writing for both print and websites has been for All About Jazz, Jazz Times, Mississippi Rag, American Rag, Jazz News, Jazz Report, World Jazz Exchange, AZ Food&Lifestyles, and Jazz Notes of the Jazz Journalists Association.

Past “real jobs” have been at Phoenix-area newspapers and magazines: entertainment-restaurant columnist for Phoenix Rising magazine (1997-99), Arizona Republic food editor (1989-95) and arts-entertainment writer (1995-97), entertainment columnist-restaurant critic for Phoenix Magazine (1986-89), previously a features-food-entertainment writer-editor for the East Valley Tribune and the Scottsdale Progress.

My first published book is “Scottsdale: Jewel in the Desert,” a 100-year illustrated history of the city (Windsor Publications, Northridge, CA, 1984 hardcover, 1988 revised edition). I'm currently working on a novel that merges Paris, jazz, food and wine. I've contributed to jazz encyclopedias and TIME-LIFE books, taught writing courses as an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University, and I was a correspondent for TIME magazine.

I've written liner notes for Houston Person-Ron Carter's 'Dialogues;' Keith Greko's 'My Life, My Music' and 'Two-Burner Hot Plate'; Nancy Gee's 'Dedication' and Gaynel Hodge's 'What Is This Thing Called Jazz?'

I've produced five jazz albums: two for vocalist Margo Reed ('Margo' in 1990 and 'Margo Live!'in 2000), also 'A Little Taste' for trumpeter-pianist-vocalist Nadine Jansen in 1989, and co-produced 'The Very Best of Nadine Jansen' as a memorial retrospective in 2009, and the Jazz in AZ 30th-anniversary compilation 'Celebrating 30 Years of Great Music” in 2007 (double CD of Arizona musicians' recordings from the 1970s to the 21st century). I've produced more than 100 local concerts and festivals, including a one-nighter by Bud Shank-David Friesen, and a day-long festival honoring Ike Cole, a younger brother of Nat King Cole.

After receiving a liberal arts degree at the University of Akron (Ohio), I attended the Medill School of Journalism on a graduate fellowship at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois). My first newspaper job, while a college student, was a part-time sports writer and “cop-shop” reporter (police beat) for The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Since then, I've covered the nightclub scene, written wine and art columns, been a recipe-exchange editor, and worked Native American and health beats.

A favorite writing period of my career was being an “experiential reporter,” my most exhilarating assignment being a wing-walker on a Stearman bi-plane flying 80 mph at 1,800-ft altitude over fragrant central-Arizona citrus groves.

Writing about jazz has been the most challenging, fascinating and rewarding aspect of my career.

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