AT A JAZZ CLUB WHERE I USED TO WORK IN Washington D.C., there was a regular - one of those tireless, hard-core fans who nurses a drink at the bar all night so he won't miss a note of the music - who referred to a certain Washington-based pianist as "our secret weapon." Despite this fellow's odd way of expressing himself (maybe he worked for the Defense Department), I understood his enthusiasm.
New York may be the undisputed jazz capital of the world, but the scores of musicians who moved there and contribute to the unparalleled richness of its scene have to come from somewhere. Every place has its hidden musical treasures. There's a unique sense of excitment in discovering them, and occasionally a hint of good-natured regional pride surfaces when sharing them with others.
Chicago's place in jazz history is secure, but it still keeps its share of musical secrets. How many people know that Von Freeman and Fred Anderson uphold the city's tradition of hard-blowing tenor saxophonists? Or that pianist John Young is still a vital, creative force on the Chicago scene? And who, besides the musicians fortunate enough to have performed with him and the jazz fan in the know, can say that they have been introduced to the singular talents of Jodie Christian?
