“Some will tell you, some will tell you
Tell you what you really want ain’t on the menu
Don’t believe them, don’t believe them
Cook it up yourself and then prepare to serve them”
Buffy Sainte-Marie  “Jeremiah”

So last year a group of us decided to start a website.  It wasn’t that simple, of course.  Nobody woke up one morning, called a group of friends and said, “Hey, let’s start a website.”  Several of us had been involved in smooth jazz for awhile as writers, in radio, or working with websites and marketing.  Others were fans who had started to write. Most of us were writing for other websites or publications.   That was quite gratifying and fun, but like any other job, sooner or later you start to think about what it would be like to be your own boss.

More than that, though, we were noticing trends, and a vision was starting to develop.  When it came to new media - websites, internet radio stations, indie publications and such - smooth jazz always had an image problem and was falling even further out of fashion.  Coverage of smooth jazz seemed to affirm a narrow range of stereotypes… that it is relaxing background music; that it is attached to a specific “lifestyle;” and, that you have to be “sophisticated and upscale” to enjoy it.  That is one small facet of an extremely multifaceted genre.

Listen to more than just the “single“ on any given CD, attend enough concerts and watch the musicians and the people in the audience, talk to the artists, and it is obvious that these preconceptions barely skim the surface.  Going beneath and beyond that surface was the niche that was waiting to be filled.  Share the music from a diverse and inclusive perspective.  Give the musicians a chance to talk about the creative process as well as their thoughts and insights on music and its role in their lives.  Turn people on to new releases and significant ones from the past.  Write about concerts and encourage people to experience them for themselves.  And on top of that, make ‘em think and make ‘em laugh.

Having a vision is one thing.  Making it happen involves a daunting set of creatively challenging, time-consuming tasks, especially when it involves putting up a website.  You have to name it, design it, get it online and accessible.  Then you have to maintain it and keep it interesting.  We were lucky and blessed that we had a professional in the group.   Elizabeth not only knew how to design a website and get it up and running, she had a completely original eye for graphics and visual presentation.   That big hurdle out of the way, we had to come up with content.   Bonnie, Harvey, Mary and Susan were freelancing for other sites and willing to add us to their agendas.  Randall was willing to provide some laughs for the Lighter Side feature.  Then we had to find artists who would take a leap of faith and be interviewed for a site that didn’t exist yet and was being created by a group of people who were not even close to being “Almost Famous.”  Dave Koz, Al Jarreau and Steve Oliver agreed to become our “launch angels.”  To this day it remains dazzling that all three of them were not just willing to take the time to do interviews, but were so supportive during the process.  Having them represent us in our debut was an inspiration.   If they were willing to take a chance with us, we had to make it worthwhile and continue to live up to the standards we were in the process of setting.

So here we are at our first anniversary.  We’ve been around for a year, a milestone.  But it seems like every time you turn around someone is declaring a milestone.  Stores have a big anniversary sale.  Then two weeks later, they have a founder’s day sale.  In school every grade seems to have a big graduation ceremony.  Advertisers urge couples to celebrate not just their wedding anniversary, but the anniversary of their first date, the proposal, and their first vacation together.  Every day seems to be some type of holiday or tribute day.  Maybe it isn’t overkill, though.  Things change so fast and move forward so rapidly that we need to throw in markers along the way and celebrate them, because the nagging voice from the other side of the marker is saying “Next....!”  But teams celebrate victories, and sticking around is a victory.

It’s easy to come up with a bright idea, but it takes persistence and dedication to keep it going.  Working as a group in cyberspace, when we are spread out geographically and most of us have not spent “face time” together, is something to celebrate too.  Group dynamics are hard enough when you can communicate face-to-face.  Teamwork via email, chats, and spreadsheets is more complex.  You can’t see faces or body language.  You don’t know what everyone else has been through on any given day, and we all have our off days.  You just know that there has to be a certain amount of interviews, reviews, and other features ready to roll on the first of the month, and it is up to you as a group to get them done.

That’s where gratitude comes in... lots of gratitude.  The website itself is our gratitude list.   We are grateful to every artist who has done an interview; the management, PR, and promotion people who have helped us schedule interviews and put us on the guest lists for concerts; and, the artists and record companies who have sent us music.   We are grateful to everyone listed on the links page: other writers who have inspired us; websites that have each added their perspective to the mix; broadcasters and webcasters who get the music heard; and, concert venues and festival producers.   We are grateful to those who will be on the links page in the future, because they are creating something new at this moment.

When it comes to music and media, fragmentation is the new reality.  Even the smallest fragment has the potential to make a significant contribution.  And of course we are grateful to you, the readers.  We would love to invite you over to listen to music, take you to a concert, or invite you to join in on a conversation with your favorite musician, but outside the realm of fantasy and science fiction, the logistics and scheduling aren’t possible yet.  Without you it would be like throwing a big party and having nobody show up.  So we hope you are enjoying the party, and we promise to do all we can make it bigger, better and even more fun during the coming year.

- Shannon West