...or was it?
The first music I heard as a small kid at home was contemporary radio music in the late '70s and early '80s, mainly "Schlager" and traditional "Bavarian Folkmusic" on the mighty radio channel "Bayern 1". And I still listen to Bayern 1 today since they have changed their program, removing Schlager and Folkmusic and instead playing Oldies from the '80s and before.
... kind of:
But then, at around 12 years old, I got my first stereo system and some LPs. This opened the world of Pop and Rock music to me - Queen, Dire Straits, Bruce Springsteen, The Ramones. I bet you still remember your first LP or CD (if you are that old...). I imagine that the first MP3 or the first stream has lost that emotional value.
These songs resonated in my ears from then on. It was powerful music for me, even though I didn't understand all the lyrics at that young age. Later, Grunge came and hit me with its raw dark power. Other genres have always been mixed in: Pop, Rock'n'Roll, Disco, and there has always been a fascination for everything swinging (or at least what I thought of as "swing", Knoff Hoff anyone?).
Once you start collecting records you learn more and more about Jazz and Blues.
John Mayall
All about that bass
Good music, for me, not only had to be well-performed but also had to sound great, especially with the reproduction of all the bass frequencies that could be felt. In my late teens, there were four 12-inch bass speakers in my 16m^2 room. For the following years, I chased the "High End" by buying expensive CD players and building my own loudspeakers with high-quality materials. I also delved into relevant literature, including album reviews of excellent Jazz CDs.
I wanted to hear that good sound, so now and then, I bought some Jazz CDs. For example, this heavy stuff: The Montreal Tapes: with Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Paul Motian. At first, I was searching for the audio quality of that CD, as the music wasn't my cup of tea. But by listening to it over and over again, it grew on me, and over time, found its way into my heart.
This happened with many CDs; I came to appreciate Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Weather Report, and many others. You will be able to read about them here on my blog.
That old Jazz is my new Music
And now, my Spotify library reaches from The Kinks and The Ramones to The Pixies, The Cure, The Police, Foster The People, The Cab Calloway Orchestra, and The Jazz Messengers. I still love listening to my Spotify "Time Capsule" playlist; it's filled with plenty of great music, old and new, from the Pop and Rock genres.
However, I've noticed that there are almost no songs on this playlist that were released after 2000. Surprisingly, I don't miss them much. Even Alternative Rock and Nu Metal from that period don't resonate with my liking. So, when I'm in search of "new" music, meaning: something I haven't heard before, I find myself exploring old Jazz. It has so much to offer and discover. It keeps me constantly curious, and I'm excited about diving deeper into this genre.
Outlook
I will keep on listening to and playing my bass to all kinds of music. You will be able to read about it here on this blog.