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Text version of the episode:
Growing up I was constantly exposed to music. My parents have always been the type of people who keep music playing in the house, and I’ve picked up that habit too – it’s really amazing to me when I encounter people who don’t like music, or don’t have the habit of listening to music all the time. My partner likes music, too, it’s actually one of the first things that attracted me to her when we met. She’d play her playlists and I’d recognize half the songs – nothing lets you know you align with someone more then liking the same kinds of music.
My Dad was really into jazz when I was growing up. He likes all kinds of jazz – smooth jazz, bebop, the stuff playing on NPR – anything. I’ve always had an affinity for jazz as well, even though the kinds of jazz I’ve played in the house has grown and changed over the years, and other things will always be favorites.
When I think about what my family's favorite song is, it’s got to be a long, long list. One song near the top though is definitely “Mas Que Nada”, the Al Jarreau version – its really something special. When I was a little kid and my Mom was working long hours, my Dad would put Mas Que Nada on full blast from the living room speakers, which were four feet tall wooden standalones with black speaker screens across the front, and books or candles or decorates always sitting on top of them. My Dad had what seemed like an entire wall of music equipment all hooked up in the living room, around the TV. I couldn’t tell you what half the boxes did – seems like he had a mixer, an amplifier and a CD changer? But when I was a kid it seemed like an entire wall of sound machines that made music come from the sharp plastic disks that were supposed to stay inside their cases when they weren't in the CD player, and turned it into an electronic signal through all the boxes and wires, and come out as something so beautiful on the other side.
Through the last 30 years of my life I feel like music has always, always been there, and I’ll always be so grateful for the gift of loving music that my parents imparted to me.