{"id":25705,"date":"2018-07-25T08:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-07-25T12:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yiddishecup.com\/blog\/?p=25705"},"modified":"2023-05-23T07:57:59","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T11:57:59","slug":"the-human-jazz-encyclopedia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yiddishecup.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/25\/the-human-jazz-encyclopedia\/","title":{"rendered":"THE HUMAN JAZZ ENCYCLOPEDIA"},"content":{"rendered":"

 
\nMichael \u201cMoon\u201d<\/strong><\/span> Stevens has an almost photographic memory for jazz facts. Moon gets most of his information from reading jazz bios and LP liner notes. Moon grew up in Flint, Michigan, and knew John Sinclair, a well-known jazz aficionado. I’m not sure why Moon is “Moon.” I see him about once a year, when he visits family in Cleveland. Moon is a painter at the Los Angeles airport. Moon was talking to his brother-in-law, Lewis, and me about Albert Ayler, Pharaoh Sanders, Joe Maneri, Charlie Parker, Roland Kirk and Bill Evans. Lewis mentioned Bill Evans was Jewish.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know Evans is Jewish, Lewis?” I said. “Do you wake up in the morning and wonder who\u2019s Jewish, and who isn\u2019t?” I do. But why would Lewis, who isn’t Jewish. Neither is Moon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in Greenwich Village,” Lewis said. “New York was a very Jewish town when I grew up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf somebody<\/strong><\/span> shoots somebody, or if somebody wins the Nobel Prize, I wonder if the guy is Jewish,” I said. “That’s my M.O.”<\/p>\n

Moon said, \u201cBill Evans wasn\u2019t Jewish. His father was Welsh and his mother was Russian Orthodox.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis corroborated this on Google.<\/p>\n

Impressive, Moon.<\/p>\n

—-<\/span><\/p>\n

Was Dave Brubeck Jewish? Here’s that one . . .<\/span><\/p>\n

\n