Doug Maine

The jazz I play is generally energetic music rooted in the past and pointing toward the future. I revere and return regularly to music by the great 20th century masters (Pops, Duke, Bird, Trane, etc.) and also seek out recordings by some of the less recognized but particularly visionary and unique artists of the past.
  In the jazz of the present, I tend to favor musicians who, like the historic giants, are creating music that reflects the times in which they live and stretches jazz in new directions, including those from diverse cultures who have been drawn to jazz, continually broadening its musical language.
  I especially enjoy exploring Latin jazz in its many varieties -- Afro-Cuban, Afro-Puerto Rican, Brazilian, Panamanian, Argentine, Iberian, etc. I try to tie various musical strands together, often on the spur of the moment, in long sets that ideally gather momentum in an entertaining and/or educational way...and if all those highfallutin' hopes don't pan out, you at least end up hearing one good tune after another.