The Internet is a weird place. I always had the feeling but now that most of my communication with the outside world is through the internet, I’m starting to understand the nature of this animal in the way I never have before.

I had been thinking about the internet for the past 15 years in relationship to what I do: presenting live music. Many people around me always talked about live streaming but I was never convinced. Even under the best of technical circumstances, the internet fails to communicate the urgency and joy and excitement of live music, especially in jazz. My feeling has always been, why would I want to present a water-down version of what I love?

Some might argue that access to music through streaming is valuable to those who do not have access to the City. Perhaps. But even then, I’m not convinced. I have said this before many times, but listening to Roy (Hargrove) in live setting is such a distinct experience which all types of media - be it a CD, be it a video - fail to capture and communicate in its entirety. Something is always amiss when not in the live setting. There will be people out there who would think they know Roy and his music without experiencing him live and that would be incorrect. As a presenter, I don’t really want to create an opportunity for the artists I work with to be exposed to the world under less than the best light. I mean, you can make your first impression only once.