Confessions of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Woman

In addition to my love of Jazz, I also love rock ‘n’ roll… from stuff that goes back to the origins like Muddy Waters, to 50’s doo-wop to Motown, through the Beatles, Stones, Led Zep, Sting, etc., etc.

But I gotta confess — I am also a disco fan (and funk too!). That’s right, you heard me. I grew up in the disco era, and so I suppose that’s part of the reason — but only part.

I used to go out dancing a lot and always had a blast. It gave me a feeling of abandon, freedom, joy. My friends and I worked hard and we partied hard too. One night at Palladium, I remember thinking, ‘this moment in time will soon be over and I’d better enjoy it as long as possible’. (I didn’t know how right I was.)

I’ve got some friends who don’t know this about me because they were ‘anti-disco’, which while typing it out seems absolutely ludicrous. I mean, you don’t like something, that’s okay, don’t buy it, don’t listen to it, who cares… There were some who said things like, ‘but the songs don’t mean anything.’ But it wasn’t music to feed your head, it was music for your physical being, so you could feel the music make you move and feed your soul in a different way. Besides there were songs that have meaning, i.e., “I Will Survive”, “Shining Star”, etc. My theory about the whole disco-sucks thing is that only folks who couldn’t (or wouldn’t) dance, felt that way.

If I’m listening to an old song like, “Shake Your Groove Thing” or “Always and Forever”, it takes me right back to that time and place. The lights, the loudness, the heat, intensity, the fun and my friends, some of whom have already left the planet.

Sometimes I catch a glimpse of folks looking at me strangely on the bus because I’m busily bopping away to the tunes on my little MP3 player. (Whatever type of tunes they may be… Satchmo swings out, and I’ve gotta move.)

I don’t care… Life is too short to *not* be dancing when the music plays.