Remember the first album you ever bought?

I do, and I still have it. Hi, I’m Syd, a lifelong music fanatic and music industry veteran.

What’s Jazz and Coffee?

Digging into albums with interesting backstories and posting a photo to Instagram was my sinister plan to woo my young daughters away from the dull, empty ease of a passive playlist to the more engaging, colorful world of Steely Dan, John Coltrane, and Led Zeppelin ALBUMS. Mission accomplished, and then the Instagram account took on a life of its own. Now 7 years old, it’s a daily album review—mostly jazz with occasional detours—rapidly approaching 21,000 followers and drawing accolades from respected influencers and producers.

Are these reviews part of your job?

Nope—my job these days is a work in progress! I started behind the cash register at a record store after school in the early 1980s. My job transformed (with a lot of hard work and a bit of luck) into a career—a journey through analog-to-digital revolutions, from physical to digital, then from downloads to streaming, allowing me to work with hundreds of artists. Nowadays, I write a lot of liner notes for labels like Blue Note, Rhino/WMG, Craft/Concord, and Strata-East.

But before I took the writing path, I was an executive working within the major label system. I’ve done marketing, strategy, and liner notes for artists across demographics and genres, from Bob Dylan to the Beastie Boys, Pink Floyd to Prince, and Yes to Yanni. Doing what you love to make a living is a privilege, and I’m grateful for the many years I've spent participating in the stories of well-established artists and those just getting started.

In all cases, the plans, brainstorms, innovations, and writing are all in service to those artists and those I’ve been privileged to work for—the goals, endgame, and rules have rarely, if ever, been of my own making.

My Instagram reviews, though, weren’t written for anyone in particular. I wanted to encapsulate what inspired me to purchase, download, or select something from the shelf. I wanted others to hear what I heard. However, I also wanted to discuss what was notable about the artist, album, label, or history behind the music that I’d learned along the way. This was particularly important if I was lucky enough to meet someone affiliated with the album and hear a factoid, story, or relevant bit of context that challenged a previously held opinion or made me want to listen to the album immediately.

I found that people reacted when I was writing without the goal of marketing, selling, hyping, or otherwise doing my JOB. Liking. Commenting. Sharing. And those first Saturday spins/posts quickly turned into Saturday AND Sunday. Then weekdays. And now, if I don’t post on any given day, the authorities come around to knock on the door for a wellness check.

So, is Instagram the single and Substack the album?

That’s an apt metaphor. This Substack is intended to augment and expand on the work I’ve started on Instagram, rather than replace it. I love the Instagram community (I’m less fond of their management decisions, though) and plan to continue. However, I’m receiving increasing requests from followers who want to go on a social media diet, take a hiatus, or quit it entirely. I also share the frustration with IG’s perpetual algorithmic riddles, which can hide, bury, or otherwise prevent posts from appearing as expected. My Substack is an option for those who want to leave social media behind.

A Jazz and Coffee Substack subscription means you’ll receive regular summaries of the Instagram happenings and posts that go much further. Deep dives into the music, artists, labels, and people that make it all happen. Playlists, videos (if I’m having a good hair day), and interviews. Plus, behind-the-scenes insights, commentary from my decades-long music industry career, and a look into the @jazzandcoffee archives as I continue to catalog a lifetime of listening and collecting. And you’ll be supporting the work that goes into crafting the reviews, bringing you closer to the music you love.

What if I’m not a jazz expert? Or hate coffee?

Inclusivity is crucial—whether you’re jazz-curious, enjoying the jazz journey but looking for directions, or a longtime pro seeking like-minded souls (or respectful disagreements), you’ve come to the right place. I’m not a musician, academic, historian, or traditional journalist—I want to make discovering your next favorite record fun and AWESOME. At the same time, I’m a big fan of finding reasons to reconnect and rediscover all those gems already on your shelf with stories and (hopefully) new context that underscore the reasons you bought them in the first place.

I don’t care how much your stereo costs, how many albums are in your library, or whether you can name every Jazz Messenger. Being a jazz enthusiast isn’t a contest or a full-contact sport. It’s not a college seminar or lecture. It’s meant to be fun. Especially if you’re the kind of person who gets home from the market with things that need to go into the refrigerator STAT, but you’re STILL sitting in the car because the song you love is on the radio, and it’s not over yet! <bonus points if you’re air drum/guitar/whatever you do while the ice cream melts, occasionally giving a sideways glance indicating to your air-roadie/sound technician that you need a bit more bass in your ear monitor>

Fun fact: I didn’t even start drinking coffee until a few years ago. Go figure.

Also, this isn’t jazz-exclusive. Jazz is certainly a focus, but with years of shopping at many fantastic record stores, tons of stories from the front lines of the shops I’ve worked at, tales from backstage, and the major label boardrooms, there’s no shortage of topics. I enjoy discussing music business happenings that are interesting to those who aren’t necessarily in the industry. I’m a Deadhead who followed the band for years, and my senior thesis for my sociology degree was about Deadheads as a social movement. I’m also a HUGE prog rock fan—Yes remains my favorite band of all time—and I love to lampoon it as much as listen to it. That applies to any music I enjoy. In other words, bring your sense of humor—you’ll need it!

One more CRUCIAL thing—music transcends format.

I’m a vinyl enthusiast who transitioned to CDs in the 80s, got involved with digital music in the mid-90s, and am now thrilled to have vinyl back in my life, alongside CDs and digital formats. By embracing the potential of each platform, I can spend less time organizing and more time listening to music! A vinyl or CD collection scattered across every surface, with media separated from jackets, would be a nightmare. That applies to downloads and streaming as well—decades of collecting, as platforms have evolved, could easily make a collection look like an arbitrary digital junk drawer. Still, I can find anything in my digital library in two clicks at most. My digital music rig sounds superb at home or on the go and coexists (with no favoritism…well, maybe a little 😉) with my beloved analog turntable and vinyl collection. As we discuss music, I’ll also offer insights into how I’ve set things up, so you can decide which format, medium, and platform is right for you—there are many solutions to hearing the right music at the right time.

Ready for adventure?

To learn more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.