Jack Kerouac’s “Essentials of Spontaneous Prose,” instructed one to write “as a jazz musician drawing breath between out-blown phrases.” I like to imagine that jazz notes fit perfectly in-between the spaces of each of our inhales and exhales.  

Is there anything Fareed Haque cannot do with a guitar? The answer is seemingly "no," based on his incredibly varied musical activities, which include fronting Jam icons Garaj Mahal, guitaring for George Brooks in his Jazz band Summit and maintaining a solo career that includes duo gigs with guitarist Goran Ivanovic and recording and touring with his band, the Flat Earth Ensemble.  

If your name is Marsalis, there's only one natural creative outlet: Jazz. It almost seems that the family patriarch, pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr., was grooming a band — Branford on saxophone, Wynton on trumpet, Jason on drums and Delfeayo on trombone. But as acclaim and attention has been heaped upon the personable Branford and the militantly outspoken Wynton, Delfeayo has established himself as a gifted musician (on just three albums with a fourth in the wings) and a visionary Jazz producer.  

Jerry Beck — founder of the Cincinnati Music Foundation, better known by its stage name, Jump N' Jive Show Band — understands how the smallest thing can make a big difference in a person's life. The 72-year-old followed a path of music, and he hopes to inspire others, especially children, to develop a love for music and to have the opportunity to take up an instrument if they so wish.  

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... at least if you're looking at the upcoming club events happening over the next few weeks. On Sunday at the Blue Wisp Jazz Club, for instance, you can get in the holiday mood by checking out Pat Kelly and his PyschoAcoustic Orchestra.  

There is a saying, "The greater the risk, the greater the reward." This also applies to music. There are no longer many contemporaries of Miles Davis and John Coltrane around today, and even fewer are still actively composing and performing. David Liebman, 62, is one of those few.