Guess I was in the right place at the right time, although then, it seemed anything but. The 64-70 progression from Beatles to Hendirx to Zappa (with R&B playing steadily in the background) made the discovery of jazz at age 14 seem like the next logical step, as did the then presence of the popular "jazz-rock" horm bands. Throw in a school band program led by a club-date player w/a love for the music and a department store that was overflowing w/a seemingly endless supply of dirt-cheap jazz cutouts, and you got what in retrospect seems like destiny, even if it was in on of the most god-forsaken, backass portions on the Newknbighted States of Murrica.
So, Danielle, you're 14 now.You've got approximately 10 years to set your course in life before it gets kinda "set" to the point where making meaningful changes starts getting more difficult with each tick of the clock. Don't fuck up, ok?