Staying Sharp Thanks to Happy Hour with Beegie

As I've noted previously, Happy Hour with Beegie, hosted by jazz pianist Beegie Adair and vocalist Monica Ramey, has been one of my musical lifelines during the COVID-19 crisis.  Not only have I learned about their featured guests, I've been introduced to a host of "new" artists with whom I wasn't familiar before.  For instance, through the Happy Hour with bassist/author Bill Crow, I learned of jazz saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, as Crow played with Mulligan and was featured on Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band at the Village Vanguard.  Most recently, on part one of Beegie's latest Happy Hour session, I heard guests composer/arranger/orchestrator/pianist Jeff Steinberg and trumpeter George Tidwell mention Esquivel, who I googled to learn was a band leader/pianist/composer and the king of space-age pop.  While I can't witness music in the flesh during this pandemic period, I am grateful to continue discovering and enjoying new-to-me artists and music history.