The last two months have seen a significant drop in activity across Jazz Shaped; roughly around a 100% drop off. On a personal level I've taken some time to finish up my degree, secure some work and prepare myself for the kick up the arse that will be the transition into real life. I've also used this time to take a break from blogging. Towards the tail end of my last writing session I had begun to pander to the paid opportunities that came my way at the expense of the things that I was genuinely interested in. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking million pound sponsorship deals with Nike or anything, just the odd £50 John Lewis or Amazon voucher - Christ that sounds pathetic. But the lure of payment, however meager, came with a price of its own - deadlines. Before I knew it writing blog posts evoked a similar reaction to my university work.
Throughout the duration of this break I've missed some pretty fantastic records - Polar Bear and Gogo Penguin to name just two - and I'm committed to revisiting any essentials that have evaded me. I'll also be looking ahead to some great releases such as the imminent new record from The Neil Cowley Trio.
I've got some more plans for the blog (Time permitting) and I'm still not 100% sold on the #GoBuyIt feature. I want a platform to be able to showcase records which can be streamed and purchased but I don't think I've quite nailed the title as yet - any suggestions are very welcome on that one.
I'm thoroughly looking forward to getting my teeth back into the blog and having a listen to what I've missed out on in the last couple of months! Most importantly I'm looking forward to writing about some new music that is going to take the scene by storm in the latter half of 2014.
