It is an exciting time of the year to be a hoser jazz composer...Juno nominees, National Jazz Awards...etc.

My excitement deflated a little tonight when I was in the magazine shop flipping through the new Coda magazine (one of my favourites magazines)

They had all their writers choose their top 10 discs of 2003.

Was it that bad a year in Canada?? I could only find about five records by Canadian artists, total in everyone's lists. (approximately 20 writers, more than half were Canadians)

What is that?

How hard would it be to include a few of the great Canadian discs from last year in each list. Is there no home-team spirit?

I was so angry, I bought a British jazz magazine instead. (twice the price too) They celebrate their own cover to cover. So do Europeans and so do Americans.

I am not suggesting people like them because they are Canadian. It takes a little extra effort to find recordings here and I am suggesting it's worth the effort.

tim