User:Jasondcrane

I've spent the past 20 years as an advocate for, and participant in, the jazz world. I started as a professional saxophonist in 1994, and added jazz broadcasting for a series of NPR affiliates starting in 1995. I ran a nonprofit, community jazz station from 2001-2004. Since 2007, I've hosted The Jazz Session, a free podcast with more than 400 episodes and 2.5 million downloads. You can learn more about the show and my history here. I give away the show for free so that people of all income levels have access to the stories and the music.

I edit Wikipedia entries both for free and for pay. I have an expert-level knowledge of this subject (jazz) and a deep understanding of which labels and which artists are notable in the jazz world. The average Wikipedia editor can't be expected to bring an extensive knowledge of jazz to the table. That's not a criticism, just a reality. That's why I feel it's important for people like me to be involved in the creation of content about this topic.

I'm completely willing to disclose the paid nature of my contributions. I'm making Wikipedia a better place, and writing dispassionately and with extensive sourcing about music most people don't know much about. I think people like me, who have these skills, should be able to use them. And if someone who doesn't have the time or skills wants to hire me to do that, I think that's completely fine. If anything I've written is deemed questionable, then I'll happily hear the criticism, accept it where merited, and defend my writing when appropriate.

Thanks for reading. I care deeply about this music and its inclusion in the world's best information source. Jasondcrane (talk) 17:25, 19 March 2014 (UTC)