This album is available only as a digital download
As a teenager I was passionate about two things in life - playing jazz and running track. From 1968 to 1972 I ran track for New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn, New York. I was named captain of the track team and the cross country team for my junior and senior years. One of my fondest running memories was breaking the freshman school record for the half mile. That was the first milestone I achieved in running! I had many more memorable races during those four years . After high school I did not run again until I was 54 years old - Yes, thirty six years later! I was feeling out of shape and decided to start walking on a regular basis. One day after working out for several months, I decided to run for one minute. My wife thought I was crazy. This one minute run eventually led to my second incarnation of running and my wife’s first. This time around is very different than my high school career as I now run mostly for fun and to stay in shape. But I still have that old a competitive streak in me. Just ask my wife how I run a race and she will definitely confirm my competitiveness! In fact, we both have won trophies in several different races.
The world has changed a lot since the early 1970’s. The amount of people running now compared to the 1970’s has dramatically increased. For example in 1970, 127 people ran the New York Marathon compared to the tens of thousands that now run it each year. There have also been many new technical advances over the last forty years. As a musician, the one advancement that has excited me the most is the invention of the IPod along with Nike + and the ability to listen to music while running. What a joy it is having a device to monitor my runs, document them, encourage me, keep time for me and allow me to listen to my favorite music while I run. I could never have even imagined this in my wildest dreams as a teenager.
As a jazz musician and a runner, it was only natural for me to want to incorporate the music with the running. My wife, Linda Presgrave, is also a jazz pianist and a runner, and we both love to run to music. We handpicked the jazz tunes on this CD that we thought would be good for running . Then we tested them in different combinations on many of our runs. We finally came up with this CD entitled “Running with Jazz” that we both love to use on our runs. Try it - you just might love it too!
Stan Chovnick
** This recording is dedicated to the loving memory of my parents Ruby and Pearl Chovnick and to the memory of my first track coach Stanley Silberg. Mr. Silberg taught me the value of hard work and showed me that I could push myself beyond what I thought was possible in order to achieve more in running and in life.
Stan Chovnick