J. Robert Bragonier

I was born and raised in Iowa but have lived in the greater Los Angeles area since 1970. In 2002 I retired as Director of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services; I was Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UCLA School of Medicine for 32 years.

I began playing the piano at age 4, the trombone at age 11, and the vibraphone during college. I have loved jazz for more than 50 years, working my way through both college and medical school as a "disc jockey" of jazz and classical music on FM stations in Iowa and Nebraska. I have accumulated a collection of jazz and classical music that approximates 6,000 pieces. For the past decade and a half I have been a regular contributor to multiple jazz forums and lists on the Internet, reviewing jazz concerts and newly released CDs for CompuServe, then www.52ndstreet.com (where I serve as Forum Moderator), and here at All About Jazz, where I have also conducted jazz interviews. In addition, I am currently teaching The History of Jazz through the South Bay Adult School in south Los Angeles County.

My wife of nearly 45 years, Barbara (a retired University Professor and Counselor), and I have three grown children, five grandchildren, and a great-grandchild on the way!

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