CybeRiffs

Editors Note: One of DigitalBoy's favorite expressions is, "Jazz, man. It's jazz, man." Indeed, the www is much like Jazz--open, evolutionary, and free (for now). Following are links to Jazz on the Internet beginning with these key sites that will open up the Jazz universe.

Join DigitalBoy now on his virtual music crusade. Be brave.

The Mining Co. Jazz Site: A navigable yet detailed, comprehensive list of relevant sites and full artist features edited by Blaine Fallis. A portal, if you will, to the cyber jazz.

Jazz Online: Jazz here is celebrated as a living entity, with a special emphasis on young, contemporary performers. JazzTimes magazine houses its on-line version here. Reviews, artist bios, music clips, events and club listings, radio links, and more.

InterJazz is another gateway to the Jazz world with an emphasis on the musicians, online performances, and user chats. Still plenty of resources and links to browse.

Then there's the JazzWeb, a user-built volunteer project. The end goal of the JazzWeb is to contribute to the fantasy of finding all answers to all questions on demand. What's here are unique, individual links to sites hidden deep in space the portals may miss but meaningful none the less. Patience is required.

Harmony Central is a playground for gear heads--serious gear heads with a bad case of the "wants". The site features the latest even daily product releases from the universe of musical instrument manufacturers with separate departments for guitars, amps, keyboards, drums, effects, software, recording, product reviews, and even guitar tablatures.

There are also links to musician communities, chat rooms, and forums. A "Services" site includes a buyer's guide (how to), classifieds, a site to submit musician ads, retailers and dealer maps, and more services. There are extended features such as "The Art of keeping Band Members" and "Pentium III Preview" about the impact Intel's latest processor design will have on making music with a computer?