Twelve Years of You: A Moment 4 Jazz

Twelve years ago today, Mac Miller—correction, Larry Lovestein—dropped the EP You with The Velvet Revival. Five extraordinary tracks that have spun on my record player countless nights, the lights dim and the vibes just right.

While Mac often sprinkled bits of jazz into his work, especially in his later years, You was a pure moment for jazz, track four reminds us. I remember turning on this EP while taking piano lessons a few years ago and asking my teacher, Jabari, to teach me one of the songs. I love jazz, but I'm no savant like Jabari. When I told him it was Mac Miller, he was impressed. "This is Mac Miller? OK MAC, go off."

This project was a turning point for me personally. Mac has inspired me for over thirteen years, but revisiting this album in particular (after finding it on vinyl), nudged me to reintroduce piano into my life—a passion of younger me that I’d let slip away since. In a world where we’re often told to "niche down" and become masters of one thing, You reminded me that I can pursue a variety of interests and let them shape who I am.

In my last piece about music genres, I explored how artists push boundaries and merge different influences to create something entirely unique. Mac did just that here. So, if you haven’t yet checked out You, wait until the evening, light a candle, relax, and let yourself explore something new, just as Mac’s work has always encouraged me to do.

Here’s to the music that inspires us to live fully, pursue varied passions, and—most importantly—keep creating.