BeatCaffeine’s Jazz Dance Running Playlist
This past Sunday, March 19, 2023, I ran the Oakland Half Marathon, as a part of the week-long Oakland Running Festival. The weather was a little rainy and windy this year, but overall it’s a really great annual event that I highly recommend checking out and participating in.
Over the last decade, I’ve been a consistent runner who now averages anywhere between 20-30 miles of running each week. Not only is it great for fitness, for me, I find that it provides mental and spiritual fulfillment as well. Usually, I start my day off with a 5 mile run so that no matter what happens during that day, positive or not-so-positive, I know I did something for myself and in a world where people, jobs, society and others are trying to compete for you time and attention, I find that setting aside at least one thing per day just for you, is extremely important for your well being.
I also find this a great time to listen to my favorite online radio shows like Colin Curtis’s Jazz Dance & Fusion, Kev Beadle’s Mind Fluid, Gilles Peterson’s Thursday Worldwide FM or Saturday’s BBC show, David Patterson’s Cosmic Echoes, Patrick Forge’s NTS show and others.
Sometimes, however, I like to listen to a playlist I put together about a year ago, which features a number of my favorite and most upbeat jazz dance tracks. On marathon race days, this is always my go-to playlist because it allows me to control when I might “need” a certain track to help me get through certain parts of the course (especially those middle and last couple of miles). I figured I would share this playlist in hopes that it could serve as a soundtrack option for others, or just an enjoyable listening experience for those that like jazz primed for the dancefloor.
Enjoy, and hopefully I see some of you on the trail!
To learn more about Bay Area Marathons, visit these sites:
Berkeley Half Marathon
Oakland Marathon
San Francisco Marathon
BeatCaffeine Jazz Dance Running Playlist
(Compiled by TJ Gorton)
