New York Times, Monday, July 26, 2021

I'm delighted to be making my NYT crossword debut!

I started working on this puzzle in early 2020 when I found myself taking care of my newborn daughter and stuck in a lockdown at the same time. To any new parents out there: constructing crosswords is a quiet activity that is perfect for when you're rocking a sleeping infant.

This theme started as a long list of "musical" puns — I majored in music in college, so it felt appropriate. I quickly realized that the theme needed to be trimmed down from an orchestra to a three-member combo. Hopefully, this trio can convince you to support their JAZZ SHOW!

Thanks to everyone who helped with this puzzle: the editing team (particularly for making the clues more Monday-friendly), the team at XWord Info for their invaluable resources, and my wife Ali for her early input and help polishing the fill.

Such an entertaining concept, three jazz musicians selling themselves, the trumpeter offering to TOOT HIS OWN HORN, the bassist saying he'll PULL SOME STRINGS, and the percussionist promising to DRUM UP BUSINESS. I've heard some theme pitches along this line but assembling these in the guise of a JAZZ trio is excellent.

Tough presentation for a Monday, though. It's unusual to get a revealer split between the first and last Across locations, and the themers felt a lot like three mini-quote puzzles. I had to solve using only Downs for most of the puzzle, each phrase not making itself clear until most of the letters were in place.

I don't mind a (much) harder puzzle on a Monday once in a blue moon, but this one would have been more welcoming to newer solvers if the clues had included "trumpeter," "bassist," and "percussionist." I get the inclusion of JAZZ / SHOW to bulk up the theme, but there's no shame in a more spartan 14 /15 /14 puzzle. That is much thinner than average, but it would have made for a reasonable theme set.

Not nearly as many long bonuses as I expect out of a puzzle with only three long themers, but that's okay for a debut. What's much more important is that the fill is accessible to newer solvers, and it generally was. I worried that hitting APSO right away might give people an excuse to go do something else, but thankfully, that was more a blip than a pattern, with only some dabs of ELAL and FOO elsewhere.

NICE JOB on the debut! I'd have suggested some adjustments to the grid skeleton, like shifting themers so you don't start out with a inflexible O???U pattern at 39-Down right off the bat, but those will come with time.