Thank you gentlemen for all the warm welcome. This year has been a very fortuitous one for me thus far with the increase in gigs (esp the paying ones
)and sheer variety of playing situations in general, not to mention the luxury of being able to practice on my day job more often. The more I play in public, the more confident I feel; the further I find myself letting my hair down.
Another perk I'm enjoying this year is that a couple of my friends are getting in on the action. Up til this year, I was, for the most part, the only musically inclined person in my immediate circle and that could be quite lonely sometimes. Enter my new buddy, veteran trumpeter Isaac Salgado, an accomplished salsa player with a great love of and natural feel for jazz (He sounds like a Clifford Brown- Dizzy Gillespie hybrid, scary). The studies he exposed me to rapidly increased everything- my articulation, breath control, endurance, finger & tongue dexterity, lip flexibility,melodic imagination, range, and tone production- all in under a month! Furthermore, it was through him that I accquired my vintage '47 Martin Comittee. We have a blast- I bring him to my workshops & jam sessions and he brings me to his salsa rehearsals.
Then there's Michael, a close friend since way back who's been studying the electric bass over the last year. I help him with theory while we rehearse material that we both can grasp. He even joined the church band with me; he's really coming along. And as is the case with Isaac, I have a running buddy to hit the workshops and jam sessions with.
While continuing in my persuit of trumpet mastery, I also plan in the near future to seriously get back into study on my first instrument, the piano. Among other benefits, I think that it would help to sharpen my sense of theory, my composing, and my overall musical aptitude. Diz, Miles, KD, & Brownie knew what's up!
Again thanks for the welcome and healthy chops to everyone. Peace.