| Whilst at Eastman I attended a master class by jazz pianist Phil Markowitz (Dave Liebman and the Vanguard band and Mel Lewis et al, he was also an Eastman grad). He had a quartet with Bob Moses on drums-he was a whole OTHER thing, but before Moses took over Phil said something that has stuck with me over the years. He said sometimes you get to a point where the music and your instrument are just too much and you have to get away. He said go somewhere new, take a vacation, meet people, hang out, do completely different things, let the instrument go. Then, he said, when you pick it back up just do fun stuff, play tunes you like, fool around just for fun and the pleasure of it. Because, in the end, one is really in it for the fun and every so often particularly when you're in the treadmill of making a living for a long time it's good and even essential to just get back to the fun aspect and recharge. I can't rightly remember the last time I did that so maybe it's time. I feel a trip to Mexico coming on. The last time we went last year was a totally fun trip, losing myself in a completely different musical world.
Michael McLaughlin
No man goes before his time - unless the boss leaves early.
Groucho Marx
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Chicago MM |