trumpetdiva1

Ingrid,

Clark Terry says “imitate, assimilate, and innovate.” How long did it take you to emerge and find your own voice where you felt like you had reached the innovation stage? Do you remember the exact moment in time you reached it? How many years? Can you emerge with your own style without composition skills? I would think that you need both, but I am not sure that it is always true. Is this combination what makes it truly innovative?

Finally, I agree with John in that there is so much out there to “absorb” (Clark Terry’s “assimilate”) that I just decided to focus on Art Farmer, Thad Jones, and Kenny Dorham for some time, thanks to Michael McLaughlin’s ideas from the “What Have You Been Listening to Lately?” thread, but I will throw in a few others like Chet so that I can get more stuff under my belt before it becomes too hard. I have only done a few transcriptions and some memorization of solos. I’ve noticed that it has increased my accuracy when I go to play written music. It is time to go transcribe and get more ear training down.

Janell