My Blog
There are obviously a lot of opinions about the effectiveness and relevancy of the growing Occupy Wall Street movement. Some view it as a disorganized protest that lacks a cohesive message. Others see it as a significant outcry against an economic/political system that is run amok by greed and corruption. The debate ticks on. But meanwhile, the movement is spreading to major cities (and one Alaskan tundra) throughout the world. Even though the big picture ramifications are still uncertain, the spirit of Occupy Wall Street…
Last week, I wrote a blog post that asked the question “What is mastery?” The responses were plentiful as they were thoughtful. Many thanks to all who jumped in and helped me wrestle with this unwieldy bear. After reading through the comments, it’s clear that mastery is different things to different people. It’s a complex issue. For many, mastery equates to a certain level of finesse in technique and proficiency with one’s instrument. Of these, all agreed that mastery, by this definition, is an…
Hello people. I’m having a bit of a philosophical conundrum right now and was hopeful that you might be able to help me out with this one. If you would, please hang with me a sec while I explain. Not long ago, I attended the performance of another jazz vocalist here in the region. (For the purpose of this post, I will herby refer to this person as the “Singer.” To avoid any identification by gender, I will use the pronoun “it” as needed.…
My head is exploding with scat. And I’m not talking about animal feces. I sure hope that my head wouldn’t be exploding with that. Clearly, if this were the case, I’d be having an altogether different set of problems. Nope, what I’m talking about when I talk about scat is vocal improvisation. Yeah, that God knows this is not the first time I’ve written about scat. Scat is many things to me. It is the hip dude leaning up against the bar. It’s also a…
An Open Letter to Mademoiselle Critic If nothing else, you are indeed predictable. I had only been off the bandstand for a few brief beats and you were right there, clicking and clucking away at me. Per usual, your hair was pulled back in a tight bun. A pencil skirt hugged your freakishly thin frame. You peered over stylish glasses which were perched authoritatively just so on the end of your upturned nose. The sharp manicure made your hands look like weapons, especially…
On Saturday, October 1, my band and I will be performing “An Evening of Cole Porter” to benefit an organization that is near and dear to my heart- The Trevor Project. The performance will take place at 7pm at Egan’s Ballard Jam House. Please mark your calendars. The Trevor Project is a national organization that provides crisis intervention, suicide prevention and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. This noble institution offers a wide range of services: a 24-hour crisis hotline,…
Danielle LaPorte is my business guru. Her digital course “The Spark Kit” (formerly known as “The Fire Starter Sessions”) is easily the most inspirational and helpful guide for any entrepreneur looking to fire up and build an authentic, satisfying and successful business. (If you’re not yet hip to Danielle, I strongly urge you to visit her website: www.whitehottruth.com. Pure gold.) Danielle has changed the way I think about my life and my work and has empowered me in more ways than I can articulate…
Over the weekend, I was writing in mud. I spent over seven hours in front of my computer, toiling away on something that should have taken me an hour and a half or two hours to finish. I battled with every word, for the most part unsuccessfully. They stood stubbornly in the distance, flipping me the middle finger. It’s actually been like this for about a week now. I keep pushing down on the gas pedal. The gears grind and grind but I can’t…
It’s been a bit of a grim summer. With the relentless news of an economy trembling on the brink and a political divide that seems to grow uglier by the day, a gloomy pall has settled over our collective psyche. We’re fatigued. We’re weary. We’re increasingly frustrated with a situation that is, by and large, impossibly out of our hands. There is a pervasive sense of scarcity and fear across the land. In such an environment, it’s easy to succumb to cynicism or despair. But…
Today I’m thinking about venues that present live music verses venues that are pro- music. The former hires musicians to play in their clubs, throws some coin to the band (And, if the band is lucky, a meal and a few drinks.) and folds live music into the overall ambiance of the environment. The bottom line in these joints is usually food and drink sales. The more bodies the band can put in the seats, the better. The latter, however, is specifically about the music.…
