Well as you can tell by the number of days since my last post I spoke too
soon. Just as I started feeling better I started feeling bad again. The cough
got worse and I developed a consistent sore throat. Worst of all my energy level
was ZERO so playing trumpet and jazz was the furthest thing from my mind. I
would pick the horn up for 15 or 30 minutes and blow a few long tones but that
was extent of what I could do. After a full day of work the only thing I wanted
to do was lie down and get some rest.

After struggling through that for about a week I got off my butt and went to
see the doctor this past Thursday. Apparently I had developed some sort of
infection. The doc gave me some antibiotics and the very next day I felt 75%
better. It was pretty amazing. Of course I kicked myself for not seeing someone
sooner. I will not let that happen again. I may try to tough it out a day or two
but if it persists I will be making a call to get checked out.

Saturday was my first day of solid practice on the horn. Everything felt
terrible and out of focus. I can only imagine how bad it would have been if I
didn’t pick it up at all during the sick days. At the same time it wasn’t a bad
as I thought it would be. Jazz is pretty much off the table right now as I try
my best to get back where I left off from a technical standpoint. The
unfortunate thing is I have other obligations that I neglected during my illness
that must be addressed as well. It looks like I will not be back on my normal
practice schedule until the week after next. Still, I know I will pick the horn
up more than I did the weeks before. As goofy as it sounds it felt therapeutic
to pick up the trumpet and have the energy to appreciate what I can do on it.

I’m just glad to feel like myself again. I have no doubt that I will get back
into shape and pick up this journey where I left off. I also need to get my
recording studio back and running to do some recordings. Don’t look for them too
soon though. I gotta get myself back in shape first…

On another note the Washington Post had a great article on the Master Classes
that I attend. You
can click here to read more about it.