I have officially performed in my first small combo jazz gig. On Sunday, November 14th, I played with my Jazz Band Master Class at a place called 49 West Coffee House in Annapolis Maryland. The weeks before the concert I spent a lot of time preparing for the tunes which included: Freddie Freeloader, Summertime, Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves, Blues in the Closet, Tenor Madness, Take the A Train and Watermelon Man. As a result, I never really got nervous about it until 5 minutes before the start time. Once we dug in and started playing the first tune the nervousness was gone. I was lost in the music. I had a fantastic time and the crowd seemed to enjoy it as well.
Of course there were some things that I did not like. The biggest was endurance. After the 4th tune I was feeling it and had to keep my solos down to a minimum of 2 choruses. During that time, I didn’t stretch out much because I didn’t know if I could pull it off or not. I had a lot of ideas that I did not play because I was tired. Granted, it was a 90 minute gig playing 8 tunes with 2 or 3 minute breaks in between songs, I feel I need to continue to work on things to increase my endurance.
The other complaint was I couldn’t hear myself. I felt like my sound got lost in the room. In an effort to not “blast” everyone in the front rows, I played into my stand a lot. I got some good advice on how to address this for the next time. I checked with a few people after the gig and they said they could hear me just fine.
So complaints aside, it was a good performance. More than anything it affirmed that I love jazz and playing the trumpet. At the same time I feel like there is so much MORE inside that I’m not communicating. I’m tired of using baby talk during improvisation. I feel like it is time to use full sentences. It really showed me some things that I need to work on – so the mission continues. I start my REGULAR trumpet lessons this week, so I look forward to more focused study. I am tired of floundering in the practice room.
Special thanks to my wife Kathy, my mom, Gerald, Karen and Mark for coming out to support me. It really meant a lot to look out in the audience and see you there. Next time I will have even more to say “musically.”
To Jeff Antoniuk – thanks for providing a great outlet for aspiring musicians to meet and make music.
Last but not least special props to my band mates – Lorenzo, Mike, Elaine, Jack, Lakin and Eyre. I leave each of you with this quote:
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. – Theodore Roosevelt (The Man in the Arena)
No matter what each of you think of our collective or your own individual performance – the bottom line is we got out there and presented the music honestly with the tools that we have at our disposal. It takes guts and a love of music to do that. Let’s use the experience to work harder to improve. Onward and upward.
On a side note I hope to create a photos section on this web site so I can share more gig pictures. Keep your eyes out for that in the near future.