take the plunge

happy quadrennial bonus day.  we usually celebrate daylight savings time when we fall back, grimace when we spring ahead. but here's your chance - what to do with an extra day?

me personally?  thanks for asking.  watch the morning news, chug some coffee, study spelling in the car before dropping the kids off at school, eat some cereal, hoof it to school, coach aeolian song, lead two combo rehearsals, teach woodwind methods, respond to a bajillion emails, run a jazz band rehearsal, eat indian food, change into my dress clothes, repark my car, put on a jazz combo concert, thank everyone for coming, put away the gear, go home, change into my sweatpants, do a load of laundry, start reading hunger games.

i am a big fan trying new things.  i am fascinated with how the mind works and am always down for a personal adventure. people say you should break up your routine to keep your thoughts fresh.  i really do try brushing my teeth with the other hand, slipping my jeans on starting with the right leg, threading my belt the other way, eating my captain crunch with a fork, and even driving without texting.

a gift from Alexa.  i keep candy in it so i can function.

i like to challenge myself with new ideas, new ways of thinking.  start writing a tune with the bass line first. solo with just my left hand.  play every third bar, whether i want to or not.  no roots.  practicing arbitrary concepts puts your head in a different space that you might not have been privy to before.  i have discovered that trying new things regularly helps me further confirm my musical concepts.  beware of erring to the extreme; never committing to a path and, subsequently, never learning its nooks & crannies.

calculated risks are worth taking, be it jimmy snuka going superfly or the triple lindy to win the championship.  i encourage my students to follow my lead on this stuff, reminding them that when they try something new and it fails -nobody comes up from the audience and socks you in the face for taking a chance in your solo.  not yet anyway.

i listened to this album today.  wonderful interplay and clever writing from one of the most forward thinking musicians of today.  thanks dave - i see your bet and i'll raise you.