my abbreviated rap career

i have just endured a jekyll & hyde weekend - sitting through teenage boys basketball tournaments during the day, playing fun gigs with workshop at night.  the hoops tourney was out of town, which means we all coop up in a mid-level hotel (waffle maker, smallish hot tub, pretty clean environment), buy overpriced gatorade at the concession stand, and scream at the top of our lungs at middle school boys who are mortified by their folks' enthusiasm. the b-ball games and after parties (if you will) foster camaraderie between the boys while providing a social opportunity for the parents.

one of the dads asked me if i play wedding receptions.  that's an honest question, and worth an honest response.  i told him that us jazz guys don't really like playing those types of gigs because it's always the same batch of tunes for a group of people who are more excited to see you than actually hear you.  however, we sure do like the money.  he was surprised that i was more enthused about the paycheck than the playing. dare i tell him about the free food kicker?



the sad truth is that the original music gigs don't pay a ton and the standards shows help cover your bills.  it makes sense, i suppose.  people are hip to the old chestnuts and want to reminisce over their youth.  i once caught run dmc in concert back in college.  i had no interest in hearing reverend run proselytize with his new material, and i impatiently waited all the way to the curtain call to hear walk this way. other jazz fans have familiarized themselves with the some standard tunes and are ready to compare your navigation through those tunes with the historical benchmark versions they know. the folks with the deep pockets don't know our new stuff, so it's natural that they are less interested, but should money dictate our professional pursuits?

one of the workshop gigs i played was for the des moines metro arts jazz in july series.  nearly every day of the month is booked with some type of jazz entertainment from a surprisingly deep local pool; smooth jazz stuff, classic big band, blues-based groups, talented swinging crooners, danceable latin ensembles, and straight ahead combos.  i'd stop short of saying that it is a flawless system, but am certainly happy that our community is willing to get behind a true american art form instead of giving it empty lip service.

nobody i know gets duped into thinking they'll show up on an episode of cribs ("this is where the magic happens") while writing new material and reinventing song forms.  we have all come to grips with the idea that our reward is $75, a couple of drinks, and a priceless internal satisfaction that is unquenchable.  we keep hammering away at our thing, knowing that the dogmatic obstacles will eventually fall, and we continue posting our newest creations on sound cloud and various social networks, graciously revealing our visions to interested souls with that twinkle in their eye.

i ran into my friend brad rees at the gig friday, a college buddy of mine from way back in the day. he has founded and is now further developing a crafty music program at tiffin university up in ohio, zeroing in on music business and a cross-pollination of current pop material with longstanding jazz tools.  he's fighting the good fight.

money is sticky business and a necessary evil.  this tune pretty much sums it up, and that tattoo is ridiculous. devoting oneself to pursuing new art while consciously marketing it to the general public is the philosophy to which i subscribe.  it's often a long and lonesome road, but one i will tread fearlessly.  by no means do i neglect the music of the past: strayhorn, ives, miles, and debussy for starters.

the piano wizard bill evans once noted that those who look the furthest into the future reach back into the past.  i believe that the space between the two is our creative playground.