biographies

I've had a surprising amount of fun writing these last two jazz history papers. The assignment is to write a 5-7 page biography about some important jazz musician. It's one of those things that I detest the thought of, but once I get started and actually sit down and do the work, I get really wrapped up in it. It turns out that there is a wealth of inspiration to be found in learning about the lives of past musicians. Because they are musicians, I find I can relate to them more than I had been expecting, since I am myself an up-and-coming musician, dealing with issues that musicians all have to face: how to balance your life; how to get jobs; how to have rewarding performing experiences without getting too stressed out; and ultimately, how to be a creator of music instead of just a copier.

Sonny Rollins was a jazz saxophonist from New York. What was cool about him was that he had to be in this particular zone whenever he performed, where he would let everything go and let the music speak through him. (To some extent, this is what every performer has to do.) If he didn't happen to have the right inspiration that day, the performace would be a dud, because he refused to play pre-prepared cliches. Always seeking new sources of inspiration and always striving to improve his already astounding technique, he took several sabbaticals from the jazz scene. The first time he withdrew for two years in order to practice and experiment without the pressures of performing every night. The second time he went to India and studied I guess Hinduism or Buddhism. He was a very neat guy. I loved reading the biography written about him by Eric Nisenson.

Arturo Sandoval is inspirational because of his bravery and devotion to what he believed was right. Not only was he an excellent trumpter player, but he was from Cuba, born in 1949, and lived under Castro and communist rule until 1990 when he finally managed to escape with his family while on a tour around Europe performing with Dizzy Gillespie. It's such an exciting story that they made a whole movie about it: For Love or Country. That's who I wrote about last night.

Both these guys are still alive and kicking.

It makes me curious as to what other wealth of biographical material there is out there. Maybe it would be worth exploring more this summer. It's sort of like getting to know a huge variety of people without necessarily meeting them, and it gives you ideas for what to do with your own life.

I admit there is something to be said for being forced to do things you didn't think you wanted to do. Still, freedom will be better.
Countdown to the end of institutionalized schooling... 1 week.