I remember playing a lot of gigs with the great hammond b-3 organ master, Gene Ludwig about 10 years ago. We did dozens of daytime school concerts and sessions at night in clubs. Also, when I got invited to the Montreux Jazz Festival, I took Gene over to play with me in a quartet.

Gene had been playing over 40 years. He used to be in Sonny Stitt's band. I was in awe to be playing with someone from Stitt's band.

It was so great to be around a cat like that. After all of those years of playing and practicing, Gene was still hungry to learn more everyday. Often we would go on the gig and play tunes in every key.

It's difficult to call up a tune that he doesn't know. Usually, he only wants to know what key......

Went to the DVD rental shop near the house and picked up George Benson Absolutely Live. Sometimes people ask who my favorite musician is. That's a very tough question. How can you answer that question? But, over the past 2-3 years, I've really thought about it a lot. Especially after watching this DVD of his live concert in Ireland and the interview, I have to say without question, my favorite musician is George Benson.

Understanding comes through awareness. Can we, then, approach our experience-our sensations, feelings and thoughts-quite simply, as if we had never known them before, and, without prejudice, look at what is going on? You may ask, "Which experiences, which sensations and feelings, shall we look at?" I will answer, "Which ones can you look at?" The answer is that you must look at the ones you have now.

There is no experience but present experience. What you know, what you are actually aware of, is just what is happening at this moment, and no more.
Wisdom of Insecurity, pg 81

We are clever. We think we can do many things at once. The big word now is multi-tasking. I was crossing the street recently and was almost run over by a car. As I looked into the car going by I could see that the driver was reading a book AND driving at the same time. But, really? At the same time? We think we can split ourselves in half.

Watts writes.....

We are seeing, then, that our experience is altogether momentary. From one point of view, each moment is so elusive and so brief that we cannot even think about it before it has gone.
Wisdom OF Insecurity, pg 82

While you are watching this present experience, are you aware of someone watching it? Can you find, in addition to the experience itself, an experiencer? Can you, at the same time, read this sentence and think about yourself reading it? You will find that, to think about yourself reading it, you must for a brief second stop reading. The first experience is reading. The second experience is the thought, "I am reading."
Wisdom Of Insecurity, pg 83

I thought about this often. How can I read a tune that I only vaguely know, perform all the tasks that are involved with blowing the trumpet, listen to the piano player, listen to the bass player and drummer all in the same moment? Seems to me that while I'm looking at the music and processing the information on the paper (chord changes, related scale options, melody, melodic options based off the melody, etc), the moment of creation and communication with the other musicians has passed me by. So, I'm not actually in the moment but, reacting to what has just happened. I'm not the cause. I'm the effect. I can't imagine NBA players going up and down the court with the "playbook" in one hand and trying to improvise with 4 other guys doing the same thing. I like to watch carpenters. But, I very rarely see them with a blueprint in their hand while they are hammering some 2x4's together. They have already studied the plan and come to work prepared to cause something to happen.

It's impossible to be looking at a tune that you don't know, that you haven't absorbed, and effectively communicate with the other "cats" on the bandstand. Period.

I did a gig recently with a singer and her band. She was apologizing to me on the bandstand because she didn't have copies of all the songs for me. She was busy running around in front of the audience passing out tunes to the band. I told her not to worry about it. I didn't really want all that paper in front of me anyway. She said she had heard from a lot of my students that I hate to have music on the bandstand. Well....that's right. With gigs being set-up 2-4 months in advance, I can't understand why a bandleader can't sit down and decide what they want to do on the gig. Maybe, give a list of tunes and keys to players in advance. Of course, if these are players that know tunes, then it's not necessary. But, no one knows every tune. If a bandleader wants to do originals and/or original arrangements of standards, why not put a "book" together. Years ago, I always used to hear musicians talking about trying to learn and/or memorize the music in so-and-so bandleader's "book".

I did a few gigs with the great drummer, Tommy Campbell's band. He had me to come over to his house about 2 months before the gig. Gave me a nice folder with all the music and had 2 discs of music for me to study. This was his "book". The Tommy Campbell band "book". He had obviously put a lot of time into preparing his "book" for all the guys in the band. I worked on that music 1-2 hours /day for 2 months before the gig. Mannn, when I did that gig I felt so relaxed and ready to make music. He is a professional. He has put thought into his project. His project is important to him and when he brings you "in", you can feel that he is totally committed to this "thing" being done on a high level. He doesn't come down to your level. His energy forces you to raise the "level of your game."

Recently, did a tour that started with 1 1/2 days of rehearsal, a day-off and then 3 weeks of concerts. There were really some wonderful players in the band. So, I didn't want to be distracted by having the sheet music for 12 songs in front of me every night. So, during the first 3-4 days, I memorized all the tunes and was able to just relax and focus on what was going on around me AND it freed me up to be aware of the energy in the room....the audience.

As a teacher, I've been observing students coming into final exams with music for a 32 bar tune. I'm thinking.....WHAT! You have 12 weeks to get a tune together and now you come into perform for us with the music and a play-a-long CD. Sheet music and no "live" musicians to communicate with. What are we teaching young people now? Seems like that idea of being totally "in the moment" and communicating with others is given the lowest priority.

I used to go 2-3 times a week to "hang" with my R&B buddies. Never did see any paper on the bandstand. Never did see a singer looking at the words on the bandstand. It would have never been tolerated in the context of what they were doing. A context of excellence. A context that said, "You better get your crap together at home before the gig or you might not have a gig to come to next week."

I go to hear a rock band....I don't see any paper. Rock musicians talk about their "project." They have "project" bands. Maybe they rehearse in somebody's basement for 2-3 years before they ever play live. A project. Intention. Preparation. Band sound.

I go to a festival and hear some country bands. I don't see any paper.

I go to a classical recital and hear a pianist play from memory for 2 hours.

One last point. The first gig I did in Tokyo 7 years ago was a trio (trumpet, bass, and piano) gig at a very small club in Ikebukuro. The music charge was about $60. I was in shock! I couldn't believe ANYONE would pay $60 to come and hear me play. Well, it was a fun evening and the place was full. But, during the last 7 years I've paid attention to the high prices that customers have had to pay to come out and listen to and support what we are doing. However, time and time again, I feel like the band doesn't put much thought and/or preparation into the performance. Everyone (musicians) shows up at 5pm. Pass out some music. We stumble through some tunes for 90 minutes. Take a break. And then come back and try to be spontaneous and creative on material that really hasn't been absorbed into the sub-conscious. It takes a band time to come together. To create a band sound. To absorb and gain some mastery over the music. It takes thought. I think it takes intention. There has to be a context created that says, "This is going to be something great.! This band is going to smoke! You better come and hear this thing!" I remember hearing about a Brandford Marsalis tour. Somebody asked why they were doing the same tunes every night for many months. He wanted to get the band on a really deep level of communication. I heard stories of the Basie band on the road. They were going down the road in the bus and the whole was singing their parts. Sometimes they played the whole night without any charts. I've had guys want me to change the tunes in my band after a couple of months of playing 2-3 times a month and they didn't even have the "book" memorized yet! I played in a 10-piece salsa orchestra in Washington, D.C. It was a great band! It took me 5-6 months to learn and memorize the "book". We played 5 sets a night. But, after I had that book together, that became the most fun gig of my life! That gig was sooo tough. That band played with so much fire and passion. I had to sleep all day on Saturdays to recover from Friday's gig and to be ready to go again Saturday night. But, I had eliminated a huge distraction by memorizing the "book." I felt more free and able to really listen to what was going on around me in the band and to pay attention to the energy in the room. And talking about connecting with the audience. That band could really connect!!!

Want to read a great book about taking action in your life.....discovering why you resist that thing you should be doing right now....pick-up THIS book! It's a great read. A fast read. Little "bombs of awareness" exploding in my mind as I read this today at Anniversaire (my favorite cafe in Tokyo), in Omotesando. Sooo many ideas about unlocking your creativity.

I was chatting a couple of nights ago with my "buddy" from college, Perry. He's doing great things in Philadelphia right now with his company, Main Line Interactive. He told me I should get this book. So, while we were chatting on SKYPE, I ordered it on line and 2 days later had it delivered to my door.

Amazon. com

Amazon Japan

I watch the news pretty closely everyday. Probably too much. I heard today there have been over 1300 people killed in Iraq in the last week! Over 350 in Baghdad! And then I see these politicians and military analysts sittin' around tables and answering questions about there being a "possible" civil war in Iraq. I heard a "cat" today say (I think it was the senator from Virginia) that it didn't really follow the dictionary definition of a civil war. What planet is this guy livin on? These people think we are that stupid?

Recently, I see so much tension about countries acquiring nuclear technology and today Bush is in India signing a deal to give them technology and assistance to develop their nuclear program. Then he's going to Pakistan tomorrow to try and make them feel comfortable about this deal. Wow! Talking about great timing. We still have people living in tents in Louisiana, Miss. and Alabama. 6 months after Katrina came through.

Heard about a couple of firemen from my hometown area that recently came home after spending a few months in New Orleans trying to help out. They said it's pathetic down there. Said it seems like the USA has forgotten about the victims of Katrina.

I see on the news today that a lot of government funding is going to finish for the Katrina vitctims. But, how much are we continuing to spend in Iraq every month? I don't understand why we don't take care of our homeland.

I was back in my hometown last year and was shocked by the amount of drug use in that little mountain town of West Virginia. Everyone seems scared to say or do anything about it. I was so sad to see the condition of my hometown. Sad and angry. It makes me so angry that people can come into my hometown and screw-up so many young lives.

I used to hear the President (maybe 10-15 years ago) always talking about the "War On Drugs". In the last Presidential election, I didn't hear ANYONE even say the word "drugs". I think they have given up. I love the USA. Even though I'm living in Japan (only to recover from cancer/depression and play trumpet), I love the USA more than ever. But, I'm sick and saddened to see the country drifting so far off course simply because there aren't any strong leaders.

It strikes me in an odd way that we (USA) invade Afghanistan after 911 and since then, the no. 1 producer and distributor of heroin in the world is Afghanistan. They are having record poppy harvests even though the country is crawling with US military.

I get CNN Breaking News Alerts to my cellphone and it justs makes me hurt inside everytime I get one that reports on more young US soldiers being blown-up in Iraq. Over 2000 killed. How many wounded? Hands, feet legs blown off. 10,000...15,000...20,000? They say we are going to stay there until we win. I wonder....how will that look? How will we know that we've won. I'm thinking about all of those families back in those hometowns that are grieving over lost sons and daughters.

The news is so tightly controlled. We never see the real images of war on tv. They would never be able to continue to get support from the general public about these crazy projects if they showed the reality of those situations on the evening news.

Even when I'm playing, what I think is, a horrible gig, I still feel so damn lucky to be a musician. It's just such a beautiful and wonderful thing to make music. Does Bush play an instrument? Cheney? I wonder how many world leaders can get up on the stage and play or sing their ass off? I sometimes hear stories of the leader of North Korea kidnapping Japanese and South Koreans and taking them to North Korea to perform and/or act for him. How sad. Can you imagine?