I heard Eddie Van Halen play [on] Michael Jackson's "Beat
It." The sound of it was so attractive, very
exciting, very intense. The song grooved very hard.
Later I was out getting shows for high school -- Dematha -- and
I saw a music store. [My mother and I] dropped the idea of
getting shoes, went home and got my clarinet and brought it to
trade in for a guitar. I never looked back from that day
on, never wanted to be anything but a guitar player.
The emphasis of jazz is
self-expression. Jazz inspires you to dig deep, to learn
your instrument, to learn your craft. It starts within and
works its way to the surface. It's a lifestyle of extreme
sacrifice and discipline, constant listening. Like a
conversation. Having this conversation is very much what a
jazz musician does. In the context of a band, five or six
of us, we're all conversing. Some people say,
"Oh you're just bashing it out. It's cacophony."
But really it's conversation. Back and forth.
I woak up early, put in four
hours of practice. I would play to an empty room.
Most of the time we do. The venues that have music today
-- restaurants, bars, clubs, we tend to be the background, the
wallpaper, unless it's a special concert. We say to each
other, "We're going to do this." That's what
motivates us -- not if people are clapping. The
music. It's hard to play to an empty room, even harder to
play to a room full of people who are not listening to
you.
Musicians very rarely do make a
living strictly on gigging alone. There are not many
places to play. Especially in these times, and when you play you
might get about $50 an night. There are sacrifices: You
have no personal life, social events are nonexistent. You
do this for the love of the instrument, the love of music.
-- Interview by
Patricia E. Dempsey
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