Hi Rory,
Yeah he knew how to play - technique of course, but as you say he had that spark of creative genius that sets aside a true musician from a mere technician
No I'm not in college per se, I attend a 1 night per week jazz improvisation class at a nearby university and it's really cool - very laid back atmosphere, very knowledgeable teachers and a really nice bunch of students from all ages and backgrounds, all of whom are either as accomplished on their instruments as I am on mine or in the case of some of them much more advanced than me. That said, I pride myself that I can really hold my own when it comes to improvisation - I have the ideas, just not the skills!
TBH I didn't deserve the compliment but I was very pleased with it - he wasn't the type to just say it for no reason!
Regrettably it will come to an end next week - the final lesson. Then it looks like I'll be moving to a different area before the next course starts in September. Shame.
My ambitions are highly personal and like you I have no preconceptions about appearing as a headline act to a packed and anticipatory audience at Wembley Stadium, but that's fine because actually all I want to do is play for myself - if I can transcend myself and
become the music when I play then I'll be doing all that I aspire to do, and I don't even need an audience of one for that, just a lot more hours of practice!
