I’m producing video marketing for my Jazz Master Savvy product and I was reminded of a priceless clip from my interview with the great singer Sheila Jordan. In fact, I put her clip into one of my ads as an example of some of the gems from my library of interviews and other conversations.
Here’s a short clip containing the snippet I put in the ad. Sheila is talking about originality in some great singers and her personal view on what it means to sound like someone else (as well as her hope for the future of jazz).
Remember Sheila’s comment on individuality as you perform and record jazz. It will provide you with some honest direction for your playing.
It also connects to something I wrote at the beginning of my book Self-Discipline Superpower.
While much of this book focuses on the existential aspects of discipline such as making the best use of your time, energy, your body, and so forth, one critical aspect of discipline has to do with a much more fundamental aspect of your life. It’s easy to put off those choices, opting instead to follow the crowd, and coast through life defaulting to the easier path, the safe one borrowed from others, requiring no commitment to choosing long-range goals or values.
The discipline to which I am referring very much relates to you playing jazz.
To stand up and play the music that reflects you as an individual requires discipline. Choosing your own path, reflecting who you are as an individual, and resisting the temptation to sound like the safe voice of others is anything but easy.
As drummer Adam Nussbaum once said, “You just don’t luck up on this.” [playing jazz]. It takes effort.
Try this: look at the play-along platform called Groovz Playground and find the four sample lessons. I challenge you to play something over one or more of them that reflects you as an individual. What does that sound like? Like that? Check out Groovz Playground here.
Think about your unique voice on your instrument living outside of the ‘box’ so tempting to crawl into. Do you have the discipline to escape that box to find and speak your personal voice?
To paraphrase Sheila, make music about YOUR life.
Trombonist, author, marketer, & tech guy
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