A first practice

I’ve done it dozens if not one hundred times.

Gathering the tools around my house. Sax, notebook, maybe a microphone… double check the address on the internet map street view. Take a deep breath.

Load up, get in my car, hit heavy traffic at main street one, curse and fret because I don’t want to be late. I’m not nervous but I am. I just don’t think I’m nervous.  Traffic smooths out, I pull up to the house at the same moment the bass player arrives. I walk over, have a hand free and offer to carry something. She’s recommended me to the group so it’s nice to be able to walk through the gate with her.

Small talk in the kitchen then we file out the back door to the studio. Cool, a studio. I stand around while the four other players establish their positions and open my case, pull out and assemble my horn, noticing an expensive and prominent tuning device. I’m very self conscious about playing out of tune and that machine intimidates me a little. I haven’t been practicing the way I like to.

We start into the first song and it takes a few minutes  for the horn to warm up and respond but I like the music and get into a groove of sorts. Still kind of self conscious but they’re paying more attention to each other and parts they’ve worked on. I get a little bit of a nod and smile from the guitar player which I take as reassurance. That’s good, I think to myself, and relax more. We play about ten songs over the 2 1/2 hour long session and I enjoy them all. I have to leave and in a break in the action I tell them I’ll be packing up.  I feel it appropriate for me to leave so they can discuss my playing and decide whether to invite me back. I don’t know. They asked for contact info, not leaving it up to my friend to “let me know.”

So, we’ll see. Music things almost always start this way.

About the author…

So, I mean, who IS this guy… (going third person here… )

ROLES (not in order of importance)  -semi-retired engineering designer  -musician  -student  -being mentored  -mentor  -hiker  -artist  -photographer  -inner worker  -cartographer

ATTITUDES -progressive  -“middle child” (I seek common ground)  -I love listening to and telling stories  -introspective  -extroverted  -EN(T/F)P  -born on the Aquarius/Pisces cusp  -I don’t crave stability

HABITS -omnivorous  -averages 6 hours sleep (Midnight to 6 a.m.)  -I spend an hour most mornings doing emotional/spiritual inventory  -I default to sports when I’m bored  -I am not obsessed with housework but my bathroom is clean and my dishes are washed.  -I usually wear a T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes (I wear polo shirts to work.)  -not a TV guy (other than Steven Colbert and Seth Meyers)

TASTES -wide variety of music genres (baroque to the latest hip hop beats) -not into theater much (I enjoy it but don’t choose it.) -more into films than movies

-love vegetables (and sometimes a burger and fries…) -I don’t choose fish  -I eat a lot of cold cereal with almond milk these days  – I like Mexican and Thai restaurants, learning more about Indian food (I wrote cuisine and blanched at the word.  I’m more a diner kind of guy.)  -I favor strong, black coffee from an independent roaster

-I love everything KXCI (Tucson community radio)  -other buttons on my car radio = NPR, ESPN, 97.5 Classic hip hop, a couple classic rock station, one jazz station.

LONGING FOR

-time. I love my life and everything in it.  I wish I had more time to practice sax (and keyboards.) I wish I had time to both have coffee with my friends and time to get to know new people.

-Some one person who gets me and is reasonably available to share time and space with me.  Someone eager to pick up when I call.  Someone who will hear me out before calling me on my shit. (Sometimes getting it all out presents the solution!)

-A less-divided nation.  We’ve always had differences.  Both sides have good reasons for feeling the way they do. I am progressive. I tire of the rants and name-calling my leftist friends have adopted. Vilification adds nothing but cement shoes to finding a workable compromise.  Often there are no solutions. We’ve allowed ourselves to be misguided.

-An end to abuse.  Starts with me.  I’m learning to see where I fail to hold others with full respect. You have an absolute right to be who you are so long as you are abusing no other.