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.