[Dixielandjazz] Resting Chops

[Don Ingle]

Not so. In Jim's case it is a bad set of lungs and breathing problems that
forced him to stop playing. It is one of the most regrettable things I know
for he was one of the better slide men around and it was my pleasure to have
worked with him for several years.
In my own case, if a job comes up I woodshed to get chops up; but frankly in
this part of the world where I live, and with the loss of an aging audience
that once kept us busy, there is simply no incentive to woodshed unless a
gig is in the offing. Takes me a week for cornet, two days for
trombone...then 3 hour gigs are possible.
I still enjoy playing...still do it well by my standards. Jim would if he
could, but there was no burn out for him, just a pair of lungs that made it
impossible to fill a horn as he would wish to fill it.
So definitely not burn out, just reality. Don Ingle
----- Original Message -----
From: "David W. Littlefield" <dwlit@cpcug.org>
To: <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2002 10:00 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Resting Chops


> Jim Beebe presumably has full-time professional musician's burn out--I
> gather music ceased to be fun, became just work, pressure from trying to
> make a living; since it was his vocation, he relaxed with other
activities,
> took vacations that had nothing to do with music, etc.
>
> When it's only or to a great extent an avocation, it's recreational. For
> some, it's their main joy.
>
> The situation Russ describes is "psych-up"--anticipation of and mental
> preparation for playing: musicians come to rehearsals and gigs psyched up
> to play. I have noticed that musicians approaching or over the burn-out
> line don't come psyched up. I remember the night early in my career when I
> told a violin player leaving the first segment of the gig on his way to
> another, "Have fun!" and he shouted "I've been doing this for 40 years!
I'm
> not going to have fun--it's work!"
>
> --Sheik
>
> At 12:01 PM 9/24/2002 -0700, you wrote:
> >Following up on Jim's comments, "I miss playing less and less".
> >
> >It has been my observation that musicians want to play.  I will talk
> >about some issue to the band and after about 1/2 minute, they are
> >itching to play.  "Let play" the banjo player with say.  Heck, I feel
> >the same way.  We all want to play
> >
> >My question is what part of the brain do all musicians share that puts
> >them into this mode?
> >
> >I am convinced that it is the left hemisphere that deals with playing
> >the written notes and the right hemisphere  deals with the creative
> >soloing.  But were does this deep impulse to play come from?
> >
> >Russ Guarino
> >
> >JimDBB@aol.com wrote:
> >
> >> In a message dated 9/24/02 6:17:36 AM Central Daylight Time,
> >> dingle@baldwin-net.com writes:
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>> In my time in the house band at Chicago's Jazz Ltd. we played five
> >>> night a
> >>> week, six hours a night. we had Thursday and Sunday off (with an off
> >>> night
> >>> band led by Lil Armstrong or Art Hodes on Thursdays).
> >>> I had chops of steel in those days. So did Jim Beebe who worked in
> >>> the band
> >>> with me.
> >>
> >>    LIke you say, Don..."then was then and now is now."
> >>
> >>    My 'chops' are well rested now.  I haven't played my horn in over a
> >> year and half.  It sits on a stand over there and is getting dusty.  I
> >> probably ought to clean it up and put it away.  I actually find that I
> >> miss playing less and less.  It's nice not having all of the
> >> hassles...with the instrument, the chops, getting to the gig, getting
> >> a band together, getting subs, picking tunes and on and on.  So many
> >> weekends blown that I could have spent with the family.
> >>
> >>    Jim Beebe
> >
> >
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