[Dixielandjazz] Listening to "other" music

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

Right On Dave:

That folks, is what constitutes a real Professional Musician, one who listens 
to all genres and advancements in music good and bad and then picks licks and 
riffs and phrases to adapt to whatever style of music that one cares to play.

To limit one's self to one particular genre of music limits one's 
employability #1 and stymies the musical expansion and growth of the individual musician. 
 When you think you Kino everything there is to know about music and can play 
it all, then you are indeed finished as a professional musician and you have 
indeed met the beginning of the end of your career.

History repeats itself and yes that applies to music as well, especially in 
music, there are no new notes folks, just new or different ways to play them 
and in different sequences and orders.

When your favorite style of music goes out of style and fashion, what are you 
going to do about it?  Embrace changes of the next generation or fade away 
into unemployment with the most recent departed genre.   

Believe me folks it is Hell to wake up one morning and hear songs you played 
and helped make famous hits being played on the OLDIES STATION, and you can't 
buy a job playing them, then fifteen years later they are its again by some 
punk rock group selling millions of records to a new audience and your kids look 
at you and say hey Dad didn't you play on that song in the olden days or 
something.

But then you just remember the lyrics to Frank Sinatra's "MY WAY" and pick 
yourself up and get right back in the race.  Think it can't be done?  Just check 
out the career of Tony Bennett and see how it's done.

I have been back in the race since 1990 and loving every minute of it too, I 
like to relate it to the lyrics of another great Signature Hit.  "Love is 
better the Second time Around"

They say we all get old enough to go through our second childhood, and 
adolescence, too, well bring it on I say, I am now old enough to know what to do 
with both of them.  Can't wait for puberty! :)

I am 20 again and know what I know now!

I listen to all kinds of music and learn something new every day.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins