Like thousands of kids I started playing trumpet in elementary school. My father was a sax player in local dance bands in his teens and a jazz lover. My sisters and I were all firmly "encouraged" to play some instrument. When it was clear that I would stick with the trumpet and not switch to another instrument my parents found the best teacher our little community offered. He was average as a teacher and classical in orientation. But my father turned me onto jazz and mostly we listened to that in our house.

I was a decent musician, not great, and could find enough work. When I was about 26 I realized that I didn't have the dedication to reach for the top and consequently I would always be playing music I didn't much like for money to live on while playing the music I did like for pennies or nothing. So I moved on to do other things.

Sometimes that makes me sad, like now, when I think about it. I had some potential and I loved to play and especially improvise. But it wasn't just a realization it was a choice. There were so many other things I wanted to do that I wouldn't have time to if I focused on music as I would have to. I've done a lot of unusual things with my life. I didn't live a life of quiet desperation tied to some silly job after I stopped playing. I made the right choice and I'm glad I made it.

See you in about a week.

At any rate, I'm heading out to visit my parents in the next few hours and will not have internet access for about a week. If you hold back any of your great stuff for about a week I'd appreciate it.

Neither I nor Miles Davis ever claimed the recordings don't matter. The libretto metaphor was not mine but a paraphrasing of Miles' own words. When I began to see him in concert I understood what he was talking about.

The more a jazz musician focuses on improvisation the less their albums reflect the depth of their ability or their contribution to musical development. At the least because an improvisation at a concert is usually several times longer than an improvisation on an album.

Coltrane chose "My Favorite Things" not as some lark or to pander to the popular but because it was a very good vehicle to explore alternative modes and the harmonies derived from them other than the ionian and aeolian modes that dominated western music up to that time. There is certainly valid arguments to be made as to how successful he was, whether he ascended to a complexity that only the most educated listener could understand or descended into chaos. But to suggest he picked it to prove he could play over anything is asinine.

One might thing that the fact that "Naima" and My Favorite Things" were the two charts that he recorded early in his career and continued to record and perform until his death might give you a clue that you needed to look closer. But you're not too bright to be able to pick up clues. "My Favorite Things" was recorded nearly two dozen times through all his incarnations as he moved deeper and deeper into the avant garde.

But I really don't want to continue this discussion because quite frankly I don't like you. I'm totally burned out on your nastiness, not to me as we have rarely interacted, but to other people here. It doesn't even have the justification of Jacob's insults, which are only a small part of intellectually powerful and substantial arguments on important topics. Your insults and nastiness towards Seaton and others who do not toe the party line make no attempt at even a perfunctory analysis of the subject. They are nothing but ad hominem attacks.

It seems likely you're aware of the many discussion about the conflict between artistic integrity and economic necessity. Its a knife's edge path to walk. Fall to far to art's side and the question is moot as one will not have the time or money to create anything artistic to question the integrity of.

But there's a kind of soul sickness that comes from falling to the other side as well. To see one's life's promise and abilities unrealized, stunted to a lower or lowest common denominator for money is death of the spirit for those who dream and vision.

The point of life is to manifest whatever that unique gift is that each of us carries into its fullest flowering. Making money is not the point. Its sometimes the reward, sometimes the obstacle, sometimes the destroyer of the dream.

Miles has often said his albums are not his music. They're like a libretto. You read the libretto to help understand the opera but the libretto is not the opera. If one is going to a Miles Davis concert it will help to understand the concert if you've listened to his latest album. But like a libretto the album is not what Miles was doing musically at that time, it was just an aid to understanding it.

The concert I referenced with the story above was during his "Time After Time" period and that Cindy Lauper tune was one that he played that night. They spent over an hour exploring the musical possibilities in that one song. The two improvisations were 25 to 30 minutes long each. As they moved though the improvisations the backup totally changed the chordal structure to more and more complicated forms all the while maintaining the melody that rested upon that foundation. In other words the melody still fit with in the steadily more complicated underlying structure. The improviser had to fit his solo over this increasingly complicated structure while at the same time his own solo consisted of notes flying out at Charlie Parker speed.

I've seen more jazz concerts than I can count from old school artists like Lionel Hampton and Dizzy to avant garde artists like Steve Lacy. But that night stands out as the most incredible concert I've ever been to.

It all depends on how you interpret the story. I didn't see anyone publicly humiliated but if someone was, imo, it was the audience.

There are plenty of bands that don't strive to be on the cutting edge of jazz that a young bassist with that level of technical proficiency could work for. For that matter he could have played in some rock band where the audience really claps and cheers or a country band and not have had to bother spending all those hours alone in a room practicing. All that time spent learning his craft could have been better spent looking for girls or playing video games.

There are plenty of bands that don't strive to be on the cutting edge of jazz that a young bassist with that level of technical proficiency could work for. For that matter he could have played in some rock band where the audience really claps and cheers or a country band and not have had to bother spending all those hours alone in a room practicing. All that time spent learning his craft could have been better spent looking for girls or playing video games.

I disagree. There's no quicker way to the rec list than negativity. One just has be on the right side, to know who to be negative about. Then the most irrelevant insults or nastiest lies are perfectly acceptable.

Well dorf, that all depends on the listener. I've heard of Brittany Spears but I can't remember ever hearing her sing any of her songs. Maybe I'll check out youtube one of these days and see what she's all about as a musician.