Yins and yangs

Last week proved to be one of the most fun weeks I've had in quite a while.

You see, to play in a Thursday recital, you have to let them know by the end of business Monday. So, I can't take a piece that has potential, work on it until Thursday, and then decide on the day of the recital to take the stage.

So, I did what I'd done probably three other times, which is sign up for the recital and simply make myself finish the piece that week.

Writing music isn't like doing your taxes or something. It's a pretty intense process of discovery, trial and error, etc. It's a risk to do what I'm describing.

So, it puts you in a bit of a pressure cooker for two or three days. It's pretty exhilirating. The real deadline is probably 6am Thursday morning, but you'd like to finish it before then, so, the most you can really hope to have if you do this is two days, all told.

And, then, you get to play for a knowledgable, appreciative audience! It's pretty neat.

For the first time, Dr. Parkinson, the chair of the music department, commented specifically on one of my pieces. He told me he enjoyed it and that he wanted to talk about it sometime.

This is interesting b/c he comes from the old, traditional school of music, but he's a jazz guy, too...an old, semi-traditional jazz guy, but still a jazz guy, which is in contrast to some of the stodginess of some of the classical people around. It makes me wonder what it is about "It Begins Again" [the new piece I played] that he really responded to, and what that means for the future of my music. I guess I'll get some insight into this when we talk about it.

And, so, this week so far? Pretty low-key.

Maybe it's a good time to really hammer out some promotional stuff...

Speaking of which, someone from St. Francis Xavier e-mailed me last week to ask if my concert was going to be on April 14th for sure, because a campus group needed the church and she wasn't quite sure if she could find another day for them.

That was pretty silly. I asked her to ink the date for me in December.

So, I politely reminded her of this via e-mail, but still said I was open to moving the date if she was in a jam...BUT, I then said that I'd really appreciate it if we could hold firm to it, because it's already been publicized.

I braced for the worst, but the concert date has not changed.

I'll be meeting my friend Chris Hubbard for dinner shortly, and I'm VERY hungry.

Someone just gave me a Red Bull drink.

......

Yep.

I'm kind of scared of the stuff, to be completely honest. WHAT is it again? A super-ultrapowerful cocaine beverage or something??

Maybe I'll try it. It's chilled and everything.






I'm scared.




If you don't hear from me again, call the police and tell then Red Bull did it.