Everyone loses faith sometimes. If you've been following my story, you know I was a member of some local bands, then more or less found myself alone in October 2005. All this time, I'd been making my own music. But during this period of my life one question came to the forefront: who cares?
I had learned all this music, all this theory, all these instruments, but left to myself, I wondered if any of it really mattered.
This period of my life was the longest I gave up playing music since my big restart in 2000. I can look at my logbook and see the following entries for June 14, 2006 (edited to conserve space):
There's not another entry until August 5, 2006. All of a sudden, I came back to life. Within a week, I had written and recorded "Desolation Angels", which eventually became track #4 on evolution.
What had happened to save me?
Jamendo and DMusic.
Through the Creative Commons site, I saw there were places I could publish my music online. I investigated the sites, and found I really liked what I was hearing. The type of music I like wasn't dead -- jazz lived, and we descendants of jazz had a place to call home.
I'll have more to say about these sites later. For now, though, understand why I support them so: they saved my music.
I had learned all this music, all this theory, all these instruments, but left to myself, I wondered if any of it really mattered.
This period of my life was the longest I gave up playing music since my big restart in 2000. I can look at my logbook and see the following entries for June 14, 2006 (edited to conserve space):
- Played bass with several CDs (completely by ear--it's good practice; you're not allowed to write anything down, only to play what you are hearing): Dido's "Life for Rent" was one, as was Vanessa Williams "Sweetest Days" and, of course, Barry White's song "Love's Theme"
- Tried improvising some guitar fills and melodic lines over the Dido album.
- Practiced Congas
There's not another entry until August 5, 2006. All of a sudden, I came back to life. Within a week, I had written and recorded "Desolation Angels", which eventually became track #4 on evolution.
What had happened to save me?
Jamendo and DMusic.
Through the Creative Commons site, I saw there were places I could publish my music online. I investigated the sites, and found I really liked what I was hearing. The type of music I like wasn't dead -- jazz lived, and we descendants of jazz had a place to call home.
I'll have more to say about these sites later. For now, though, understand why I support them so: they saved my music.
