Now that the Inaugural has come and gone, it’s time to get back to work preparing for our upcoming Spring tour with the Jazz Ambassadors.  The time spent as participants in the Inauguration was truly memorable, and I’m incredibly blessed to have been a part of history for the third time in my nearly 13 year career in the US Army.  I love my job!

Today, as I drove into work on a bitter cold morning, I couldn’t help but think about the good fortune that has come my way in my career.  I’ve met scores and scores of people, all of various degrees of talent, and I’m glad to have shaken every single hand along the way!  A musician’s life is rarely easy, especially in an age when the arts, in general, are suffering from budget cuts and an overall lack of national support.  To be in a position to perform night after night for appreciative audiences is indescribable, and I, along with my colleagues, am truly blessed.

Tomorrow, I will play a civilian job just 30 miles from my home.  I will be sight reading the gig with a band from out of town, so a necessary skill is brought into the spotlight, once again.  When I was much younger, sight reading a show would have been the death of me.  But now, after so many years of being thrown into the fire, it is routine – almost expected.  It’ll be fun, the goal being to not make any mistakes, obviously, and if I do, to keep rolling along – just like water off of a duck!  That is the prerequisite mindset when sight reading!  For now, I will settle my brain with some Billie Holiday, and slip off into a world that only exists in my headphones…Ahhhh!