Trained as a classical musician, but always played everything I heard that I liked. Took up oboe 16 years ago - discovered I could play jazz, swing, Latin, & everything I liked on that, too. Have just formed my own jazz oboe quartet "Rebels Without A Chord", and we'll be gigging soon, mostly in the Cambridge area, but anywhere that likes a new sound for an old style. In between gigs I'll be earning my living as a classical/commercial/music theatre accompanist and ballet pianist. Motto: If I like it, I'll play it.
It's where I can be me! It gives me challenge, achievement, satisfaction and so much pleasure.
Play with Rebels Without A Chord at Ronnie Scott's, Pizza on the Park, play with Jools Holland, and just be gigging & recording. Oh, and be playing in Paris a lot. Not much to ask, is it?
A darn sight more common sense
L'Ame Calinee by Michel Polnareff
Genesis, Supertramp, Eagles, ELO, The Fratellis, Chet Baker, Django Reinhardt & Quintet of the Hot Club Of France, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Diana Krall, Chet Baker.
I need to!
We're there together
It's where I should be, where I feel right.
It's a tough business, we need more live venues.
Good idea!
Lack of live venues for acoustic musicians - everything's club & dance. Not that that's bad, but it seems to be the only music performance opportunities.
Not as much as I should, but then, they keep paying on nights when I already am. We really should get together more......
Belief, a business like attitude (not that I have one, you understand, but I'm working on it), and rapport NOT just with other musicians, but especially with your audiences.
Natural modesty makes this list incomplete, but mostly my oboe teacher, John White, Jonathan Kelly (principal oboist of Berlin Philharmonic), Yo You Ma (cellist) Emmanuel Ax (pianist) and Murray Perahia (pianist). This is, of course, guessing you haven't heard of the above.