Saturday, April 12, 2003
A lovely day in the cards today... and after a small hiatus, I will get back to "coaching" again. I hesitate to call it teaching. I am a vocalist, I didn't study it, it is a thing I have felt strongly about for as long as I can remember. I sing because it feels natural. Its a gift. People like what comes next, but I can't explain it- or worse, TEACH it- please don't misunderstand me, I have great respect for teachers, but I truly believe there are some things that can't be taught. What I can do is offer pointers to people who look for them, and a few good stories...
When I started out- there didn't seem to be any such people.
I was on my own.
It was a strange occurrence to have people doubt my sincerity on account of my youth. "Go learn about life"... or "What do you know about troubles" were common responses to my musical attempts in my youth. "Go out there and pay some dues" was one of the main things I would hear from older higher ups on the totem pole- I say this now, not with bitterness, but with a bit of bewilderment when now, after polishing up my act, paying some dues, and learning my craft- that the "biz" seems to lean now more toward the younger models. As Billy Crystal says: "These are the jokes!"
I guess you have to hang in long enough, to get respect:
" I'm oooooooold. Everything gets respect if it lasts long enough- old whores, old cars, old politicians..."
-John Huston, " CHINATOWN "
In any event, I'm keepin' on, keepin' on...
A very old and dear friend of mine in Los Angeles gave me this when we were first hanging out together. She witnessed a lot of my repeated attempts at getting a break... she gave me this poem, which
I now give to any young vocalists who MEAN it:
PRESS ON
NOTHING IN THE WORLD CAN TAKE THE PLACE OF PERSISTENCE.
TALENT WILL NOT; NOTHING IS MORE COMMON THAN UNSUCCESSFUL MEN
WITH TALENT. GENIUS WILL NOT; UNREWARDED GENIUS IS ALMOST A
PROVERB *
EDUCATION ALONE WILL NOT; THE WORLD IS FULL OF EDUCATED
DERELICTS. PERSISTENCE AND DETERMINATION ALONE ARE
OMNIPOTENT.
-Ray A. Kroc
I guess it works for anybody in any field.
I miss one of my mentors of jazz, my dear friend, and [at that time] fellow elbow bender, Corky Alexander. He was a great supporter of me in jazz, art, my family, and my life here in Tokyo. When I came here I met a person [in him] who truly cared. I miss his funny face, his jokes, and his inspiration. Always full to the brim with stories, he was a world class enthusiast on life, and most fun aspects of it. He passed away last December, and I miss him so. On this Palm Sunday, let me just say this:
"Thanks, Corky"
Till next time, ‘Mela
8:41 PM
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Photo: Michio Yves Ueda
