Welcome!

Welcome to the blog!

Questions:

The first: why am I starting a blog? The second: why should you read it? The third: am I going to neglect the blog after a few posts?

Answers:

None. (Expect a similar lack of fact-stating going forward.)

Opinions:

To the first question: I love to write. That’s the main reason. Subject-wise, my focus is going to be on music, particularly my chosen instrument and scene/style. This is because I believe in speaking strictly from your finite vantage point.

Combined with my selfish interests, my altruistic interest lies in the hope that I might contribute to the underpopulated pool of literature on baritone saxophone playing and that that might benefit somebody. I will talk about why it has become, for me, “the” standard saxophone to which the others are compared, as well as other musings on this wonderful instrument.

Another reason, related to baritone, is that I am preparing to write a book about one of the great baritone players of history, Pepper Adams, and I need an outlet to start working the old writing muscles again. My definite understanding of the book is currently “Pepper Adams, musically” and “words on pages”, then perhaps “some staff notation”. Of the many elements that a need workshopping, the tone is high on the list. Is it going to be primarily an educational resource, a documentarian tome, a doctoral-level dissertation, a collection of amassed observations, a character study through the limited lens of a man’s recorded life’s work? Perhaps all in varying measures. But I feel there needs to be a focal point for it to be engaging.

My intention is to go deep on niche subjects like “what effects does a total lack of vibrato have on the music of Pepper Adams and what can you learn from it?” and “how to use gravity to your advantage when holding a baritone saxophone”. A semi-ephemeral blog post will allow me to brainstorm out loud. Plus, in an ideal world, you will deliver me feedback and relieve me of the vacuum of isolation (too dark?).

Also, although this appendix is much shorter, I want to talk in the open air about my experiences as a working musician in Washington (state, not D.C.).

Side topic: Why write a book in an era of video essays?

My opinion: A book invites reexamination. A blog post is easier to produce than a video. I would love to make these blog posts into videos for people who don’t read blogs, like me. Perhaps one day.

To the second question: this should be self-evident to you, whoever you may be. If you are disinterested or a challenged reader (like me), you are probably not even reading this. If you are reading this, the ball is now in your court to make the time (remember we can never find time) to check for updates, which I will make very easy for you via the monthly newsletter! A similar ball is now in my court to deliver on what is promised herein.

To the third question: we are going to learn the answer together. Nothing you or I know now can give us a meaningful answer.

Thank you for reading the first blog post! Perhaps I will come up with a more specific name for the blog, but I tend to prefer to title a work, not work under a title, so let’s let it become what it becomes.