Back and forth

I know what you're thinking...here we go again. My problem is the fiances. I want to go back to school, I don't want to take out student loans. I'm not 100% positive that our finances can handle it. The Passmore Family has a sizable amount of debt and I don't want to do anything to hurt anyone. Anything I do should be bringing money into the family, not costing the family money. That's the situation. Maybe I should wait some more and work on reducing our debt. That's what I'm thinking. I don't know, but I will continue to pray and meditate.

Busy.....not a bad thing

At the beginning of July, the gig prospects were not good...now it looks pretty good. It's like that sometimes as a musician. It's all about being a "business owner". You have projected earnings, but nothing is guaranteed (I was reminded of that again in June of this year).

I have to be patient and hustle...not everyone will like what I have to offer, AND I can get upset when they reject me. I have to keep this in mind : SWSWSWN (Some will, some won't, so what, next).

Why do we make music?

The title of this blog is a question that has been on my mind for while. Currently I am in the studio recording original jazz music for a live CD. There have been times during the process that I've asked myself "Do I put out what I like or what sells?"

I really shouldn't struggle with this....In my mind, a musician should write and arrange music that he likes. But what if it doesn't sell? Is it a waste of time and effort. I don't think so.

Here's another question: If an artist releases a CD of "watered-down" music, is the artist "selling out"? Kenny G, in some peoples minds, was a sellout, but his CDs have made him millions. I believe he was only doing what Arista Records told him to do. After a while, he got tired of doing the "let's remake a pop standard and have some artist sing and have Kenny G play solos behind him/her" thing and Arista eventually dropped him.

I like some of his stuff...I have had to play alot of it for weddings, private parties, etc.. Does that make me a sellout?

Here's what I'm saying: Make whatever music CD you want. If you do what the people want, it will sell. If you make a CD to impress your favorite musicians, you'll lose in the long run. I think the "trick" is to find the middle ground where people will like what you do and making music that's creative and artistic. I struggle with this everyday. Don't be afraid to comment. TTYL