Doris

[Many of my students ask me if it is possible to make a living playing jazz. Many grown adults from the civilian sector (non-musicians) ask me the same question. Because a simple "yes" from me doesn't often do the trick - all they see is my old car and a rakish grin - I offer the following.]

Friday the 13th, October, 2006

Today I produced and engineered a record for a wonderful jazz piano player. She is making a solo piano CD for her adult students to play along to. It is a collection of traditional children's songs that begins simply and builds in harmonic complexity towards the last song - a beautiful original that she wrote that morning before she left her house. The recording session went smoothly: she knew her material, was comfortable in the studio, and nailed it like a pro.

During the playback, sitting next to each other at the console, I began to learn about this extraordinary woman. She has been playing jazz piano professionally since the age of 14. She is now 74. She put her husband through college and raised her three sons by teaching from her home during the day and leaving to play piano in the clubs at night. When her husband completed his degree he left and was never heard from again until she got word five years ago that he had died.

As her boys grew up they taught their mother to defend herself with Karate. I asked if any of them were now musicians. "None of them. I never understood why they didn't take to music. It wasn't until a few years ago that they told me they were afraid that they would never be as good as I was."

She ended up marrying two more times before choosing to remain single 25 years ago. "I got tired of raising boys - you know - the kind that see a woman bringing home the money and want a free ride.

"This life of music makes me very happy. I can't imagine it any other way. It wasn't easy... its hard for a woman in this business: men with their groping hands... But I made it, and now I have three wonderful grown boys who always look after me. And I play gigs when I want to and I have some really talented students. I am very happy."

If it weren't my job that day to roll tape, listen, edit, and make a CD, I would've been asking a lot more questions and taking notes.
Simply sitting next to a person like this is an extraordinarily calming and enlightening experience. We shared so much in common - a life of jazz music - that we would often finish each others sentence, sometimes by just exchanging glances and a smile. She entered the studio that day a stranger to me and when she left I was saying goodbye to an old friend. Take care Doris!