Adventure on the bridge
outside/in
There's an adventurous outer life of pursuing music which most of us can imagine, and some of us are lucky enough to do.
On the surface it consists of creating a sound that goes the distance and then sending it over that distance by touring, performing, recording and broadcasting it, in person or remotely through licensing and recognition. The “dream”
(If the sound is great enough, folks don't even need to hear it. They can just think about it. Like if I put the word "Prince" on the page you start hearing him in your head.
See?)
A public musician's life seems like a great life, and parts of it can be.
But there's also an adventurous inner life of the music maker. And unlike the outer musical life with its many distractions and barriers to entry, the inner musical life is available to everyone.
Participation can be as simple as allowing your sound to happen.
Sonny Rollins famously took a sabbatical from performing from 1959-1961, during which his music and his sound deepened greatly. He wasn't helplessly lacking recognition or opportunities at the time. Far from it. But the inner music was calling to him and he knew he had no choice but to leave the stage and go in pursuit.
So he stood in the middle of the Williamsburg Bridge and practiced, and day by day his artistry slowly evolved from the existing greatness into the titanic stature we still witness so many decades later.
Sonny is one of America's musical heroes and he still walks among us.
For me, the story of Sonny's seclusion is a musical equivalent of Ali-Foreman, Billie Jean King's Battle Of The Sexes or the moon landings. The hero must pass through isolation and some deprivation in order to connect with the greatness heretofore unknown.
It's something rarely found out on the road, if ever.
And it's available at your fingertips right now.
Love,
Trevor
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If you appreciate my work, it’s in these other places too. Help it spread by sharing it:
Listen to the “Trevor Exter Playlist” on Spotify
Hear 18 episodes of: "Play It Like It's Music"
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