You Never Know It All

I'm just returning from playing a Jazz festival in Umea, Sweden with guitar legend Jody Williams. Before doing the show, I knew a little about Mr. Williams but once I got a chance to spend some time with him and talk, I discovered that he was one of the main session musicians at Chess Records. He worked with Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf. Mr. Williams and Bo Diddley grew up together. I learned so much from just sitting and listening to him talk about his history and of course you know I had a bunch of questions. The whole experience just served to remind me that you never know it all. The show we played was a mixture of Jazz and Blues. I wrote my charts but once we had rehearsal we were able to personalize the groove a bit. It meant a lot to me to be able to talk to him and find out a bit about his thought process and history. It is important as musicians and people that we ALWAYS remain open to allow room for things to come in. No matter how smart we think we are or how good we think we can play, we must remain humble and open to serve the music. We must also never forsake how important it is to sit at the feet of our elders and just listen to their stories. There are so many lessons to be learned. From each of my tours I learn so much about personalities, business, music, etiquette and life. It is my goal to stay grounded and understand that I can never know it all. Everyday we have an opportunity to teach and be taught something new. It is truly ALL about the journey. As you continue to build your career, never take anything for granted and be sure to cherish and pass on all you learn. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011