John Raymond – trumpet Rising Star and personal mentor – joins me to discuss music awards, defining success, finding your musical voice, being in the moment, and how music isn’t about YOU.
“There’s no possible way to really make beautiful music if YOU are at the center.”
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Actionable Advice
- There’s a big difference between expectations and aspirations. It’s important to aspire to sound like your heroes, but expecting yourself to play a mind-bending solo every time you play is an unrealistic and unhealthy pressure to put on yourself.
- I think every musician should be encouraged to find their own voice in some way. You can explore improvisation and personal expression in the way you practice technique, scales, long tones etc. It’s also possible to find personal expression through emulation of historic sources. Take a concept from a traditional source that moves your soul and then go as far with that concept as you can. (i.e Taking Clifford Brown’s uses of enclosures, and playing a whole solo with enclosures)
- We convince ourselves that the world revolves around us when we’re playing. This is incredibly destructive if nothing else because it’s just not true. Having my first child put things in perspective, and helped me realize that it’s just music. You’re never going to find “the moment” if you’re looking for it in your own playing. Put you can find the zone if you look for it in your bandmate’s playing, the energy of the room, and what the music is trying to play.
- The danger of having success lie in the things you achieve is “what happens when you achieve them?”, or you risk always not achieving what you want want. Instead you could view success as a daily analysis of whether or not you’re living your life and making music rooted in your personal morals and values.
Coda Questions
- What’s your go to feel good album? Any by Donny Hathaway
- We all deserve to be happy. If your’e not happy you should do something about it.
- Who is a musician in your life who’s living a particularly healthy, happy, and fulfilling life? Sean Carey
- What one bit of advice would you give to young musicians starting their careers? To find the thing you get obsessed over and just run as hard as you can after it.
- What is your purpose as a musician? To be totally submissive to the moment, and more than that to be genuine and honest and human.