Give it a Rest

As a part-time jazz musician, performances were hard to come by BEFORE the pandemic, but those that I was able to participate in were always pretty fun. It’s usually a challenge as a band leader to land the gig, put the band together, negotiate prices with the client and sometimes the band members, put the set list together, schedule rehearsals if necessary, and make sure everyone shows up and gets paid.  You also have to manage the personalities of the client and band members (it’s much easier to be a sideman….you just show up, play, and leave!). I remember one performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art where the band played a jazz blues and the soloist took about a 10-15 minute solo. He played non-stop, no rests or breaks, no variation in volume, and was in “the zone.” I kept thinking to myself, is he ever going to stop playing? Does he really even need us? I drifted off and put it on automatic as I waited for the next soloist to play.

Musical rests are important when playing music and in life. When we rest, it gives us time to exhale (or inhale) and gives the listener time to think about what has taken place. It also becomes part of our overall story even though nothing is being said or done. Most of the time, we have to choose to rest; but sometimes we are forced to do it. When the pandemic hit in April of 2020, the music scene came to an abrupt halt. No weddings, birthday, or retirement performances, no jam sessions, no music lessons. We were forced to rest. It was hard to deal with at first. I’m usually good with planned interruptions to my schedule but those that come out nowhere give me a problem. 

I think that forced rests have been one of the pandemic’s benefits. Some of us were taking extended solos on our jobs and at home, playing solos that only stopped at bedtime and not paying much attention to the other members of our band. We were also neglecting our physical and emotional health to balance on the work/life tightrope. Covid has forced me and many others to take a deep look at ourselves and see if we really want to “return to normal.” I remember what normal was for me a several years ago: jumping up out of bed after I had hit the snooze button for the third time, running to the shower, hurrying to dress and eat and get in the car, racing to the train station to park, running from the car to catch the train, running from the train to work, running back from work to the train, racing to the gym to workout, racing home to cook, racing to get ready for bed and then starting all over the next day. Without a break, we will break. So as we move into the uncharted territory of the next few months, let’s resume playing some music but let’s make sure we can all be heard, that we are taking care of ourselves and our loved ones, and that we are taking the necessary rests.

When I was first approached about becoming a Fifth House board member, I was hesitant. I had served on the board of a music and arts nonprofit some years ago and unfortunately that entity didn’t survive. Twenty years later and in the middle of a pandemic, I didn’t think that joining another similar board would be a good idea. The “rest” that had been forced on me was having a negative effect on my musical outlook and had me asking questions like “when will live music return? …….will musicians still be able to make a living as performers?....when will people have the confidence to go out again?......should I sell all my instruments and equipment while I can?” Sounds crazy but that what I was thinking.

While I was contemplating the Fifth House offer, I met a fourth grader who is learning to play the cello. Her grandmother told me how she loves to play and is taking online lessons. A young African American girl with bright eyes and braids, she smiled when I asked her about the instrument: and then it hit me……life goes on during a pandemic, war, fill in the blank. There are many other kids like her, many other music teachers who are sharing their gifts so while we may never “return to normal” we may get to a better place with more options to collaborate and share and I want to be a part of that journey.

I accepted the opportunity to join Fifth House because it is a chance for me to broaden my horizons and help at least one organization that is organized around the love of music to emerge even better and reach more diverse audiences.

On most of my music gigs, the band takes a rest between sets. Sometimes that rest is twenty minutes, sometimes it’s five minutes. But once the rest is over, it’s time to play again.

Let’s get ready.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Eric! We are lucky to have you on our board.