Feelings/Musings
10 Things I wish I knew before the artist (Trademark) life
This listicle is for the people who have thought about a career shift, or are undergoing a crisis of heart. These are the things I wish I had considered before diving headfirst into the life of an artist:
Reflections on Wayne Shorter and Innovation
Quote by Wayne Shorter, from “A Star is Born” on Marquis Hill’s Composers Collective: Beyond the Jukebox
Of love and resentment
I will never really know how the Pittsburgh jazz scene feels about me, and that pisses me off.
Why Everything Isn’t and Shouldn’t be “Jazz”
I came to Pittsburgh and learned more about jazz music than I had ever anticipated learning, thanks to the rich history in the region and the stories the music itself tells. Musicians like the great Roger Humphries, Dwayne Dolphin and Ahmad Jamal who both exist in history and propel the music today. Artists like Mary Lou Williams, Stanley Turrentine and…
Ghost on Socials
I'm a coward. I don't want to have para-social relationships that take on more meaning than my real life ones anymore. I'm exhausted of reading social media, and so are you.
Probably an unkind review of the city of Pittsburgh
A scathing, if yet balanced review of the city of Pittsburgh
The social block
I am a social nightmare right now. Largely incapable of doing the things I "should" do to push my art - going to see my friends and peers do their thing, sharing music, networking. I feel so blocked. I wish it were as easy as I think it is to just do these things.
Alignment
I am constantly second-guessing myself. I’m confident in my talent and creative abilities, but admittedly less confident with my people skills. I have become weary of the idea that every time I seek attention for my discography, I’m looking in all of the wrong places. That my inability to communicate my works effectively has given rise to a narrative ab…
Peerless
Please understand my reticence in describing this feeling I’m about to detail. It feels self-centered, and like I roll through life with my head held high above Mt. Washington.