Feeding my Soul with a little JAZZ

This weekend I went with my family to an amazing jazz concert of music by Charlie Parker at a theater in Rosslyn connected to Artisphere, one of my new favorite places in Virginia. Unfortunately, no, Charlie Parker was not playing as he died young in 1955. I had known little about him before the concert but now I’m a huge fan. I had no idea about the huge impact he had on opening up the jazz scene, fusing it with other genres of music such as classical and Latin music, and pioneering what later became be-bop. The saxophonist, Vaughn Amborse, and his bass and drum players who played this weekend were amazing.


Now’s the Time
Parker’s Mood
A Night in Tunisia

I’ve been inspired to face my fears regarding music and dive in to trying to learn how to sing, play berimbau, and even guitar. Luckily and unluckily I have a very experienced musician for a boyfriend to help me out but also to point out just how off I get. I have a difficult time staying in the right key and holding a steady rhythm which are major obstacles but I think, like anything else, practice makes almost perfect. Supposedly Charlie Parker would practice 15 hours a day. I’ll be happy both practicing less and not sounding as good. I enjoy listening to music so much that if one day I could make music that other people enjoyed listening to it would be one of my greatest accomplishments ever. I have full respect and envy for all dedicated musicians out there!