passive vs. active

I have a love/hate relationship with reading books. Similar to TV, movies, looking at Facebook, playing games, even listening to music, it is a passive activity that takes time away from actually creating art (composing, practicing, etc.). It's easy to sit and relax and before you know it, years can go by without creating anything new. On the other hand, sometimes you need to recharge and get your mind thinking about other things and be inspired. It's hard for me to balance those activities with limited free time while working a day job and remembering to pay attention to my family sometimes. I got hooked on reading novels again a couple years ago. It's been enjoyable, but it's also taking a lot of time away from making music. My playing has suffered in some ways, but in other ways, my playing has changed for the better as time away from the piano now has me listening with fresh ears and improving things. On the other hand, if people didn't spend time being passive, no one would have time to appreciate the creativity of other artists.

artistic self-doubt

Are all artists as neurotic as me? Almost every time I finish a new composition, I go from not liking it to deciding it's pretty good (though there are a few tunes I write that never really grow on me). Then I get paranoid that I'll never be able to compose another tune and the fear is paralyzing until I eventually force myself to attempt to write another tune, which involves being unsure of myself during the entire writing process. And then the cycle repeats itself all over again.

Solo piano Christmas arrangements and a nice compliment from Chick Corea!

Hey, it's not every day you get a nice compliment from Chick Corea! He liked my solo piano Christmas arrangements! Maybe I should keep working on this piano thing!

Click Image Above To Enlarge 

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

We Three Kings

Thanks to George Lamie for including me in his list of 50 essential fusion albums:

http://www.listchallenges.com/50-essential-fusion-albums

50 Essential Fusion Albums

50 truly essential jazz fusion records. Not the only ones, but essential for sure. Limit 2 per artist

How many have you heard?

1 - Mahavishnu Orchestra	18 - Bunny Brunel Momentum	35 - Tetsuo Sakurai Gentle Hearts
2 - Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire	19 - Chick Corea Elektric Band inside Out	36 - Hellborg Lane Sipe Personae
3 - Return to Forever Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy	20 - Chick Corea Elektric Band beneath the Mask	37 - Kick the Cat Scramble
4 - Return To Forever - Romantic Warrior	21 - Tribal Tech	38 - John Mclaughlin Industrial Zen
5 - Billy Cobham - Spectrum	22 - Brecker Brothers Collection Vol. 2	39 - Hiromi Time Control
6 - Tony Williams Lifetime Believe It	23 - Shawn Lane Powers of Ten	40 - Hiromi Spiral
7 - Alphonse Mouzon Mind Transplant	24 - Shawn Lane the Tri Tone Fascination	41 - Garaj Mahal WOOt
8 - Stanley Clarke School Days	25 - Kazumi Watanabe Pandora	42 - Panzerballett Starke Stucke
9 - The Stanley Clarke Band	26 - Brand X Xcommunication	43 - Panzerballett Tank Goodness
10 - Jean Luc Ponty Enigmatic Ocean	27 - Alain Caron Play	44 - TRI-Offensive
11 - Al Dimeola Elegant Gypsy	28 - Lost Tribe	45 - Neural Code
12 - Al Dimeola Casino	29 - Jens Johansson Heavy Machinery	46 - David Hines Inner Duality
13 - Iceberg Sentiments	30 - Cab Cab	47 - Gergo Borlai Mmm
14 - Bill Bruford One of a Kind	31 - Cab 4	48 - Mike Prigodich a Stitch in Time
15 - Caldera Dreamer	32 - Fragile 5	49 - Art Schloemer Transfusion
16 - Dixie Dregs Unsung Heroes	33 - Fragile Phantom	50 - Chick Corea the Vigil
17 - Michel Camilo Why Not	34 - Uncle Moe's Space Ranch

YouTube Performance of 2013 -- Jazz Journalist Association "Best Of 2013" list

I'm honored to be included in this list:

http://members.jazzjournalists.org/2013Best?mode=PostView&bmi=1452816

2013 JJA 'Best of'

Jazz Favorites of 2013

Travis Rogers, Jr.

"YouTube Performance of 2013"
Mike Prigodich & MPEG - “Lucy Goose” Live @ Jimmy Mak’s 8/26/2013
Prigodich is a masterful composer/pianist and is joined by the the best of the best in Damian Erskine (bass) and the amazing Reinhardt Melz (drums). Watch the bass solo. It sounds like flamenco on bass.

Thoughts on Chick's teaching style

In response to someone who doesn't "get" Chick's master class / workshop approach, Chick is obviously not a traditional "teacher". But he is offering a glimpse into his approach and way of thinking when it comes to being a self-taught musician. Most of the legends of jazz had no formal training in jazz. They have their life experience and various apprenticeship models. I learned a lot by being able to play my own composition with him. I learned a lot by watching him navigate through new pieces -- live rehearsals, his approach to the music business, all sorts of things. Read back through my 12-part blog series and you'll find a ton of great knowledge about being a real-world musician, artist, composer, improviser, and band leader. Being a largely self-taught musician myself, and being a fan of Chick's music for decades, to be able to spend any time with him at all and have him share his ideas and insights about things was very valuable and eye-opening for me. I learned a ton from the workshop. It was pivotal and life-changing for me. My playing has improved as a result of replaying that experience in my mind and going back over my notes from the workshop repeatedly to let things sink in and take root. People have noticed my playing and writing has improved since that workshop and I attribute it largely to the confidence I gained from that workshop. Chick's mantra "Think For Yourself" is the key to finding your own voice as an artist. I am more relaxed when I play now. I listen better. I stop worrying about what other people think about my playing while I'm playing. My communication with my bandmates on stage has improved. All of that I attribute to the practical application of the things Chick described and demonstrated for us at the workshop.

So, while some people may not understand his teaching style, I certainly learned a ton and he supplied me with a lifetime of useful tips about improving as a musician and artist. There are many ways of teaching and learning. The academic approach is just one of many ways. Chick is not academic. Neither am I. I had so many "aha" moments during the workshop. Things just clicked. I gained a lot of new understanding.

Today is the 5th anniversary of my cancer diagnosis

Today is the 5th anniversary of my cancer diagnosis and surgery. I'll have my final scan and chest x-ray in late December at which point I'll be officially cancer-free if all goes well. After that checkup, I think I'll just have an annual blood test. A lot has happened in my life during those five years. Over all, that cancer diagnosis is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I owe my new music career to that diagnosis. My band, compositions, albums, gigs, etc. would not have happened without that life-changing motivation. Even though Lance Armstrong turned out to be a fraud in the cycling world, his cancer story and his Livestrong organization inspired me to do something positive in response to my disease. Thanks to my family, friends, fans, and God for giving me this second chance on life. Now the challenge is to keep the momentum going instead of sliding back into the everyday rut I was in prior to the diagnosis.