Going to live music events is multi-sensory experience.

I enjoy concerts where everything make sense and everything goes together. I like it when the venue and music match. I like it when lighting heighten the moods. I like it when musicians on the stage put some thoughts into their outfits and their presentation. I appreciate it when I can tell that cats on the stage know that I, we, the audience is there and we matter to them. I enjoy the way music vibrates not only my eardrums but also my entire being. I like the overall thoughtfulness.

This, unfortunately, does not happen very often in jazz. Musicians work hard on music. They practice tirelessly to perfect their crafts and spend hours putting music together painstakingly. Yet, somehow, everything else is neglected. Some argue that nothing should matter but music.  I feel you but I don’t necessarily agree. I think it is important for cats to understand that how you serve up what you are cooking really matters and can make a huge difference in audience’s experience and in turn, yours. And you are artists. Why limit yourself to just music when expressing whatever it is that you want to express. Yes, your speciality is music but your creativity can take many forms.