In the mush that resides upstairs over the past few months, I keep hearing this little voice asking me “Where is music actually going? Is there some future destination?” I don’t know if I have an answer, but I think there is a financial analogy that is appropriate: Much as the dollar has depreciated over time as large institutions have gotten involved in the control and distribution of it, music has followed an eerily similar path after record labels and the media have conglomerated into faceless, tasteless blobs, distorting “what is music” and devaluing it faster than a cheap suit. Like the dollar losing 95% its value over the last 100 or so years, “music” at least corporate generated music, is now literally worthless.

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Another jazz legend joins that big band in the sky. Vibraphonist and composer Roy Ayers recently passed away at the age of 84. One of the greatest soul jazz players that ever lived, Roy Ayers was a musician who’s influence was (you could say) “ubiquitous” among the jazz scene although (it is amazing to me that) he is still relatively unknown to most of the jazz listening crowd. Regardless, he carved out a very special niche that was all his own and continued to evolve his style and sound well into the new millennium. He was and still is a huge part of my jazz collection. He will surely be missed by many.

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As musicians, we come into contact with A LOT of different personalities. Whether it’s other musicians themselves, venue owners, media, fans, etc., everyone has their own spice that they bring to the mix. Inevitably, we’re going to run into people who rub us the wrong way. These antagonists may not be doing it on purpose or even conscious of their negative “attitude”. It’s important as musicians (and as good people) to always treat people with respect, regardless of one’s own personal view of self worth or how one might feel about another person. Remember that those you meet on the way up are the same people you may meet on the way down. I had a recent experience that I thought I would share as it provided a good tutorial of: 1) what not to do and 2) how to deal with it, respectfully.

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For the final part of the “Resolving to be a better musician” series, we’re going to focus on the easiest and most fun way to get better–listen to more music! It’s funny how sometimes musicians get so lost in the forest of playing gigs, writing music, working on technique, etc., that we forget to sit back, relax and let our ears do their thing. When is the last time you listened to music for pure enjoyment?

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In part one, we focused on things that a player can do to up their game with respect to a practice regimen. Part two is also going to focus on the practice element, only this time we are looking at the practice of good music reading. It doesn’t matter whether you started reading music from an early age or if you’ve never really read music before; you can always get better at it.

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It’s another new year. Did you make any resolutions? As musicians we should constantly strive to become better players. In my opinion, this is the fruit that constantly propels one forward in their musical journey–you can always get better at what you do! The new year is a great time to take stock of your talent and make a game plan moving forward to increase your potential. Here’s a few thoughts on good ways to get started.
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 Denver, CO – September 24, 2024 – Luxuryville’s resident mastermind, guitarist/producer Devon Kurzweil is releasing his long awaited solo album, Music For Trees, a foray into the world of jazz-rock fusion.

CD AVAILABLE ONLINE AND AT SELECT RETAILERS NOVEMBER 22, 2024