Practice and Play

I admire musicians who practice by themselves for hours. I have not been one since my early teens, when I sat in practice rooms and willed myself past classical and show tunes and into boogie-woogie.

Not today, not even when I'm playing a great instrument and playing it well. The only way I can stick with it for hours is in a group - and then I do so happily. The size of the group doesn't really matter - some of the best times were me and a drummer in dark room, just jamming. But it has to be more than one. When we're playing together (what a perfectly suitable multiple meaning, "play") it's great.

Then, when it cooks, it is as good as it gets.

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