Dan Jacobs: Journal

THIS PAGE IS FOR QUOTES AND OTHER ITEMS I FIND INTERESTING.

From Wynton Marsalis' new book, "Moving To Higher Ground":

Some time ago, the tenor saxophonist Frank Foster was playing a
street concert from the Jazzmobile in Harlem. He called for a blues
in B-flat. A young tenor player began to play "out" from the first
chorus, playing sounds that had no relationship to the harmonic
progression or rhythmic setting. Foster stopped him.
"What are you doing?"

"Just playing what I feel."

"Well, feel something in B-flat, motherfucker."
=

"The Lord sent me . . . the Lord loves my trumpet."

quote from: "The Commitments.

Are you stuck on pause? Can’t decide which way to go? Spinning your wheels but not gaining traction? Feeling like you just can’t get into action on anything? apathy4

You may be suffering from something you’ve never even heard of; it’s called Chronic Maybe Syndrome, being stuck in the middle and not being able to decide or act.

Without question, it is your worst enemy as a salesperson.

Misdiagnosis of the symptoms of Chronic Maybe Syndrome or CMS, can significantly jeopardize successful rehabilitation, but with correct diagnosis and treatment, the recovery of the disabled individual is virtually guaranteed.

CMS is a disease characterized by an inability to make up your mind, leading to the incapacitating condition of being unable to get into action toward the accomplishment of your objectives. It is a malady which substantially limits your life activities and is far more common than previously thought. For the salesman or woman particularly, it is the kiss of death. CMS has ruined more sales careers than any other single factor. It’s deadly and it’s contagious!

THE SYMPTOMS: Often the symptoms are fear-based: fear of making a mistake or failing; fear of being embarrassed or fear of appearing foolish, stupid or different; feelings of anxiety, agitation, nervousness, worry, unease, concern, and stress are also common manifestations.

Other symptoms are based in real or imaginary loss: loss of position, possessions, altitude, friends, repute, status, standing, money or anything of value.

At the bottom are the symptoms based in apathy; despair; frustration; hopelessness; indecision, feeling paralyzed, thinking without action, feeling nothing matters, doubt, indifference; second-guessing, disinterest, feeling stopped, stuck, motionless, lack of feeling, lethargy, inertia, and depression.

Anyone has had some of these symptoms, but if your life has become a steady diet of them, you’re on your way down, with all flags struck.

THE CAUSE: The cause of chronic maybe syndrome is not difficult to understand. It is simply this: before you can decide, you must understand.

decisions4The complete process is: before any action takes place you must have made a decision to do so; before you can decide, you must have an understanding of the elements under consideration; before you can understand anything, you have to be able and willing to observe what it is that you’re looking at.

Simply, it breaks down to these four elements taken in sequence without skipping any one or taking any of them out of order.

It’s just like walking upstairs; just put one foot in front of the next until you get to the top and the final step is easy to take.

a) observe
b) understand
c) decide
d) act

There is however one other final factor underlying everything above; it is the most important quality a salesperson can have. It is the factor of initiative.

This opens the door to the accomplishment of the four steps above. And what is initiative exactly? It is simply the willingness to do the right thing, without having to be told to do it.

We all know that water doesn’t flow uphill. Similarly, it takes courage, foresight, planning, determination, resolution, hard work, and dogged persistence to go against the flow or carve out new territory, a new career or a new life.

But, like a 747 jetliner taking off, it takes far more thrust and velocity to get that massive machine off the ground than it takes to maintain that speed once it has climbed to cruising speed. You have to knock off living a “I wish or I want” type of life, and start coming face to face with life, without flinching, avoiding, hiding or pretending.

Being stuck in a maybe is a trap - and like a magnet, it attracts more maybes to it. There is no initiative when you’re life is “stuck on pause.” When you’re stuck on maybe and indecision, your life is passing you by while you’re in a deep apathetic slumber, pretending not to notice or to care. But, the truth is that you’re always better off making a decision (even if you change it later) than to live your life stuck in a maybe.

The factors of individual initiative (thrust) and self-discipline (velocity), plus the qualities of intelligence and a willingness to experience whatever is necessary to accomplish anything worthwhile are all that is required to be free of chronic maybe syndrome. It’s a disease that no drug can cure; in fact drugs tend to accentuate the symptoms and make them solidly embedded. But, the remedy is surprisingly simple if you’re up for it.cali-in-field-1110-cop6

THE REMEDY: Many times the symptoms of this disorder can be alleviated simply by recognizing what is causing them. In other cases, a more complete treatment is required, as follows.

1. PREPARATION. Get a pad of paper. On one sheet of paper, think of some area in your life - now, or in the past - where you were unable to decide one way or the other. Now think of another, and another, then write them down, each one on a separate piece of paper. Continue to search out every time you’ve been unable to make a decision or have been stuck in a maybe until you get them all.

2) IDENTIFICATION: Now, pick up one of the pieces of paper and ask yourself, “What is it?” Identify exactly what you’re stuck on; give it a name. Don’t do anything yet, just name it.

3) DECISION: Next decide on one of the following four actions to take on that each item in turn:
a. Do it
b. Delay it
c. Delegate it
d. Drop it

4) ACTION: Once you have chosen one of the four options, take that action now.

TIPS ON THE FOUR ACTION STEPS:

DO IT – This means to make the decision now. Even if the “maybe” was in the past, make the decision and get it over with. If you still can’t decide, then draw a line down the middle of the paper, and write all the positives of this decision on one side of the line, and on the other side, all the negatives, so that you look at both sides of the maybe. Then for each side, ask yourself, “What would happen if I did this?” for each side in turn. Go back and forth until you can come to a decision. Then take that action.

DELAY IT – This means that something can’t be done immediately. The action is to identify what it is, then decide what is the very next step that you’re going to take and when you’re going to take it. Write this action and the date on a sticky note and put it on the top of the paper so it will remind you of what you have already decided to do and when you’re going to do it. Then put it in a place where it won’t be forgotten or neglected and do it when the proper time comes to do so.

DELEGATE IT – This action is taken when you have identified something that really isn’t your decision to make but you’re still stuck with it. If it belongs to someone else, decide who this belongs to, give it to them, and get it off your plate.

DROP IT – This action is the easiest and most satisfying. After you’ve identified it and decided it should be dumped, then get rid of it now. Drop it, physically and mentally.

We’ve all got the same amount of time to work with. What you do right now with the time you have is creating the future that you’ll be living with tomorrow – for better or for worse. Make it what you want. Don’t wait. Do it now.

Remember that it’s always better to make a decision than to have your life stuck on pause. Being stuck in the middle, on a maybe, is in fact your worst enemy.

You will find that once you make a decision, things start to change for the better. The universe starts to align with what you have decided rather than the reverse. And be alert to not pick up any new maybes along the way.

Finally, once you have observed carefully, don’t be afraid to just decide and act, it’s not all that scary when you get used to it and it’s a lot more fun!

daniel w. jacobs
© 2008-2020, all rights reserved

FREDDIE HUBBARD INTERVIEW
By Craig Jolley

This article was originally published in May 2001.

New Colors (Hip Bop Records), new CD

I met David Weiss a couple of years ago. He's from North Texas State. He had a rehearsal band [New Jazz Composers Octet] in New York, and he had been writing out a lot of my compositions and arranging them. He said he'd like to get together and have me play some of my material with the group. At first it was only supposed to be a one-time thing, but we're going to be working together the next couple of years until I get back strong again on my horn. They appreciate my music and give it a good feeling like when I was playing with Elvin Jones. They inspired me to start back playing again. This is an opportunity to let some of the more serious kids play this music and have it arranged for them. Craig Handy and I did a record with Betty Carter (Droppin' Things, Verve 1990) years ago. I always liked his playing. Same with Joe Chambers—he had played some of these songs with me before. I brought in Kenny Garrett and Javon Jackson as guest soloists. Those are some of the musicians I really enjoy playing with. They've played in my previous bands, they know me, and they know my style. They came in and helped me out quite a bit. I'm very happy to have made this CD.

New Jazz Composers Octet Tour

We start in New York at the Iridium May 8-13. Then we go to Annapolis, Maryland; Arlington, Virginia; Scullers in Boston; Philadelphia; a couple more things. We're gonna make the Berlin Festival this year, but I'm not going to play the West Coast yet. We'll be playing the songs on the CD and some of my other tunes David, Duane Burno and Xavier Davis have arranged. With all the horns you can hear more color. When I originally recorded some of these tunes the music went by so fast people didn't get a chance to hear them. I have a lot of songs people have never heard that will sound good with eight pieces.

Lip problems

I busted my chops. I had to go back to square one after 30-40 years of playing. I was out there trying to be Coltrane—take thirty choruses. I was working all the time, and I didn't warm up. If you don't start off getting the blood flowing later on you're chops get weaker. It wasn't from playing that commercial stuff—it was from hard-core improvising. What made my style different was a whole lot of jumps, strenuous ideas. That's what makes jazz chops different from classical chops—at any moment you may have to change your embouchure [the position of the lips when they touch the mouthpiece]. I gave it everything I had. You have to be ready for that style. It was really bad—I didn't know if I was gonna play again. I can still play, but I can't hold long tones—that's something I never had trouble with. I didn't realize there were so many muscles in the embouchure, about 120. When you're young you don't even think about it. You get a lot of bad habits—you think that's the hip way to do it, but it's tearing your chops down.

“I can't play what I used to play, but that's not the point. Let Jon Faddis and those guys hit those high notes--that's their thing. Now I play better in the middle register. I have more ideas, and it's better than half-hitting it.”

Comeback

I thank the Creator. He enabled me to attempt to come back. I have to practice, get the feeling, get the blood flowing again. If you don't do that you don't get back. I came back too soon before (in '94) when I had trouble with my chops. I'm playing the flugelhorn now because the trumpet would be too hard. Instead of playing all that hard stuff I'm gonna to play some ballads. Playing flugel is kind of messing up my chops in itself—I eventually want to get back to playing the trumpet. I can't play what I used to play, but that's not the point. Let Jon Faddis and those guys hit those high notes—that's their thing. Now I play better in the middle register. I have more ideas, and it's better than half-hitting it. It'll take another year to come back strong again. The trumpet is not like a piano or a saxophone. If you lay off it you're back to zero. I've still got a lot of stuff I want to play. I can play it on the piano—that's where I get a lot of my ideas—like [sings fast] dah-doo-dah-didli-ah-dit...bah-booo-dle-ootie...doo-deee-doo-dooodle-eedle-doodle-at...dee-dat...deee-dle-ootie. Those kinds of runs are very difficult to execute. It's the way you accent those things. I got that from playing with Sonny Rollins and Philly Joe Jones. I want to bring some that back.

Louis Armstrong

He had that funny sound. I didn't dig it when I first heard it, that Dixieland. But if you listen to him for a while he had that feeling. He didn't have that execution like Dizzy Gillespie.

Clifford Brown

When I was starting out I tried to sound like him. His execution thing and his phrasing were out of the book—Miles thought he sounded stiff. He gave me a lot of ideas. He could do it all—that style was the way I wanted to play. I was still in Indianapolis so I never got to hear him in person. When he died I cried like a baby. He was only 25 years old, and he never got his due. I've got my reward—now I've got to give some back.

Miles Davis

I used to try to play like him too—those ballads. One night he heard me at Birdland. He was sitting on the side of the stage. I had my eyes closed, and I was playing some of his licks. I looked down and saw him, and I almost passed out. When I got off he said, "Why don't you play some of your own stuff?" After that I stopped copying people. Miles and Dizzy used to tell me I played too hard and too long. I should warm up before I played. Miles might take an hour before he started. It would take him that long to get his embouchure set, but it came out pure and clean.

Lee Morgan

Yeah, I was close to that crazy ___. He and I were the Young Turks at that time. He was a cocky little young cat, and he was great, exciting, spirited. He was the only cat that could frighten me. He got messed up.

Maynard Ferguson

I used to go see that guy play at Birdland. He used to play those high C's every night. Remember when Maynard had lip trouble? He went over to England to get straightened out. He's still going strong.

Wynton Marsalis

I didn't know it at the time [late 70's], but he was going to school in New York. He came to my dressing room and played all of my licks back to me, some I'd forgotten. I said, "Where did you learn to play all that?" He said, "It's all your stuff." He's the only one I've heard who could play some of the stuff on my records. I dig that lip thing he can do—(sings) yaw-yaw-ya-yaw-yaw. He's a technician, but he's stiff—I guess he can play that way if he wants to. We did a big band thing at Carnegie Hall together.

Richard Davis

I love to play with Richard—he's fantastic. I think he's teaching now. He and I made a record [Out to Lunch, Blue Note, 1964] with Eric Dolphy that was kind of advanced. That free music is not the feeling right now.

Current favorites

I like Tom Harrell—he's a nice guy. He wakes me up—he and Roy Hargrove. You think Roy sounds like me? Maybe that's the reason I like him! I like this guy Christian McBride and Benny Green—they worked with me. I love Bobby Watson—I heard him last time I was in New York. They're keeping it going.

Favorite records

One of my first records, Ready for Freddie (Blue Note, 1961). I had full control over it. That and Red Clay (CTI, 1970) were my best playing straight up. When it comes to more commercial stuff, First Light (CTI, 1971). It has some nice arrangements, and I won a Grammy. I've met all kinds of people, old and young, that like that record. I played it with feeling. Melody Maker did a discography on me. Check this out—I've made 300 records. I started looking into it, and I found some money from these companies.

Rap

I'm entertaining ideas about doing it after I get better on my horn. Those rap cats have some crazy meters. I'll have to give it some serious thought before I do it.

Jazz education

I have students come over in the evenings. They want to play some of the fast stuff I used to play—they're in a hurry. These kids coming out of school now, they have the correct embouchure, but they don't have the strength or the time. It's hard to play the trumpet with feeling. Like Chuck Mangione—he doesn't play loud or hard, but he has that feeling. He's not trying to be hip. I used to go over to everybody's house and say, "Teach me this, teach me that." They'd show me (They'd play it on the horn.), but they didn't teach me how to execute it. They didn't take time to teach me to play it right. We used to go on the road and play with Art Blakey, Count Basie, Horace Silver in the 60's and 70's. I used to sit in with bands that were established. I learned the backgrounds, everything. It's not like that now—it's more like a vacuum.

Wrap up

I'm glad you're doing this for the Internet so people can find out about me. I have a computer now. My wife's using it to write a book. I'm 63. I don't feel like it, and I don't look like it. I still have a lot in me. Since I moved to California I haven't wanted to work much. I got discouraged for a while. I still don't want to work that hard, but if I can arrange to work about six months a year that's what I'll do. I hear all these kids playing my ideas on the radio. Sometimes I have to stop and say, "Is that me?" It feels good to hear it, but people think the kids started it. Tell the young boys to look out—Freddie Hubbard's coming back!

TRUMPET PRACTICE ROUTINE 12.08, dan jacobs:

I usually start on a low F# and either play scales up three octaves and back down, or go up and down in natural intervals.

Once in a while I'll use an exercise similar to what you're doing, one that Roger Ingram showed me. Simply starting on a middle C, slurring up an 8va, then back down. Take the horn off the lips, and then do the same thing up 1/2 step, again, I only go up to a G above high C Then I might do some pedal tones down to a low C below low F# to loosen up.

The rest of my routine is scales, intervals and "slide-slipping" practice using tonguing and slurring.

My solo on "myspace.com/danjacobsjazz" is an illustration of sideslipping technique in application on "Well You Needn't" - recorded about 3 or 4 years ago.

Also the video of me on myspace, soloing on flute and then on trumpet is another example.
Basically, I start with some scale, or partial like a pentatonic or something, and play around with it, then move to a different key in the middle of the pattern, then move back to the original key. Then go to another key and do the same thing, or interject a couple of other key changes in the middle of the pattern when I feel like it.

Then I might switch to doing the same thing to diminished scales, chromatics, whole-tone scales, or blues scales or whatever comes to my mind. It's a great way to gain confidence and flexibility in jazz soloing in any key and opens me up to any idea I have that comes up on the spur of the moment in the middle of a solo.

I've showed several guys how to practice it, but most of them just stand back and go "huh?" - so maybe I've got to cut down the gradient a little when I'm teaching it. They understand that I know what I'm doing, but that's as far as it goes.

I've also started (as of about three months ago) doing isometric exercises for embouchre development. Seems to help a lot for endurance. It's the one that Roger Ingram showed me and is described in his book.

Dan Jacobs

QUOTE: ON BAD ADVICE
by daniel wright jacobs

"The first time you get bad advice it's excusable; the second time, it's suspicious; the third time, it's an enemy action - take fast action, now!

VIDEO: GREENVILLE H.S. CONCERT WITH DAN JACOBS:

http://www.ghsjazz.blogspot.com

“AMERICAN JAZZ TRUMPETERS” LIST

DAN JACOBS, jazz trumpet artist, was honored to be included on the list of "AMERICAN JAZZ TRUMPETERS" along with other stellar jazz great such as Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Chris Botti, Terrance Blanchard, Roy Hargrove, Freddie Hubbard and more.

View the entire list at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_jazz_trumpeters

Dan has two CD that are currently available:

1. "BLUE AFTER HOURS”
with Chuck Jacobs,bass; Rod Jacobs,drums; Randy Dorman, guitar.

2. "JAZZ STANDARD TIME"
with Chuck Jacobs,bass; Rod Jacobs,drums; Randy Dorman, guitar.

CD’s can be purchased at:

http://www.danjacobsmusic.com

and

http://www.cdbaby.com

LYRICS: "SOME OF IT'S MAGIC . . . "
by Jimmy Buffet

"Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic, but I had a good life all the way." - - - Jimmy Buffett

(Note: These lyrics from a "He Went To Pairs" by Jimmy Buffet say it all. - dan jacobs)

QUOTE: KNOWING IS NOT ENOUGH
by Johann von Goethe

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. ~Johann von Goethe

The Downfall of Democracy

Rarely have democracies survived beyond 200 years. Why do democracies fail? Two of the major reasons are: 1) democracies generally progress through an initial period from bondage to spiritual faith escalating to the point where the citizens become totally dependent on the government to where they eventually revert back to bondage, and 2) once the democracy shows signs of prosperity, citizens vote themselves generous bounties from the public treasury. Does this not sound familiar? Is democracy only a temporary and marred refuge until social engineers miraculously discover the ultimate solution?
Democracy, or the form used in the United States and most advanced countries, representative democracy or a republic, seems to be the best method social engineers have concocted to date to afford people an opportunity to have a voice in their government. The world continues to be overrun with dictatorships, socialist governments, a few communist governments, and Islamic theocracies. We can argue the merits of democracy versus the alternatives, but at this point in history, most authorities on the subject recognize that democracy has proven to be the best solution ever tried on the planet. The United States is not the first successful democracy in the world. Over 2,500 years ago, the people of Athens, Greece created a true democratic form of government that lasted for nearly 200 years but was eventually destroyed not by the people but by a military overthrow by a powerful neighbor. On the negative side, they kept slaves in much the same manner as in the days of our fledgling democracy. The most intriguing aspect of the Athenian democracy was that the people voted directly on every issue that affected their lives. Politicians, or so-called representatives of the people, did not exist.
In the late 1700s, a Scottish history professor, Alexander Tyler, studied the democracies that had existed until that time. He had this to say about democracy in general, “A democracy is always temporary in nature: it simple cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority will always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship.”
Does this sound familiar? With almost one-third of all Americans feeding at the public trough, its only a matter of time before everyone receives some form of benefit and henceforth, the entire country will crash and burn with most likely a military dictatorship filling the void.
The professor went on to say: “The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependency back into bondage.”

Writing attributed to Professor Alexander Tyler

"There's no success like failure."

Bob Dylan

FINAL LESSONS OF HISTORY
BY WILL DURANT

My final lesson of history is the same as that of Jesus. Love one another. You may think that's a lot of lollipop but just try it. Love is the most practical thing in the world. To love, to be kind, not to be greedy, not to be ambitious, not to be influenced by people but to think for yourself - these are all very practical things, and they will bring about a practical, happy society.

Will Durant, 1885-1981
American Philosopher, Historian and Author

ON PRACTICE: BY PAPPY MITCHELL
"Practice slowly and carefully, speed will come unbidden."

"Cold hearted orb that rules the night, removes the colours from our sight. Red is gray and yellow white, but we decide which is right, and which is an illusion."
-- "Days of Future Passed' - The Moody Blues

Heron Derivation Dictionary derivation of the word aesthetics is given as; Gr aisthanesthai, "to perceive."

"You can produce a piece of beauty . . . of such a magnitude that you just stop people in their tracks! You can blow away and erase their anger, hate, discomfort or anything else with an aesthetic."

-L.Ron Hubbard

"It's better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you aren't." - author unknown

"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited.
Imagination encircles the world." ~ Albert Einstein