December 3, 2007. San Francisco, CA
for 10 years i impersonated a jazz musician for a living
at least that’s what it felt like half the time
it started when a friend asked if my band could play at a corporate party she
was planning. she thought we’d be a good fit – we sounded “jazzy”.
my band consisted of me on acoustic guitar and vocals, playing my originals,
backed up by really good jazz musicians.
nick drake, van morrison, rickie lee jones all played and recorded with jazz
musicians – it was part of their sound: upright bass, saxophone, a drummer that
knows what subtle means.
i accepted the gig and spent the next month learning a bunch of standards. the
party went well and soon after the caterer called wanting to book us for another
event. before long i was able to quit my desk job.
the guys in my band were all serious players who were dedicated to being the
best musicians they could be.
then there was me
my strategy was to play as little as possible; “first do no harm”
i sang a few standards, but mostly made sure everything ran smoothly.
performing background music at events takes some getting used to. for the most
part no one pays any attention to you. often we’d be set up in a corner next to the
large rented fern. like the fern, our job was to add ambience to the proceedings.