"DISSED"?? How Soon Do We Forget!
or
Are You Kidding???

The jest of this article is the result of a recent conversation I had with a Bass player friend with whom I had spent many afternoons and evenings...in an ensemble room at Berklee College of Music in Boston. During those times (way back when ??) we spent what seemed like endless hours of practice, searching for immediate answers to our own musical inadequacies. Throughout those years filled with hard work, I had the good fortune to play with many great and, what I considered myself to be, not so great musicians. None-the-less, we all had the unstoppable desire to someday become the best musicians possible.

As the years went by and priorities emerged, we each went our separate ways. Some of us stuck to following a career in jazz music, some got more into of the commercial side of music and yet others went on to seek out professions totally disengaged from the music business altogether. As things transpired, some of those same players with whom we hung earnestly and with whom we learned to play music went on to gain much fame...and deservedly so. These are musicians who, through an abundance of hard work and years of dedication, transformed into great players..these were our best of friends....part of our clique at Berklee.

Now, as an attempt to maintain a fair perspective, and as many of us who have endured in the music business know, fame is achieved as the result of many variables...some of which has the least to do with musical talent. We see this on a daily basis in the success of many pop stars. Some, while having minimul musical ability, exhibit enormous marketable attributes not necessarily of a musical nature. (I'm bringing this up, not to degrade these people but merely to maintain a perspective.)

Going one step further, this phenomenon occurs in any business. We have all heard the saying "Being at the right place at the right time"! There is no better saying that sums up the careers of many, if not most successful people. It is this stroke of luck, coupled with the HELP of others that determines how successful one will become. Those who reach their ultimate goals while perserving personal integrity are truly the ones who have succeeded the most. These are the ones deserving of our "Respect".(((()))))(((

"RESPECT", however, is not, for lack of a better saying, a "GIVEN CHARACTERISTIC". It is an attribute that is earned. I would like to believe that in earning "RESPECT", one would not have to consciously seek it out but it would be bestowed over time as a natural result of one's character. This also goes without saying that "It's never too late"!! This brings me back to the original reason for writing this article.

During my conversation with my buddy, the Bass player, he mentioned that he had recently been involved in a project for which he had approached one of our mutual friends, one who had in recent years become quite successful. (As an attempt to make things easily understandable we will call the Bass Player "Bass" and our successful musician friend "Star".)

Bass sounded Star to play on his project. Star told him "NO"...gave him the excuse that his record company only allowed him to play on "X" number of projects per year. Now any of us who have been in the music business for the length of time we have, knows that this is "bull___". Unless there is a specific clause in his contract that states that he is only allowed to make up to "X" number of $'s per year, which is very unlikely, the only inference we might draw from Star's reasoning is that he has now reached a higher level of musicianship, one step closer to perfection than the rest of us poor slobs. As I usually give most people the benefit of the doubt I will say, however, that one usually has to obtain permission from the record company before going on to do projects with other, lesser known artists...this is granted 99% of the time. Furthermore, if Star had agreed to play on Bass's project, his name might have given Bass that slight edge needed to get a wider range of airplay, or the possibility of selling a few more records...enough, maybe to have put him into the same category as Star, himself...A "STAR". Get it??

Having said this, it is unfortunate that this scenario is not unique. This same form of "Dissing" occurs in all forms of business. Even sadder is the fact that it occurs as well throughout that institution in which most young people are most vulnerable...Education. In education it appears, however, in the form of teachers bad-mouthing (belittling) their students.

Seemingly, many teachers, especially those involved in higher education, get their kicks by embarrassing students, forgetting all along that they were not always the brilliant professors they had most deservedly become. They too at one time were just as stupid as the rest of us or in the very least, not as worldly or knowledgeable as they now pride themselves to be. A piece of paper that is inscribed with the word "Doctorate" does not afford one the license to abuse...and it certainly doesn't stand for some form of superior intelligence. In fact, I personally believe that anyone with the proper means ($'s) and the desire can earn a "Doctorate Degree" from whichever university they choose.

In the music education environment in which I am, as a professional musician naturally involved, one's rank is based on the amount of ones's talent...or lack of. Only a few are lucky enough to be born with an unusual amount of musical talent. For the rest of us, it is the enormous amount of energy and time which we dedicate to our musical aspirations which determines how good or bad we will be. For those of us who have dedicated most of our lives in following this dream, I am proud to say many have become some pretty good players and composers and some have, by far, surpassed their ambitions. They have become what I consider to be outstanding musicians. This is not to say that they have all "been at the right place at the right time". In fact most are ordinary musicians who have endured throughout the years in a business built mostly on image and, at times, minimally on talent. They are those who, because of their love and dedication to the "MUSIC", continue to scrap out a meager living...those who deserve a whole lot wider recognition than they have recieved...and those who when afforded the opportunity, could use that little extra push, be it from some music business person or perhaps from one of their hanging/jamming buddies from the past.

In conclusion I would just like to say this...To all those who continue to "DISS" (irregardless of whether they have been lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time..the *STARS*) and to all of us who have "DISSED" in the past, including ME...("Forgive me Father, for I have sinned!")... "HOW SOON WE ALL FORGET!"

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