There's some music talent in my family, especially in my dad.
My dad is a fairly successful jazz musician. He's now touring with a jazz band around the world--wish I could fit into the suitcase. He has perfect pitch, plays along with the radio, plays any instrument (but excels on wind instruments), and sings beautiful tenor. (I might add that all my girlfriends adored him--he looked a bit like Alan Alda during MASH years. He also had the most wonderful temperament, very patient and kind. A perfect dad, in my book.)
When he retired from his career of teaching music 3 years ago, there was a 2-hour concert by his students playing music pieces he'd composed over his career. It was a lot like Mr. Holland's Opus. Near the end of the concert, my 3 brothers and 3 sisters and I all came out with straw hats and dixie-land style garb, as a surprise for dad, and we played a couple of jazz tunes--tunes my dad had arranged for us to play while we were growing up. (My two youngest brothers are total prodigies--a drummer and a bass guitarist--and they were just in/barely out of high school; one sister is a commander of the national guard's army band, and she's a killer trombone player; the others were on trumpet, clarinet, and sax, playing much better than me! I faked on piano--it'd been too long.) Anyway, we pull my dad in for the second number, and he pulled out all stops in improvising. He played clarinet.
...Now I know why performers perform: when you succeed, and the audience is on their feet and cheering before the song is even done, it can make you decide that this just might be a profession to follow! And it was the first time ever, believe it or not, that ALL of us (7 kids and dad) had ever played together at the same time, since there is quite an age difference between my youngest brothers and the rest of us.
I've experienced more earthquakes than I can count, between Japan, California, and Washington. Hope I've met my quota.
Oh, one crazy thing. There was a girl from Taiwan, a TV "idol", who was a singing prodigy like Charlotte Church. She came to Japan for vacation, and visited a friend of mine. (Nobody in Japan knew who she was, so she was able to relax very well.) I happened to visit during this time, and they asked me to accompany her on guitar for a song or two. This was very strange for me, because at that time I was better at classical guitar, and I really didn't do too well, 'cause I avoid playing before others. But she was very sweet, and it was an almost surreal experience.
bebu
