Art! The Perspective in the Creative Process: Part IX

Here with another in the series of articles from “Art! The Prospective In the Creative Process”, representing a variety of takes and procedures in regards to the artist involvement with the ‘perspective’ mindset. Samples with individual approach and applications of form, content, and practice, etc. of various professional artists’ in their fields, while working through and with the creative process.

We visit in this piece another example in the form of a direct response of characteristic standing in method and background, garnered from the artist (in this case a Multiple-Wind Instrument player), in interview.

With an early childhood presentation to a variety of music, it was the sound of the big-band era where the clarinet was the instrument that tapped this musician’s intuition as a boy, and provided the scope for him to realize this was the ‘implement or tool’(so to speak), for him in exploring musical sounds.

With private studies on clarinet through the middle teens, then adding alto saxophone and flute to the list by the end of the high school years, the wheels of music were definitely in motion. And, as with the influence from the many directions of music that this individual was taking in (Jazz, Classical, R&B, Rock, Funk, Blues, World / Cultural Music, Etc.), that in turn also affected the growing number of different reed instruments this musician would eventually use for the genres’ working arsenal of woodwinds. The educational background continued to diversify with the extensive work experience involving jobs from the myriad of musical influences, and eventually led to college and graduate school for music. Indeed, with all of that, however, this musician says that “the best study of all was & is on the bandstand working in real time without a net.”

When asked what might be a quote or saying that they might use to describe to the layman about what they do, their response was, “my job is part salesman, part service industry, part court jester, part business man, part creative artist, part mind reader…not in any particular order; as each job has its own special needs…”

With the present day proceedings of their career (allowing few turns or detours), rolling right along, it prosperously continues. And as the working schedule of this musician is quite a busy one (one that most others would not be able to keep-up with), which includes a considerable amount of traveling, and occasionally more than two performances in a day’s time. However, with many years of experience at hand, it is a smooth and flowing course of a successful, professional lifestyle in procedure for this artist.

He is constantly working in exceptionally diverse atmosphere such as recording studios (doing commercials, records for different artist, etc.), orchestras, small ensembles, classical duet, piano duos, big bands, municipal band settings, and more. Incorporating an array of horns from clarinet, and various saxophones to a traditional 5-hole Shakuhachi (Japanese flute), as instruments of use with the varying jobs, this musician is indeed a consummate professional artist working in the field of music.

And as with every genre and each individual in that particular field, we see the variables of how different the angle, the involvement with the prospective in the creative process is for each individual artist. A brief glimpse of how one approaches not only the procedure in the performance and presentation, but also an artists life established and comfortably operating. This musician says that they are grateful for the life they lead and that “as if by some strange spin of the kharmic wheel, this is what I get this time”…Indeed!