Thoughts on the morning before heading down to Georgia Southwestern to perform a recital with Rebecca Lanning:

I’ve been playing piano for 40 years – professionally for over half that (Nope, I ain’t as old as that makes me sound). I find it interesting that even though I have a Masters Degree in Piano Performance, I’ve been paid to play “Classical” less than a dozen times over that period.

Rock-n-roll, jazz, country, wedding….. tons of times. Classical, not so much.

This may indeed be a comment on my skillset or level of playing – I decided early on that I didn’t want Classical to be my entire lifr, and that is required if you are going to make a living at it (I didn’t want to live in NY or Chicago either).

It also may be a comment on what I’m good at – being a musical chameleon. I’ve done Classical, yes – but also jazz, rock, country, misc. wedding stuff, pop – and performed on piano and multi-keyboards of various ilks – and been on about a dozen recordings (including one that was nominated for a Grammy). I’ve even produced two albums with my band at church (tom&co).

And I teach – both privately and in a college.

So I guess it is a career – at times seriously aggravating, at times seriously wonderful. Two weeks ago I was playing in Storm Lake, Iowa with the Joey Stuckey band playing pop/rock originals – tonight in Americus, Georgia accompanying a phenomenal Mezzo-Soprano in every style from Lieder to 20th C. to TinPanAlley.

It ain’t boring!