This week, I'm preparing for a fantastic tour of Europe playing cello and bass in a trio with South African legend and NEA Jazz Master Abdullah Ibrahim. It's been 6 years since we had a tour of this magnitude and it feels fantastic to share his music for audiences around the world. Discovering unique local food culture is the best part of my travels and pictures never could do justice to taste...this is why I have to continuously work out.
I moved back to Detroit from NYC at the onset of the pandemic and it's been a major transition in my life. I had to re-establish my roots yet again while maintaining my connections from a decade of work in the East Coast- a perfect recipe for FOMO. It's easy to be "out of sight, out of mind", even with the omnipresence of social media. There's nothing like the authentic connections made from running into folks in the scene. I loved my time in New York, and I still miss many of my friends and colleagues- something I'm hoping to alleviate with creating more future collaborations and shows in the city.
By the grace of the universe, I'm from Detroit- and I want to re-introduce the world to the creative nebula it still is. I want to bring Detroit's realness and authenticity in the music and the shows I perform. I don't want my shows to be just another jazz show. The process of distilling that into something unique to me is something I haven't had a lot of space to consider until recent years. And something incredibly scary- to share a part of me in creative projects is hard...it's hard to share yourself in front of people in general.
Times have changed, and so have I.
Bringing the world before into the world I live in now has been the great challenge over the past few years. It has forced me to figure out what's truly important for me and to develop new habits that will write the narrative of the life I want. Even more difficult is to notice the habits I've adopted to deal with discomfort that aren't helpful towards the future version of the person I want to be. It sounds like a lot going on in my head, and many days it is, however it's this kind of work that has also constructed a life that feels more authentically me- and I'm still unearthing more fertile ground for me to grow.
Environment is crucial to growth- and it's not always tied towards a location...it's the people, the tribe I choose that is a part of that narrative. I'm excited for what the future brings...
I look forward to seeing you all come out to another show and to make The Circle a little bigger...