| Learning to s trust the muse

T tried the proverbial “meet the new colum- nist” column, but after several limp handshakes with myself I got dis- gusted and decided instead to plunge right in.

~ Submit myself to the Creative Principle. You don’t reap the rewards unless you trust the CP. Problem is, the CP looks a lot like fear — they’re practically twins, for God’s sake.

I discovered this first-hand in my jazz improv class. What a ship of score-addicted fools we are. My first shock was that I — at age 40 — was the second youngest in the class. Most of my classmates are in their 60s and 70s. Any trepidation I had about making an old fool of myself quickly disappeared. Young fool still remained a possibility.

z Jazz improv, I realized, is all about trusting in the CP, some- thing all of us find elusive, judging by the musical ink blots that keep emerging (hey, it’s practically group therapy). And there’s a reason they call it “scat.” Because most of the time it sounds like sh**.

- Oh dear, swearing in my first column.

For barely book-weaned musicians, improvisation is a major stretch. For beginners it is a chasm.

- It’s an out-of-sequence language with its own syntax. If you plan a decent sentence it’s a bore; if you mistakenly assume there are no rules you blather like an idiot and no one has a ciue what you're saying.

It’s all about balance: freedom with mindfulness.

Each Tuesday night, we try out the balancing act.

D. the trombone player sits on the heavy end of the seesaw. He is a laggard leery of the Now. He always tries to plan his improv (Hyello! Not clear on the concept!) and falls hopelessly behind the beat. When he finishes, he crunches up his face and looks down into his mouthpiece like it’s an empty beer bottle and any minute a fly might buzz out.

.< On the high end of the seesaw is Ego-guy, the trumpet play- ér. While he fully trusts the Now, it is not, sadly, the Now of the song. His solo follows a chord structure that just ain’t there. He blasts away, oblivious to the cacophony, insisting on his other- planet melody. Mind you, he is always pleased with his efforts

_and gets an A in the self-acceptance department. Great rhythms, too. .

.. +: On the four-bar trade-off Ego-guy precedes me. He exits by ~ plating a flatulent low note and for some godforsaken reason I

attempt to match the pitch, forgetting the range limitations of

my instrument — me. The sound that comes out is a 10-pack-a-

See Humbled page 17

Wednesday, November 15, 2000 —- North Shore News - 15

Food

oe em we ewe

Horne & Garden

Pare

ting

Table Hopping .

NEWS phote Cindy Goodmen

MARK Chandler, president of Pacific Perimeter Sales, prepares a meal at the B.C. Home Show. His compa- ny developed a iine of frozen “restaurant-style” food products for Dairyland’s home service.. - ;

Fast food in the bag with service

GOURMET-IN-A-BAG is the idea behind a new line of deliv- ery. products.

Designed for the family on the run, Dairyland’s premium selections are frozen food with “restaurant quality.” Available through Dairyland’s home

. delivery service, the products will be available starting on Nov. 20. The menu includes Malaysian curry

Serving the North Shore for 30 years

[McFLOOR STYLE __| Insulated Steel ‘FLOATING $ {LAMINATE [FLOORING y ® Great for the . “do-it-yourselfer” * 10 year warranty

sq. ft. 40 day

only! EACH DOOR ONLY

These are our most popular [Ac EP replacement exterior doors! Primed white & ready to finish

32” widex6'8” © 1-3/4" thick gegen :

If you're adding a french door, you'll

want to shop at Windsor first!

y ° FLAT GLASS * PAINT GRADE e 20-e KE

CAS

#1208 COLONIAL

6 PANEL STYLE Ask about prehanging!

ER JOINT EV

NG ie

chicken, sweet and sour meatballs, vege- tarian chili, and several soups including cream of broccoli and minestrone.

According to Mark Chandler, presi- dent of the company that developed the line, the products aim for‘a comfort- food feel.

“What we've tried to do is put a twist on different tastes from around the world,” he said, referring to the teriyaki chicken and vegetable rice bowl, honey

Kevin Chalmers 10 years with “Windsor Plywood

@ You can always find Kevin who will answer any . questions about installation. .

2 of doors, suggest solutions

f and order in what you need!

*Fire rn

garlic chicken, cannelloni and pizza crusts. “We're trying to really hit the working family, so that kids can just take the bag out of the freezer.”. a:

Those families are so busy, he pre- sumes, that they don’t even have time to - cook rice — that is available precooked and frozen. . *

The meals amount to about $3 a serving, and can be ordered from Dairyland’s home service at 421-4663_.°

309 Kennard Ave. North Vancouver

985-1341

(At the 3rd Street & Low Level Road intersection)

istance tested |) |!

©Scund deadening tested for

privacy