As so many commentators have said, what strange times we are living in!
The social distancing mantra has become a part of us, and interactions with people now has an awkwardness; we are wary and keeping our distance. For musicians the lockdown has meant an almost immediate end to all work – no concerts, gigs in clubs, recording sessions, teaching.
So to keep a connection with our musical friends, to challenge ourselves with a new skill, and to keep the performance of music in people’s consciousness, some musicians have been doing online performances, or putting together a virtual band. I’ve been fortunate to to be a part of one of these, with Andrew Robertson. He did the writing, mixing and video editing! You can check out his Big Band @ Home on YouTube: Giant Salsa Steps and I Thought About You
While this has been fun, and the result is very good, it is nothing like the experience you have when you hear a band live, so I look forward to when that can happen again!
One thing that hasn’t changed for me during the lockdown is the process of writing music – it’s a solitary activity that I do (usually) at home. I’m currently working on a saxophone quartet and look forward to completing it fairly soon.