Last Entry For 1998

This should do it for 1998 as far as journal entries go.   It has been a very hectic year for me.   So much has happened as far as my musical career is concerned,  I really hadn't had much time to look back and reflect.   Even in the journal,  I feel as though I could have put more thought into writing down my innermost feelings and reflections,  but I'm pleased to have been able to keep this journal going since its inception on May, 18, 1998.
 

This year has also been the year of the Internet for me.   It's been both a good and a bad thing.   Good in that I have a lot more connections to people in the swing scene,  and not so good as far as getting enough sleep is concerned.   I suppose one of my resolutions for the New Year would be to get more rest.

It's been one long struggle to balance a musical career and family life,  but it's safe to say that I've been able to do it with a certain level of success,  and managed to keep the family intact.
 

I guess I'm looking ahead now to 1999.   Supposedly,  we are guaranteed a gig for New Year's Eve next year,  possibly a repeat in Disney World,  and there are talks of Euro Disney...    we'll see.   Venues need bands for the Millenium Eve Parties,  so a lot of bands have been already booked in advance for this BIG EVENT.

I'm really looking forward to the beginning of 1999,  when the band starts off the New Year with a bang.   After a two week vacation from January 1 to January 15,  we start off with a mini-tour to Arizona,  a gig at The Queen Mary,  and a weeks worth of shows at Caesar's Palace.   I'm also looking forward to finishing the new CD with the band,  which could be done around March 1999.
 

I feel my focus next year as far as becoming a better drummer is to just follow my instincts,  to get to that primal force,  just as Buddy Rich has done.   To "emote" more,  throw more attitude into my playing,  to get to the soul of drumming while at the same time achieve a high level of technical proficiency.   Of course,  all this depends on my own personal level of dedication to the instrument.
 

All in all,  I must keep my level of confidence up.   Not to be affected by my surroundings,  but instead to take control of the situation.   There's a certain amount of luck to life,  maybe you could call it "probability",  but at the same time it is possible to take a certain amount of control over one's destiny,  but that comes when a certain amount of effort is applied to the given situation.

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Today's Listenings:
 

Chick Webb - An Introduction To...
Carlos Rull - If By Chance We Meet
Ennio Morricone -
Once Upon A Time In The West
Buddy Rich - 
Swingin' New Big Band

Current Readings:
 

Drummin' Men
by Burt Korall
Yahoo Internet Life - January 1999 Issue

Randy McNally Atlas