Step One: Watch The Video
Step Two: Read the Stories
In Lesson 2, we talked about trusting your Inner Voice. You're about to read Frank's memoir, Fat Piano. Yes, his is a most unusual Inner Voice! Then, in Lesson 3, we discussed the memoir format of Introduce, Deliver, and Conclude. Please pay attention to the first 15 words in Fat Piano: "I’m sure not a good writer, but I want to share my story with you." Admit it . . . you're hooked! Frank's Introduction did its job! His admission about his own writing skills put him on equal footing with you, the reader. So read on and be entertained!
I’m sure not a good writer, but I want to share my story with you. My earliest passion was music in general, and piano in particular. I took lessons with a piano teacher in West Haven, Connecticut. I was nine when I started. He quit teaching me after two years. I wanted to play Night Train! He wanted Sound of Music! Our dispute ended with him leaving for good.
Public school did not want a walk-in two months into the school year after my failed Broadway Show career. Yes, I was on Broadway in The Happy Time, a show starring Robert Goulet. I was a chorus line kid. After two months of rehearsal, I was fired! I guess my dancing wasn’t even close to being good, and my voice changed, too. Dear Dad was there and helped me through that time by acting super disgusted with me, blaming it all on me. I was devastated, I suppose, but I knew Broadway wasn’t in my future. I returned to school only to be met by pissed-off, non-helpful teachers, not to mention bullies who thought a show biz kid was fair game. I begged my folks to put me in a private school, but they weren’t having any of that. In the meantime, I got my first gig at a seedy bar in my home town of North Haven, Connecticut. For me, piano was it, plus a touch of Hammond M-3 organ. Those were my teenage rock days. Talk about Passion! I just loved the great blues piano players, and love of jazz soon followed. Of course, my parents still wanted me on Broadway. Not much had changed, I’m sorry to say!
“Nah, bye-bye” was my response. New Orleans blues piano had me hooked, with dreams of performing on Bourbon Street. But first, I ran away to San Francisco! There I was, 15 years old, in San Fran and learning how to be street-smart and street-quick. Yeh, I still remember and love that time of life! But it wasn’t long before I returned to a weepy mother and a silent father (rare), trying yet again to live with my parents and have a real home. Mostly, it worked out. Or at least as well as could be expected.
I returned to North Haven High School in 1971, by then an aspiring jazz piano player. I was shocked when a first-year teacher from Buffalo, New York, named Jeff Resnick, was hired to teach music at the high school! He had this crazy idea to actually teach jazz music instead of concert band. Heresy! Revolution! He quickly rounded up a bunch of musicians from the school, and formed The Jazz Workshop.
What shocked me the most was that the school administrators allowed him to do that! At least for a while, anyway, until they tried to get rid of him, fearing the unavoidable Sex, Drugs, and Rock-and-Roll lifestyle. Thankfully, they failed! Jeff attracted different types of musicians, all very fine people with great talent.
Man, we sure had a lot of stories to tell in 1971-1972! But Professor Jeff already wrote a book about that year! Here’s a hint about what that school year turned out to be, taken from his book.
"Word went out. The second week saw the arrival of the hold-outs from both sides of the tracks, but only after hearing about what the new guy had in mind for a school Jazz band. We quickly added a few drummers and percussionists, an unbelievably gifted guitar player, a banjo player, mandolin player, several more singers, and a gentle giant of a piano player whose massive paws covered several octaves."
"Frankly, I didn’t turn anyone down. There was no need to. They were all so damn proficient, so eager to please, so hungry to perform, that I knew I’d figure out a way to showcase the talents of all without needing to sacrifice even one. It turns out they all had their own bands, so what followed was a free-for-all of young musicians eager to show the world what they could do. More than forty-five years later, I can honestly say that I have never experienced quite the same level of excitement and anticipation as I did those first two weeks of my very first teaching job. We didn’t just have a Jazz Workshop, there! We also had a Blue-Grass band, a Rock band, and everything in between. It just doesn’t get any better than that. I was sure I would spend the rest of my life at this school. Naive, I’m afraid, as you’ll soon learn."
"Anyway, I can admit to you now that I was in awe. I thought I was a pretty solid musician in my own right, and had even taught Music classes at UB. But these kids were teaching me about things I hadn’t yet learned through my own experiences. Performers like Captain Beefheart; Emerson, Lake and Palmer; Frank Zappa; and, Jean-Luc Ponty. Their repertoire put me to shame. So much so that I decided to get out my trumpet and join the band! Sitting here today at my computer, keying this all in, I can’t help but be reminded of two of my favorite movies of all time: Mr. Holland’s Opus (Richard Dreyfuss) and School of Rock (Jack Black). I love those movies. I can’t see them enough, probably because I lived them in 1971-72. I could have written both screenplays."
We put out an LP record album together, funded by a semi-crazy local businessman.
Album Design by Scott Fessler, Paul Neri, & Ed Berlepsch
We performed at The Quinnipiac College Jazz Festival, excited by the well-deserved recognition of our guitar player, Bill Marinelli, as Outstanding Jazz Soloist.
We were interviewed on-air by New Haven radio stations. We played concerts throughout Southern Connecticut, including an exciting show at the student union at Yale University. Looking back, that was a fun time for all of us. Too bad Jeff had to deal with a fart-filled school of unhelpful heads. But he did. And we did, too, despite everything and everyone attempting to stand in our way. The Jazz Workshop advanced me in all ways, especially in listening to all forms of music. So many thanks to Jeff for getting this sometime teen drunkard on the way to a life of playing the music that he loved. Steve Allen helped, as did Jack Dupree, and Dr. John, too.
For me, the journey after high school has been piano bars and night clubs, starting in New Orleans at age 18. Yes, I made it to Bourbon Street after all, even if it was at another seedy dive. I was playing basic blues well enough to get gigs without much trouble. Now 65 years-old, I’ve played all over the world. Some great shows, and some God-awful ones, like November, 1991, in Norway.
Today, cruise ships are the only full-time gigs left in the Piano Bar world. My final years in The Biz are upon me. I’m completing my fourth year on a paddlewheel cruise boat churning out of Oregon. Yes, a real piano gig, no artificial electronics allowed! Frankly, I’m glad that retirement is near. Today’s audiences are tethered to smart phones more than live music. Matrix in reverse! One more year to go, then a place with a window and a Jack Russell Terrier. I tried the mating thing, but I guess I just prefer the solo life. No different than my music. Don’t worry, though, I’ll still play gigs, just not seven days a week as I do now on The American Empress.
Okay, that’s all I got, folks! All the best, Jeff, my guide through teen turbulence. And, to all the fine musicians and comrades of The Jazz Workshop, thanks for allowing me there.
Yours always,
Frank Glenn. (Or, the alter ego, F. Zoar!)
Emails welcome: [email protected]
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMgCh0FAJeA
PS: A quick note on “Zoar.” I came up with that name because of a religious cult that chained themselves in caves and cut out their tongues so as never to speak again. Maybe this was considered a way to stop the constant arguments with parents? So I became a member of my “Separatist Society of Zoar.” No, not a religious nut case, just more whiskey and piano and fewer words! Thank goodness I cut way down on the the whiskey, though, which is why I’m still alive to play the piano 47 years later!
Just as Frank Chase taught us an important lesson in life as a musician who didn't consider himself a good writer, Emma crafted her first memoir while a 16 year-old high school student! Who says you can't write a memoir until you're 50? This young lady had a clear vision of what she wanted to say, and she wasn't afraid to communicate her thoughts and dreams to a worldwide audience. Flash-forward to the present and Emma has completed her freshman university year.
Jeff: Hi Emma…
Emma: Hi Jeff…
Jeff: So tell me, at what point in your life did you realize art spoke to you?
Emma: Art has really always been a part of my life. I’ve been surrounded by creative people so it’s really hard to pick one point in my life where art became important to me.
T-Shirt design contest, created by Emma Sears at age 6, 1st Prize Winner
When I was nine years-old, I visited the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. On the lower level was a room dedicated to student works on display from schools around the city. I must have walked through that room at least a dozen times. I think this was the first time that art became personal to me, and that becoming an artist became a possibility in my mind. This experience inspired me to see if I could create something worthy of being displayed. Before, I had never given much consideration to what my art actually looked like to someone other than myself.
Jeff: How has your relationship with art grown from your earliest passion?
Emma: I’ve always been creative, growing up in an environment where creativity was encouraged. All I ever did when I was younger was draw, paint, and build stuff. I also learned how to knit when I was pretty young, constantly making scarves and hats. When I was 9-years-old, my Nana bought me a week-long art camp at the Visual Arts Center. I took a “Junk Sculpture” class, where we literally wandered around Richmond and dug through trash, went back to the studio, and made sculptures from what we’d collected. Through that experience, I also became aware of the separation between Craft and Art.
Woven Fabric Scraps Tapestry, created by Emma Sears at age 9
Jeff: When was the first time you sensed that art could be your life’s calling?
Emma: Frankly, I never thought about art as a career! It has always just been a part of my life. In eighth grade, I applied to the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for entrance into their Visual Arts Program. I assembled a portfolio, set up an interview, and hoped for the best. A few months later, I received an acceptance letter! It was only when I started high school that it occurred to me that I could be an artist. I took my first formal art classes at ARGS, and I grew so much as an artist during my freshman year. I'm now completing my senior year there.
Gown designed and made from newspaper by Emma Sears for the 2016 ARGW Annual Spring Fashion Show. Model: Sophie Svoboda
Jeff: How have your teachers influenced you along the way?
Emma: They’ve taught me in such a way that I now know how to teach myself.
Jeff: How have your teachers influenced you along the way?
Emma: They’ve taught me in such a way that I now know how to teach myself.
Freshman year charcoal reduction self-portrait by Emma Sears
The most valuable lessons I’ve learned at school are how to approach a project, and how to decide the most effective way to translate an idea into something physical.
“The Dreamer,” graphite 1920’s portrait, Sophomore year by Emma Sears
Of course, my teachers have also helped me develop technically. By going to a school that specializes in art, I have gathered an understanding of how the art world works. I’ve had pieces displayed in public shows; entered in contests; met artists with their own businesses; spoken with artists doing commissioned works; gallery curators; and, of course, other students.
Graphite drawing, Junior year, by Emma Sears
Jeff: Do you foresee art as a possible lifelong career, Emma?
Emma: I can’t see my life without art! So I think that even if I don’t pursue art directly, it will always be incorporated into whatever I do. I make connections through art.
Jeff: Why do you create art, then?
Emma: That’s how I navigate the world! I love photography and often use my pictures as inspiration for other projects.
Jeff: What do you consider your most successful piece of art?
Emma: I think my most successful piece is actually the one I’m currently working on. I’m making several wreath-like ceramic pieces inspired by nature. I’m trying to isolate different aspects of the environment and bring them together to show the relationship between the working parts of an ecosystem. For instance, I started my ceramic series with my photo “Shining Through” as an influence.
Photo "Shining Through" the Florida Everglades by Emma Sears
Jeff: Have you had any disappointments in your artistic journey?
Emma: Of course! My major weakness is undoubtedly my lack of skill in time management! It’s rare that good things come out of being rushed. I’ve learned the hard way that when time runs out, things often don’t go as planned.
Jeff: Is it important to you that your work is seen and displayed?
Emma: Art is a lot more personal to me than creating something solely with an audience in mind. However, I do think crucial parts of the creative process involve experiencing an audience reaction and receiving personal criticism. Of course, a little praise doesn’t hurt, either!
“Deconstruction,” an original sculpture made of plaster, string, wood, sea shells, grass, and plastic bags by Emma Sears.
Represents the industrialization of the natural world.
Represents the industrialization of the natural world.
Jeff: Tell me about your most recent art learning experience?
Emma: Last summer I traveled to Savannah, Georgia for five weeks as part of the Savannah College of Art and Design’s “Rising Star Summer Program.” I experienced firsthand how beneficial going to art school would be for me, and gained a deeper insight into the professional art community.
Photo: SCAD Internet
Jeff: How important is money in this process?
Emma: I don’t think money should play as big a role as it does in an artist’s life.
Ceramic Lighthouse Sculpture with underlying glaze by Emma Sears,
inspired by the Old Tybee Lighthouse in SC and the Ocracoke Lighthouse in NC
inspired by the Old Tybee Lighthouse in SC and the Ocracoke Lighthouse in NC
Jeff: So, what’s the next step in your life journey, Emma?
Emma: I've just been accepted to my first choice for college! So I guess you could say the next step in my life journey begins six months from now. I know I’ll get the most out of going to a university school of art and growing as an artist before I really figure out what I want to do career wise. But I do know that wherever I end up, I will be successful only if I’m Living The Artful Life!
Jeff: Thanks for sharing your story, Emma.
Emma: My pleasure. Thanks for asking!
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No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form
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