of problems unique to artists.
Creating humor out of hardship
can help relieve the stress.
Jazz musicians, in particular,
tell “inside jokes” so deeply
rooted in their sub-culture that
non-musicians don’t get them.
Some though, are obvious…and
unkind:
wealth and the privileged connections that brought him fame
and fortune, despite being an
elementary player.
Jokes cover “chick singers”,
too. (I suspect that to some male
musicians, chick singer is code
for dumb female singer, or easy
score.) Dig this riddle from pianist/singer John Korba, who, by
Q: What do Kenny G and a vac- the way, respects female singuum cleaner have in common?
ers. Q: What does a chick singer
A: They both suck!
do in the morning? A: She gets
Q: What’s the difference bedressed and goes home.
tween Kenny G and a trombonist I often bristle at insensitive
squished in the road?
jokes about female singers,
A: There are skid marks in front while at the same time appreof the trombonist.
ciating the clever minds of the
Insight: Most heavyweight jazz creators. It’s true, many singand some pop musicians think
ers don’t know anything about
Kenny G is a syrupy lightweight, music. And some don’t sing in
far from jazz, though he calls his tune. Bassist Hank Skalka speaks
music “smooth jazz.” And when to that: The vocalist says to her
you’re a world-class musician
piano player, “Let’s play Misty.”
struggling to pay the mortgage The piano player says, “Ok, we’ll
and gas up the car, it’s easy to
do the first 2 bars in E-flat, then
resent Kenny G’s enormous
a bar in F…a bar in E, then 2
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