Greatest people

This has been a very trying time for the music world. I have seen Paul Simon singing against a white wall by himself with his guitar, with no accompanying musicians. I have seen the streets of my city empty from the festivals and block parties that we used to have during the summers in Chicago. I have seen the numbers of students of music teachers shrink to such a point that they have to quit the job and go into another trade.  I have seen performers lose the sense of their craft because they haven’t performed in months. I have seen some musicians thrown out of their apartment because they couldn’t pay the rent anymore. I have seen the break ups, the divorces, the arguments cause by this pandemic. I have seen people lose the rudder that used to help them stir their life towards their goal. I have seen the shame on their face, as if it was their fault. It used to work, they used to be proud members of this society, they worked hard, relentlessly to get what they got, and now they’ve lost everything. They feel guilty, and they shouldn’t. I have seen the hardship, the despair. And, yes, I have also seen the grit and the resilience that they all show, refusing to give up, I’ve admired their courage, their tenacity, their love for this art and this life. Covid-19 has taken a huge toll on the musicians of this world. It has been an atrocious time for too many of us.

I am with them, with all my hearts.

That’s it. That’s this blog. I wanted to salute my fellow musicians that I love and care for. They deserve it, they’re the greatest people I know.