Alcohol and playing (posts moved from Recording Progress)

[AlonW]

Completely subjective comment, but whatever.

And again you keep asterisking your previous comments.

You said earlier 'only the best'...do not indulge in substances. My reply was simply to illustrate that is hooey...

It was part of their lives, their lifestyle. Neither you nor I can begin to imagine what it was like being African American, pre civil rights Era.

To intimate that had they not been involved in substances would have made them better...or to intimate that the addictions actually obstructed their artistic abilities...has no basis. At best, it is a hypothetical which can never be answered.

It has nothing to do with addiction, or civil rights. Alcohol is bad for your body. Nobody questions that, except maybe you!

 

[Colin the Bear]

And me.


Moderation in all things, including moderation.

 

[mizmar]

And me.


Moderation in all things, including moderation.

Except Morris Dansing and, ummm, other stuff.

 

[jazzdoh]

It has nothing to do with addiction, or civil rights. Alcohol is bad for your body. Nobody questions that, except maybe you!

Lots of things are bad for you, the wrong food, coffee and even the air you breathe in some cities, the right amount of whiskey has benefits it's a blood thinner.
Moderation is key.

 

[Targa]

1 TIMOTHY 5:23 KJV Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

1 Timothy 5:23 KJV: Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

www.kingjamesbibleonline.org

 

[mizmar]

I only drink distilled water or rainwater and pure grain alcohol to protect my bodily fluids from the commies.

 

[PiccoloPirate]

When sailing West of Hawaii, are you breathing Commie air, with the scent of Sushi? 🎶🏴‍☠️🎶

 

[JayeNM]

It has nothing to do with addiction, or civil rights. Alcohol is bad for your body. Nobody questions that, except maybe you!

Your's is a dogmatic view of it.

It may be bad for the body, I make no argument there one way or other. Anotger replier did note, however, that in certain instances moderate consumption of certain alc bevs is NOT entirely negative. So, again, maybe leave the dogma outside (?)

But substances also change the way the mind interacts and processes.

In creative arts...that may NOT be a BAD thing.

Which is my point which seems to repeatedly escape you...

I tried to give a personal example above....half a cocktail actually makes my playing better, more fluid, less pre-thinking each note or hand position or fingering or where I wanna throw in this or that lick.

This is such a COMMON dynamic among musicians, so many report this...., to deny it or condemn it is just silly.

Had a drummer friend back in HS/College who followed a 'half bottle modus' as he called it. Half bottle beer before a show, not enough to get you buzzed or lose focus, but enough to loosen you up and calm inhibitions or nerves....

So again, health wise...perhaps 'bad'...but we are in no position to say that it negatively effected an artist's performance, oeuvre, production, etc... and that that artist would have been 'even greater' had they never imbibed or gotten hooked.

Unless we start looking at a sad but vast minority of performances where they may have been so messed up they could not perform.

This is aside from whether it ultimately led to their demise, mind you. I am addressing an intimation that association with the substance automatically resulted in an artistic 'negative'. And that the 'greatest' players were and are completely 'clean'. Neither of those suggestions are remotely accurate.

 

[JayeNM]

When sailing West of Hawaii, are you breathing Commie air, with the scent of Sushi? 🎶🏴‍☠️🎶

Whatever you're drinkin'....send me some 😎

 

[PiccoloPirate]

If you're heading North or South, with that Westerly blow, we call that a Commasushi broad reach.

The head of neurology, at the Miami VA, advised, that 4 oz of red wine, in the evening, has benefits for those over 40.
She was viewing my brain MRI, and said, you have a beautiful brain.
My reply, do you want to take me out for dinner, or just my brain? 😜

 

[PiccoloPirate]

Altered states of mind and creativity, lots written on that subject.
Some people take prescription meds, to keep them on the planet.
Question is, which planet. 🪐

 

[Tuppertn]

Maybe more so today, but in Dolphy's time ? Doubtful a significant %age of the giants were both not using and not drinking...

Clifford Brown was well known for not using drugs or alcohol. He even inspired Sonny Rollins to get clean.

Of course, the universe rewarded Clifford with an untimely end from a stupid accident. But I Remember Clifford.

My cello teacher told me to have a couple glasses of wine to relax before practice. I discovered I couldn't play worth a darn while buzzed.

 

[lig]

For me - when golfing two drinks per 9 holes is beneficial. On a gig - 2 prior to the first set also beneficial.

Any more than that - things can go downhill. 🙂

THC on the other hand - terrible for me on a gig. I get this crazy imposter syndrome and it completely farks up my playing.

 

[Ivan]

What I can say is...NOT having that one cocktail at our gigs...usually between first and second set...DID make my playing less fluid, a bit more labored, couldn't just let the notes flow,as freely...my mind was too present....not playing as loosened up as usual....

...Though the confounding factor is you were recovering from heat exhaustion

 

[Nick Wyver]

Parker was a mess. Getz was a mess. Art Pepper. Bud Powell. Lester. Bix Beiderbeck. Woody Shaw. Chet Baker. Lady Day. Jaco Pastorius. Emily Remler, Bunny Berrigan, Paul Chambers, Bobby Timmons.......

I don’t how you managed it, but you forgot Zoot Sims.

"I've been here all night," the guy told Zoot when the band wrapped up, "and I've seen how much you've had to drink. But you played amazing all night! How do you do it, man?"
Zoot: "I practice drunk!"

 

[Grumps]

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[Colin the Bear]

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[Tuppertn]

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[Targa]

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[mizmar]

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