ADVERSITY INTO ADVANTAGE
Here’s a musical anecdote that illustrates a great concept of turning adversity into advantage.
I was performing on trumpet at a concert in a performing arts center with the Truth In Jazz Orchestra, a 16 piece big band jazz orchestra.
While playing of the tunes I was featured on, “Nadalin” my second valve stuck down completely during the first phrase of the tune. I kept playing but had to pull the valve cap up while continuing to play at the same time. But, it just will not loosen up. It continues sticking at least every other note. I’m now trying to play a solo without using this valve at the same time, eliminating at least half of the notes I can play.
The crowd (a full house) is now getting the idea that there is something very wrong, as every chance I get, I’m literally pulling the offending valve stem back up each time I play a note that requires it. Then I glance over to my stage right and one of the other trumpeters is standing there attempting to stay out of view of the audience while trying to hand me another horn.
Between notes, I grabbed the other horn, switched the mouthpiece to the new horn and continued with the tune without missing a beat.
I admit of a brief moment of fear wondering if I had jumped from the frying pan to the fire as it’s adventurous indeed to pick up another horn in the middle of a challenging performance!
Happily, the horn worked perfectly and I dove into the next solo section with renewed intensity. This brought the house down as prompting me to kick it into high gear for the rest of the solo and the big cadenza at the end, finishing on a high F#.
The audience loved it, giving me a standing ovation! After the concert people were coming up saying it was so thrilling, they got chills up their spine and enjoyed it more than anything they’ve heard or seen and that they they would never forget it!
Now that’s turning adversity into advantage, and one way to get them to remember my performance . . . I’m even thinking of adding it as a regular part of the show!
daniel w. jacobs
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