On the spur of the moment last Wednesday, my guy and I headed down to the Wazee Supper Club to listen to some jazz.  On Wednesdays, Al Hermann and Bob Montgomery assemble a quintet of wonderful jazz musicians with drop in performances by local and, as it turns out, non-local musicians.  Bob and Al are quite simply fabulous performers and individuals.   They have perfected their art over a lifetime of playing.  Bob and Al are virtuosos.

            Last Wednesday, Bob was out of town so we missed his fabulous trumpet.    The group was joined by a sax player as well as a bass player who was standing in for the incomparable Kenny Walker.  A fellow trombonist from Boston jammed with the group, his vibrant sound complimenting Al’s subtle trombone harmonies. The pianist was superb and the drummer was fabulous.  The music was, well, out of this world.   The price of admission was … zero.  Just buy a food and/or a drink and listen. 

            My kind of night.

            As we watched and listened and let the music seep into our souls, I could not help noticing the diversity of ages in the musicians.  The drummer looks like he needed a note from his mother to stay out past 10 pm.  The bass player was mid-range, maybe 30 - 40’s.  The Pianist, like Al (and for that matter, like me), was a well-seasoned dude.  The Boston trombonist was youngish, maybe 30’s – 40’s. 

            In short, we were transported by the art of an eclectic group whose ages spanned about 50 years.

            What does this say about Art?  It says to me that the creation of beauty is a combination of the Big Four: talent, hard work, persistence and joy.   This combination can be achieved at nearly any age. 

THE BIG FOUR FOR BECOMING A VIRTUOSO           

1.  TALENT.  First, one must have some talent, that’s a given.  Without talent, there is no hope of becoming a virtuoso. 

2.  HARD WORK.  Once you recognize that you have some level of talent, hard work is in the offing.  Few if any have ever risen to the top of any field, whether music, painting, writing or anything else, without working hard to learn one’s craft.  Malcolm Gladwell was correct in Outliers that 10,000 hours are required.  That seems about right to me.  How the very young looking drummer could possibly have been drumming for 10,000 hours is beyond me but clearly he too is a virtuoso.

            3.  PERSISTENCE.  Next comes persistence. Making it anywhere and especially in the arts requires significant persistence.  There are many, many talented artists and musicians but most are not persistent about pursuing art as a career.  Often the pursuit of one’s career in the arts means playing some sketchy clubs and showing one’s art in coffee shops or anywhere someone will let you.  After all, few of us get to start at the top.  The rest of us have to work our way up there by keepin’ on keepin’ on.  We absolutely must have faith in ourselves and faith that this is the path for us.  We must persist, against all odds.

            4.  JOY.  The last required element is joy.  Joy is what enables us to persist in the hard work long enough to bring our talent to fruition.   Joy is why we do this.  Joy comes when you’re in The Zone.  Time flies, your coffee gets cold and you’ve forgotten lunch because you were engrossed, entranced, and enmeshed in your art.  Joy comes when you step back, look at the piece you’ve been working on and say to yourself, “Wow, that really IS good!”   That’s Joy. 

            If you have some talent that you are willing to develop and you are willing to work hard and persist against all of the odds, you are half way there whether you are young or old.  If you’ve got Joy too, well then, you’ve got what it takes to be a Virtuoso.