“One of the first reasons I wanted to play the trumpet is that it healed me.” -Tom Harrell, trumpet player.
Jacob and I went to the famous jazz club in NY, Village Vanguard on Friday night to watch the Tom Harrel Quintet. We were lucky enough to be sitting in the front row. Anybody that has never seen Tom Harrel perform, if you have a chance to watch him perform, DO NOT MISS IT.
I have always had a passion for jazz and especially for sensitive performers. It is interesting because being in music, people assume that all musicians have this sensitive, passionate way of expression but it is extremely rare. Watching Tom Harrell perform on Friday night touched me deeply. He played with his whole soul and he covered you with the most comfortable blanket of emotions. Honest. HONEST EMOTIONS.
The amazing part of this all is that Tom Harrell is paranoid schizophrenic. The truth is that he is so good that, if you never knew that he was schizophrenic you would hear some of the best trumpet playing anyways.
“Dizzy Gillespie, the greatest trumpet player, admired my playing. That’s all I’ll ever need.” -Tom Harrell
I smiled pretty hard when I read this quote. For somebody that suffers with paranoid schizophrenia, it has to be THAT MUCH WORSE to perform. I am not schizophrenic and there have been many times I was worried that people hated my performing. I cannot imagine being bombarded by negative voices and still creating such beautiful music. It really is a miracle…and having Dizzy Gillespie compliment you, well, that isn’t too shabby!
When Tom Harrell picks up the trumpet to play, it seems to re-boot his system. Suddenly his energy changes and the most lucid and beautiful music is released. The satisfying and rich melodies are even his very own compositions. I feel like usually when people say they composed something the melodies are often missing and there is no complete circle, none of that was lacking in any of his compositions.
He is in his later years and has more of a problem with his shaking (no doubt due to the side-effects of anti-psychotic medications) and I noticed that he was walking a lot to the back rooms between his solos (my schizophrenic sister also tends to pace a lot because of the anti-psychotic medications). I am not sure if that is the case but I was amazed how he could focus through his playing.
He really is a miracle.
When he stops playing bows his head down and closes his eyes and he seems to be muttering words. One of his fellow players once said that he often stops his solos short because he feels that the audience does not think he is good. I am glad that I got a chance to hear his solos, I am glad that the voices did not stop him from expressing that beautiful music.
When he speaks his voice is monotone and sounds like he is muttering but it has the softest energy. His thank you at the end of the program rushed through my body. Pure honest gratitude.
My favorite part was his ballad. He played a duet with the bass player. Tom Harrell started out solo and that was the sweetest music I had ever heard. It was filled with love and longing. It made me cry because of it’s power and I thought about my older sister. That longing for love never leaves us… my sister must have that inside her too. That ballad spoke to me for so many reasons.
I was happy to find out that he has been married for many years to Angela Harrell, a Japanese-born science and medicine writer, he met 16 years ago when she interviewed him for a joint Japanese TV and Discovery Channel documentary on creativity and the brain. He pointed out that she called him first! Many people say that a lot of his success is due to her acting as his manager.
I know a lot of people that have family members or friends that have a mental illness and know that this story is so inspirational and at the same time, painful because we know that the chances that something like that will happen to our loved ones is rare. Also, seeing that he found love warms our hearts but makes us want our loved ones to have it that much more. Unfortunately finding love is even more rare than being given such an artistic gift. It is hard for many people that suffer from mental illnesses to find love (especially the extreme cases).
Tom Harrell once apologized to his audience because he was not charismatic. Honestly, so what! I would rather hear honest music played any day over a charismatic untalented performer!
My blog has not given justice to Tom Harrell, if you have not seen him perform, please go. Also, below I have a lot of links to videos with him and two great articles about him, enjoy.
Tom Harrell interview
Tom Harrell performs
Tom Harrell article by CONSTANCE CASEY
Tom Harrell article by JONATHAN EIG
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Your article makes me want to go and see him very soon!