Whenever words fail to deliver
the emotional impact or impetus of what I want to communicate, I then consider
myself EXTREMELY blessed because I have music as a means by which to express
my deeper, personal feelings. Music has given me (and many others) this
outlet of expression, without restriction and/or bias. My music is from
the heart, a reflection of what I feel about all that I have experienced
and the way in which I relate to the world around me.
Music has always been an emotional
means of expression for me. Without emotion (tempered by the intellect),
there is no music. Chick Corea once told me that when doing music (as well
as other activities) I should always try to surround myself with the best
players and people possible. I always try to do this. I always seek the
best musicians available to express and interpret my music. I have always
listened to (and observed) the masters of all styles and forms of art and
music, in order to absorb and assess the communicative essence of the creative
process. This is not always easy because the honest expression of emotion,
without excuse or digression, is sometimes painful. There you are, revealed,
never extraneous to the music.
The most revealing music I
have written has come in times of emotional stress. The music has been
most gratifying when I have been honest with and within myself about what
I am feeling and letting these feelings guide my writing. I couldn't be
afraid to not "name" what it is I saw and felt .The name is not
the "thing". I find that if I can't name it, the music will still
reveal it ! For me , music has been the way through the labyrinth. Emotion
is the fuel that gives the vehicle (music) impetus.To appreciate music,
one does not have to intellectually understand music or be an academician,
one only has to 'feel' the music on the gut level in order for the musical
expression to have meaning. For myself the ''cerebral' , is just a tool
to get to the 'visceral' To not like a piece of music does not make it
bad music. Whenever I find I don't particularly care for a piece of music
I always turn inwardly and ask myself, "Why don't I like this?"
On some occasions I listened more intently and found something that I did
like, that resonated with some emotion within. I just needed more quality
time with the music.
I have seen many musicians
abuse and destroy themselves in various ways and through various means
(often stemming from inner frustrations and conflicts generally brought
on by lack of acceptance of their art by the masses). Some things that
are abusive to the body medicate the mind in such a way as to free it from
everyday annoying minutiae while placating the ego. For one caught in such
a dilemma, the seemingly logical thing to do would be to change either
one's habits, pursuits or expression. Ego can not only weaken the creative
process but, also destroy the artist. One has to realize that there comes
a time in every artist's life when the expressive or creative instinct
is more important and stronger than the SURVIVAL instinct. Some of the
deeper urges within command such immediacy of expression that the individual
and his survival becomes secondary. There is great power in creative energy.
However, there is nothing to prevent the artist from destroying him or
her self. The artist has to recognize this immediately. The artist is the
channel, not the source. Some forces cannot and will not be denied. When
we ' boil it down', the essence of life is an expression not a thought
or movement of thought. I try to live and create music from within this
expression, which for me is a very comfortable place to be. There is something
within music that I can't get anywhere else. Hopefully, through the music,
I can convey this essence to the listener.
-Vern Thompson
