Spike, who's a real full-time professional saxaphone player, has been running a night called 'free for all' once a week. it's an improvisation night: free entry, free coffee, free jazz. he keeps saying he wants me to bring my trumpet, even though i tell him i don't know how. and then, two weeks ago, listening to the jazz, i realised that it was the tenth anniversary of that car accident which interrupted my tootling.

i've also been talking to my friend Ros about whether either of us can bring ourselves to put our names in the Chalice Of Love (which is how the free jazz men decide who's going to play next). she really wanted me to get the trumpet out too.

so i went to summer hill video shop and rented Young Man With A Horn (kurt douglas as the trumpet player who i will always know as Big Spiderweb), and then i got out my trumpet, and every day for a week i played. it was very good. i got better every day.

and on thursday i took it to Free For All, and put my name in the chalice, and played three times and it was allllllright. i was a bit scared. but it wasn't hard. 'just like jazz' rick said.

so how about that.
asnrwe