One for the mature team: 416 Festival 2016, Toronto Ontario

The old guys still have the stuff. Tonight in Toronto at the 416 Festival Terry Clarke, Bruce Cassidy, Glen Hall, Kieran Overs, and David Story took to the stage. I figure everyone had between 40 and 55+years of playing experience. Let's think, that is 250+ years of collective experience. Yikes! And they still play like young guys, full of beans and ready to play.

How do they do it?

I'll speak for myself first.

1. I'm in shape physically and musically.
2. I like the guys I was performing with.
3. I feel part of the musical community I was playing for.

What I observed in the guys today at both rehearsal and later on stage.

1. They like each other. They have a long shared history going back decades. The banter and teasing is hilarious.  They've played together in the Boss Brass, Dr. Music, Gil Evans Orchestra and lots more. They have stories to share. And, they share them, non-stop.
2. They keep musically active and creatively engaged. 
3. They are apparently fearless on stage. Strong and confident, the kind of confidence that comes from years of experience. 

My conclusions?

1. Take care of yourself.
2. Stay in the game.
3. Surround yourselves with community.
4. Try some new things. Some of the guys were relatively new to the kind of music we played tonight. They had a go at it with gusto.

​David Story

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