You’ve heard the saying—it’s from a John Keats poem—“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” One of the gifts that music gives those of us who learn to play is the enjoyment of playing, and playing with others, that lasts as long as we do.
I was reminded of the longevity that comes with a career in music by a friend who texted me to let me know that Roger Daltrey, at 80, was performing at a local concert hall near his home in Western North Carolina. He went on to remind me that Graham Nash at 80 is still performing, as is, of course, the ageless wonder, Mick Jagger, who turns 81 this July. Ellis Marsalis played regularly at Snug Harbor in New Orleans up to the time he succumbed to the coronavirus at age 85. Tony Bennett, suffering from severe dementia, had to be led on and off stage but once out there performed brilliantly, and did so almost to the day he passed away at age 96. The brilliant trumpeter Clark Terry lived and played to age 94. The list is long.
Those who learn to play music and are fortunate enough to be able to make a living doing so are repaid for their commitment to music in a way that few other jobs or professions can boast of, a lifetime of involvement. Musicians aren’t handed a gold watch and sent home on their 65th birthday. They don’t, typically, retire.
We talk in our podcasts about how you don’t work music, you play it. It is play, a joyful experience. And those who learn to play have the pleasure of experiencing that joy throughout our entire lives. We’’ll play till they put us in the box.