Author: Kevin Bales

  • A Fictional Jazz Lesson (from Mike Shaw’s The Musician)

    A Fictional Jazz Lesson (from Mike Shaw’s The Musician) Mike Shaw’s novel, The Musician, captures life as a musician in the 1960s and ‘70s through his protagonist Tom Cliffe as he struggles to overcome the obstacles to becoming an accomplished musician and winning recognition for it. Beginning as a self-taught coffeehouse folksinger, Tom dedicates his…

  • Why Musicians get paid in 2023!

    Listing ten different way to earn money as a musician.

  • What ChatGPT says about music!

    What ChatGPT says about music!

    Music has a remarkable ability to enrich and uplift our lives in various ways. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, music offers numerous benefits for our emotional, mental, and even physical well-being. When we listen to our favorite tunes or engage in music-making, our brains release dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. This natural high…

  • Music Life and Times

    is an ongoing discussion between internationally renowned jazz pianist Kevin Bales, and Mike Shaw, singer-pianist and author of the novel The Musician, argues that becoming an accomplished musician takes three commitments: discipline, self-acceptance or self-confidence, and cooperation. They are also the life lessons that music teaches those who would learn to play. Our podcast seeks to prove…