Heading into the new year, I tried to set some "goals that don't suck" as I said on the holiday special episode of the Rhythm Changes Podcast. How am I doing? In answering that question for you here, I'll also air out some of my 2024 plans: first time sharing them in public.
I set five goals in December:
1) Release Maybe Eventually on CD.
What happened: done! In fact, I completed the sub-goals faster than I expected.
2) Know all the jazz repertoire mentioned by Ethan Iverson here, where “know” means to play melody, bass, and lyrics (if applicable) from memory.
What happened: total flub. Fortunately, I've been spending time on my instrument and feeling musically inspired again, which I'd say was the meta-goal with this one. But this year has turned more towards more improvised elements in original music than to the standards toward which I had charted a course. There's still time for me to pick up the spirit of this goal as I let go of other projects.
3) Complete a trail run race in July 2024. Hasn't happened yet. Standing by.
4) Fill reservations again at Frankie’s for a concert of new music with my quintet.
What happened: in progress. The first gig was an oasis in the toughest part of my 2023, and I'm thinking we could do it again at around the same time of year (autumn). I set a sub-goal to write 8 new pieces and play them in May, which I'm on track to do. The curveball? There's another event that I might do this fall which would overlap in effort demanded, so maybe I end up doing that instead of this. Either way, if I get people out, that'll be mission accomplished.
5) Mail a special-edition Rhythm Changes zine. Hasn't happened yet, nor have I shared this idea publicly! These are the sub-goals I thought of:
- Find out how many subscribers’ addresses I already have; check their interest
- Collect addresses of interested subscribers
- Gauge interest from free weekly readers and then from Instagram
- Design: decide zine’s layout and content; fit word counts for the content into the layout
- Distribution plan: decide when to print, package, and mail; buy mailing supplies, paper, and print solution (Staples or similar); decide on freebies for certain segments
- Announce and offer subscriptions to those who want to get it early
- Write the content
- Mail to subscribers, then all recipients, with freebies and personal notes
Getting anywhere on that by the end of this year would be a win.