Lessons from the road

Life is full of surprises, and touring is certainly no exception. This is the story of a magical broken saxophone.

On Wednesday, 15 minutes before our scheduled performance at Munich's Carl Orff Saal, my saxophone stand's loose leg (that I should have tightened long ago) gave way, sending my horn came crashing to the ground, bringing about a stunned silence to all in the green room. I felt the panic rising up from my stomach, my head swelling with anxiety….what was I going to do? I needed time to figure this out, but there was none, and as they say, "the show must go on." The was simply not playable. Gradually, with the help of the guys, I helped myself come into my body’s awareness and began breathing, allowing the situation to unfold.

Without my knowing, a drummer named Ole who plays in the Ulita Knaus group on the bill with us for this tour called a friend of his, Ulrich. Ulrich happened to live 5 minutes away, happened to be a tenor player, and happened to be just leaving his apartment and was able to grab his saxophone. I met Ulrich at the entrance to the theater, gratefully accepted his saxophone with barely time for a handshake and quickly entered the stage and played the show. Ulrich gave me the number to Max Frei, a repairman in town, but what were the odds I’d get my horn fixed before our flight at noon the next day?

Max Frei happened to work 10 minutes from our hotel, and just so happened to be an early riser according to Ulrich, and so I rose groggily at 6:45 a.m. to start making phone calls. Luckily Frei was there, and I arrived at the shop at 7:45 to enter a beautiful workshop with a wood-burning stove, and was offered coffee and a relaxing smile, knowing immediately that I was in good hands. For the next 90 minutes, I received meticulous attention from a master technician. Not only did he negotiate his fee down from the 80Euros I offered, but also his wife (who I had spoken to earlier at home) called to make sure I arrived at the shop safely and that everything was okay. Then, Max cut a page out of his phone book to make sure I had a map of the area around my hotel, and insisted I take his metro card to take the subway back to my hotel! I was rendered speechless by how this person had treated me like not like a stranger or even an unfortunate soul who he would help for a buck, but as a dear friend.

Last night (Thursday night), I finished playing a concert with Julian and co. in Düsseldorf riding on a wave of euphoric gratitude resulting from this incredible experience, aware of how little control I had over these events. The only thing I could even remotely control was my own relationship to the unfolding situation, making sure not to let panic, anxiety, or ill will towards the situation affect the very people who were so kindly reaching out to me. These acts of kindness, from Ole’s phone call, to my friends’ compassion, to Max Frei’s and Ulrich’s generosity, may seem obvious or small to others, but to me they add up to something very significant. Every moment of every day, opportunities are there for generosity and gratitude to bear their wonderful fruits. We can be the giver and the receiver of these energies. Tonight, I was the receiver and now my opportunity to give through music feels as real as ever. The rest of the tour is upon me and I do not intend to waste a single note! Thank you for reading!

- Dan Blake, 1/22/10