Video: "Musician!" Jazzes Monmouth County Library

Those that braved the hard rain of Thursday night for the  received a first-class music lesson. Multi-instrumentalist Dan Wilensky shared anecdotes and insight from his three decades inside the music business.

From playing on the streets of New York to the stage at Madison Square Garden, Wilensky has lived it all. His talents have resulted in collaborations with some of music's greatest contributors.

"You name them, I've played with them. Most are humble to the success,"  Wilensky told his audience. Ray Charles, Joan Baez, Steve Winwood, Aretha Franklin, Madonna and David Bowie, among others, have tapped Wilensky's talents for tours and session work.

The multi-instrumentalist opened the session with improvisation on the saxophone mixed in with a brief music history lesson.  Wilensky first played using just two notes, then displayed the six notes affiliated with the blues scale.  He proceded to the western civilization model of twelve notes before expanding to a sample of an Indian scale used in Eastern music.

While relaying an unrestrained love for the art of music, Wilensky frequently discussed the business side to being a musician.

"It is a complete freelance world as a musician," the artist remarked.  Despite his success, Wilensky admitted, "I've had to scrape through this." 

When asked about failure, and how he persevered through it, he answered simply, "a lot of moxy."

Speaking to a young musician in the room, Wilensky discussed the difficult decisions he had to make in the early stages of his career.

"Art over commerce is the hardest decision for young musicians," stated Wilensky.  "But if you have the music and love what you're doing with it, that's enough," adding, "it takes you through the tough times."

With a career that brought him to the heights of his profession,  Wilensky possesses a myriad of tales involving music's most influential artists.

Regarding music chameleon David Bowie, with whom Wilensky shared the stage on numerous occasions, "he wants you to create."

Wilensky recorded with pop icon Madonna and expressed a gratitude toward her professionalism.  "She knows how to use somebody well," noted the musician. 

During recording, Wilensky asked Madonna to set him up with one of her girlfriends.  "Sure," Madonna replied, "but they're all lesbians."

During the latter part of the session, Wilensky sat and read passages from his book "Musician!"  The prose is divided into managable sections, each containing a moral that coincides with the text.  The artist said of his written work, "this book is the one I would have wanted at a young age."

Though playing music is nothing new for Wilensky, he maintains a love for his craft that remains as strong as it was in his youth.

"I'm holding on to that feeling I had when I first saw the saxophone."

Dan Wilensky's work can be heard on more than 250 records.  To learn more about Dan, visit his website at www.danwilensky.com.

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