Due to personal tragedy we may eventually find ourselves on a new path moving toward personal re-discovery. Certainly not as a willing participant but none the less the day to day things in our life, the things that seemed important to us and everyone around us, now pales by comparison.
Time doesn't just stand still when these situations occur it forbids forward movement and takes heavy residence upon your shoulders. Geoff Alpert found the mate of his life and in 2000 learned of a cancer diagnosis that would alter their path forward together. In 2002 the painful struggle ended, Geoff's sweetheart, his precious wife, passed on. Geoff had not known the depths of shock, despair, and loneliness like he was experiencing now. Time was definitely standing still. There were two things in his life that had been sheer joy to him, his wife and his music. It was extremely painful but a new path would slowly emerge, one that would cause him to re-visit his days as a gifted trombonist.
Through his music Geoff found that he could outwardly express the raw emotion and his heartfelt loss, much more so than he could with words. Others picked up on it including noted bassist Darryl Williams and the First Lady of Smooth Jazz Gail Jhonson who both encouraged Geoff to record what was coming out of his horn. The sound wasn't mechanical, contrary, the passion that was coming out of his trombone was highly evident. Geoff had been mastering the bass clef instrument since his youth and then love happened and then a family and then tragedy.
He found himself at a loss so he picked up his other love, his trombone, and all that he was feeling poured out, the man and the instrument became one. Darryl and Gail were his muse, his new found encouragement, and with that spark of encouragement today Geoff's music is climbing weekly on the Smooth Jazz Chart, as you read this it is now in the top twenty. Obviously, thousands upon thousands of jazz fans are picking up on it too. If it's from the heart people feel it. Geoff's life experiences are coming out his horn, that's what artist's do. They express the frailties of human life be it joy, pain, loss, love, faith, hope, even praise. Just listen to this release and you will find the heart of a musician that fate brought to the forefront. "Open Your Heart" is cool. Check it out.
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