Su Terry Discusses Colorful Jazz Career

By Yaasmeen Piper
Staff Writer

Wednesday, Nov. 30, Kemp Library hosted “Inside the Mind of a Musician.”

The event was brought to us by the Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection.

The first Jazz Lounge Lecture featured musician and author Su Terry.

Terry discussed the ups and downs of her colorful music career. She started off writing music when she was only five years old. She explained how writing music enhanced her writing abilities.

“Writing has to have a musicality to it – a flow,” Terry stated.

She started off writing about her music on her blog. Her fan base grew, and they ate up her writing.

Inspired by her blog, she went to write and publish “Inside the Mind of a Musician.”

The book dove into what is swarming around a musician’s head as they face the music industry.

The first chapter she read was titled “Music Rules.”

“Music is like a drug,” Terry read, “and it rules you.”

She then went on to read “Dressing Rooms, or Lack Thereof,” which touched on the downsides of being a musician.

The book flipped between comical and serious.

“The humorous to the tragic,” said Terry.

She played a piece of her music, something I anticipated. The song was called “New Year.”

On the track she played the saxophone and sang.

As I looked around the audience, a mix between listeners, musicians who are right on campus, and other musicians who are friends of Terrys, seemed to be lost in the music.

One woman closed her eyes, as if she was able to feel every note and every word.

“I like it, getting distracted by the music,” said Terry. “It’s a part of our identity that we’re attracted to sound. It’s almost as if we’re in a secret society.”

She ended with a song on her album “Live at the Deerhead Inn.”

“There’s no vacation from music – it’s always going on in your head. It’s like you’re married to it, whether you like it or not.”

Email Yaasmeen at:
ypiper@live.esu.edu