Tonight I ventured out to see a long time buddy by the name of Rick Metz. I’ve known Rick for probably 15 years, originally as a customer of Butcher Boy. Rick is a sax player, and a damn good one.

He does a few shows a week with his band “First Take” but unfortunately it’s been WAAAAAAY too long since I’ve been out to see them. And tonight was actually the first time I’ve seen Rick with these bandmates, and in an open stage, sit in setup. I was pleasantly shocked at how amazing it was.

I can’t say I’m a huge jazz fan. I like it well enough but it’s not the first thing on my playlist if you know what I mean. But I am a fan of true musicians. Artists. Guys that can pick up their instrument and entertain you effortlessly. Ladies that can grab a mic and lay down a tune that captivates you. That’s First Take. And the fine folks that stepped up to join them are right there all the way.

As I sat and watched them play I started to make connections between their playing and my career as a chef. Watching a band rearrange a tune and play it a bit different for the first time isn’t that far removed from a kitchen brigade throwing down plates “on the fly” as we say. You have to know your job, and the guy next to you. You have to understand how what you’re doing affects him and how it all works together. After some practice the team lays out a feast, whether it’s food or jazz, that please the audience.

I never really considered myself an artist until recently. It took quite a while to realize that making edible art isn’t just about the look. It’s about the feeling it invokes in the folks that consume it. Kind of like music. You get people to feel something a bit different, move a bit and send a bit of a twist through their thoughts about what they just experienced. That’s the joy that artists get from their craft. When I realized that, I realized I was an artist.

The other thing I noticed is the humbleness from the band. Letting other folks step up and play, regardless of who they are or what instrument they have, takes a bit of humility. You have to understand that it’s not all about you. That’s the same problem with a lot of folks in my business as well. Chefs that are full of themselves and can’t stand back and let someone else have a bit of fame. We all go through it, I’m still not all the way out of it yet at times.

So now, I gotta figure out a way to combine cooking and live jazz into a performance art. Because I really want to work with these guys- true artists, real people and honestly, I can’ sing……

Go check out First Take, look at their schedule and you’ll see that they’re all over the place. But when you see them, do yourself a favor and close your eyes and just listen. It makes all the difference in the world.