If the definition of professional musician is whether you are a full time musician or not, I turned pro only 5 years ago when I left my day job. But I am just a dreamer trying to keep my head above water.
Even in this great country of individualism, I still receive curious questions from others as to what prompted my decision to become a musician.
If this was in Japan, where I was born and grew up till my 20s, I would have been considered totally out of my mind because its society is more rigid and the peer pressure is higher.
In my humble opinion, pros are those who can draw audience into his or her own world immediately upon making sound - be it an instrument or voice.
Through multiple gigs and numerous jam sessions during my residency here in Chicago this time, I feel I was able to briefly peek inside its blues scene.
The quality and quantity of professional blues musicians are impressively high in Chicago.
Day by day, I am more and more convinced that Chicago Blues belongs to Chicago and this is where the rubber still meets the road.