 Photo by Andrea Canter I’ve known Craig’s family for
years, and in fact his mother Marjorie (a retired school social
worker) and I (a retired school psychologist) worked together for
about 20 years in the Minneapolis Schools. Over time, I heard stories
from a proud mom about the basement jam sessions (Reid Anderson and
Dave King, now of the Bad Plus, were frequent collaborators in the
early years), college challenges, the trials of a struggling new
artist, the gigs abroad. And many times I have heard Marjorie wax
eloquently on the challenges of parenting a highly creative son. “You
need to know how not to break their spirit and not kill their
dreams,” she says. “It’s very difficult to parent and be
sensitive to their passion.”
 Photo by Andrea Canter Although Craig’s interest in music
was apparent from an early age (he would try to imitate when his
father, John, would pick out melodies on the family piano), his
parents opted to wait “til he was ready” and then offer him
lessons, on his own terms. “I could finance, transport, provide the
piano, pay for the lessons—but not force him to practice. That was
between him and his teacher. It had to be his decision,” says
mother Marjorie. “Musicians are like other artists—they are
creative people who think differently.”
But parenting a musician is like
parenting any child, Taborn reminds us. And with her background in
social work, she perhaps has a unique perspective on nurturing the
young artist: “It’s about being a good parent. We get so busy
with our own agendas. Don’t make your goals theirs. It’s their
passion.” At least for this musician, this approach has paid
off. Craig Taborn is one of the most highly respected
keyboardists/composers on the modern jazz scene in New York. And when
he needs a break, he doesn’t go to the Riviera or Cancun. He goes
home to Golden Valley and chills out with his mom and dad.
For an in-depth article about young
jazz musicians and their opportunities in the Twin Cities,
Click here.
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Wednesday, 07 January 2009
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