Improvising on the saxophone has transformed my life forever. It has awakened me to a completely new level of spirituality – hard words for me to type, as a rationalist. Improvisation is a religious revelation. It is meditation, red mist and the soul. Playing music without a plan showed me the full dignity of the human consciousness and the hot power of the mind. It made me question everything that had gone before, and opened up unlimited possibilities for everything that lay ahead. It very nearly never happened. I want to share my story, and my elation, about how it did. Somebody showed me how.

When I was about 11, my parents made me start taking lessons once a week for 30 minutes, together with another kid. Our teacher, a clarinet player, would take us through the required pieces for the next grade exam. They were classical: The melodies felt stiff. I thought the saxophone was the stupidest thing on the planet, and I gave up around four years later. I don’t think I played the instrument at home even once.
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