I couldn’t sleep, so I tried to relax my mind by doing some freeform improvisation on the piano. I find that it can sometime have a calming effect to improvise freely on the piano for about 10 minutes, or longer if I feel like it. At the end of this session, I worked a little bit on playing Stella by Starlight in a freeform style as well. When I was in New York and saw Lou Donaldson perform with his group at the Village Vanguard, one of the songs I remember them playing was Stella By Starlight – and it sounded as fresh as ever. I think some standards never become old; they can always be interpreted in new ways and are excellent vehicles and structures that provide the lattice work that allow creative expression to grow and flourish.

Please click here to listen to my practice session: free-improv-and-stella-by-starlight.mid