Headed to Smoke last night, to see the great trumpeter Eddie Henderson play Wayne Shorter tunes with his quintet (which includes the equally legendary Gary Bartz on saxophones, and Billy Drummond on drums).

I’ve always admired Henderson, a Miles Davis protege who played for substantial stretches with both Herbie Hancock and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.

But, before he did, he also went to med school. And, the whole time he was building one of the most admired trumpet careers in jazz, he worked as a family physician in San Francisco. It’s a good reminder that having jazz as just one of the things you do is no excuse for falling short of the top.

Time to practice.