in praise of middle age

There are many blessings along the way as you march toward the inevitability of death of the flesh.
One of them is the accrual of resources with which you can practice your art - in my case, the craft of writing.
I just completed writing my JazzBeat(s) column on Prince, the iconic music performer. My goal was to share with my readers the jazz aspects of his life and music.
I think I succeeded in large part because I had at my disposal music, information and personal testimony from people knowledgeable about the world of the artist formerly known as a symbol.
I was hooked up with Prince' former road manager, Alan Leeds, who ran the traveling band in the 1980's when Prince and Miles Davis tried their hands at collaborating.
I was provided access to unreleased material that showed off Prince' jazz prowess.
Bob Belden, a record producer friend, shared an out-of-print copy of his 1993 album for Blue Note Japan PrinceJazz.
The audio archives of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra coughed up a recording of the CJO performing Prince' "1999" two years ago.
My colleague and CJO artistic director, Charlton Singleton, shared his knowledge and enthusiasm for Prince, providing examples of jazz in his voluminous book of tunes.
Relationships like the ones above can only be formed over a vast expanse of time after gaining the trust and respect of those you interact with.
It's a blessing that I truly appreciate. It's great to have gotten this far along in life and be able to reap some of the rewards of longevity, personal and professional.