elizabeth geyer

It is never too late to follow our dreams. When I was eleven, my school offered free trumpet lessons to anyone who would play in the school band. All we had to do to qualify was blow a big raspberry into a mouthpiece and pray for a sound. I was head over heels in love with music by then but hadn't connected music with the trumpet. The instrument was cold and the mouthpiece was strange and stinky. But I blew the biggest raspberry I could and out came a cow sound, a cow in pain, and a few hours later I was riding home with a trumpet strapped to the back of my bike.
If throughout my life music and I have been like soulmates, trumpet and I soldiered on like a miserable married couple. All through school and university I practised and practised, driven by an insane need to please and a stubborn fascination with the sheer difficulty of the instrument. I'm grateful now, but don't know why I didn't just do something I loved.
Instead I went on to study it. Three years into a classical trumpet degree I went to a jazz workshop, run by a cranky fantastic old man, Hal Hall. He introduced us to improvisation and Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan and changed my life. Trumpet was suddenly fun for the first time. Then my teacher tracked down a beautiful flugelhorn which I still play to this day. Finally I had found a way to the trumpet - it was called FLUGELHORN.. . .
..only most gigs wanted trumpet, not flugelhorn. So I kept working at trumpet until I was freelancing for a living. Then my reluctant trumpet and I were travelling and playing all sorts of wonderful gigs with many talented people. Outwardly it was going well but inside I was a mess of nerves every single time I pulled the horn out of it's case. All I had ever wanted to do in life was create music but not by giving myself to an instrument I wasn't passionate about.
After many years depression began to take over and the fallout was beyond my imagination, professionally and personally. Everything unravelled including my trumpet gigs. But in it all was an enormous blessing. There was finally an opportunity to make everything right. In my case it meant taking a leap of faith to create the music I had dreamed about since first playing piano when I was little. And having to live more bravely and honestly than ever before.
I now know that nothing in life is ever a waste of time. Everything is a blessing taking us where we deeply want to go. Late bloomers I have seen can make for the most beautiful flowers sometimes. Trumpet is part of who I am. I have such a soft spot and respect for the trumpetplayers out there.
So that's my story so far, but one last thing.. I never expected to meet so many amazing people through this page, quiet people .. talented people .. you make me laugh.. I love visiting your unique worlds and hope you join my MAILINGLIST to stay in touch on all the latest news, thoughts, photos, gigs, epiphanies. I read and answer all messages :)
Elizabeth
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I love to write songs about the amazing things I see..
some beautiful,
some heartbreaking,
some bizarre,
all hiding in the everyday
and hope you can join me on my website ! www.elizabethgeyer.com
BIOGRAPHY
Elizabeth Geyer began playing piano at age 4 and trumpet at age 12. Following a Bachelor of Music performance degree (trumpet) at Adelaide University she performed in piano bars then as a commercial trumpetplayer playing jazz festivals around Australia, Monterey Jazz Festival, USA and backing artists including James Morrison, Gene Pitney, Barbara Morrison (US), Harry Secombe, in the Don Burrows Quintet, and with Swing City for the 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. Inspired by singing teacher Kerrie Biddell, in 2000 Elizabeth recorded an album of jazz standards, began receiving national and ABC radio airplay and joined John Morrison's Swing City, firstly as trumpet soloist and then feature vocalist. Her second album 'The Dream' (2004) , a collaboration with award winning songwriter/multi instrumentalist Tony King, led to a top 5 placing in the Australian Songwriting Competition with 'You Carry Me Home' (2006), a national tour and unearthed her passion for songwriting. In 2007 Elizabeth travelled the US and Europe performing at venues including Galli's Bar, Karma Cafe in Los Angeles, Cafe Tirebouchon in Paris and in New York at Yippie Museum, Googie's Lounge over The Livingroom, and with residencies and repeat performances at Cafe Vivaldi and legendary New York songwriter venue The Bitter End. Elizabeth has just released her third self-penned album 'On Patrol With The Jazz Police'.
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