Jazz pianist Mose Allison has a secret that helps him avoid burnout.
"I just take my life one day at a time," Allison said during a phone call from an apartment in London. "And then I even take the jobs and gigs one at a time."Blues guitarist Little Milton has a similar philosophy.
"I'm just going and going until the man upstairs sees fit for me to stop," the guitarist said during a phone call from Jackson, Miss.
The Mose Allison Trio and Little Milton headline this year's Utah Jazz and Blues Festival at the Snowbird Pavilion Friday and Saturday, July 25 and 26. Allison's band will helm the jazz night, July 26. Organist Jimmy Smith, the Brazilian Guitar Masters - featuring Charlie Byrd, Oscar Castro-Neves and Carlos Barbosa-Lima - are also on that bill. Kicking off the night will be local artists the Dave Compton Trio with guest vocalist Corliss Dale. The music will begin at 5 p.m.
Friday, July 25, is blues night. Little Milton headlines, and the music begins at 6 p.m. with local blues riffers Kaz Kazanoff and the Tempo Timers. The Gospel Hummingbirds and guitarist Coco Montoya will be there, too.
One-day passes for the Jazz and Blues Festival are $32.50 and $22.50. The price at the door will be $35 and $25. Two-day passes are available for $58 and $38 in advance, $60 and $40 at the door. Children 4 to 12 years old are half price. Children under 3 are free.
For nearly 50 years, Allison has played. He thanks his father for getting him into music at an early age while growing up in Tippo, Miss.
"My dad played piano," Allison said in his good-natured rasp. "And he taught me from the time I was 5. Then I learned to play the trumpet in high school.
"All these years I've been playing and don't have an event or highlight that sticks out," Allison said. "I just try to keep getting better. In this business, you're only as good as your last performance."
However, Allison did say he prefers the smaller clubs to bigger venues.
"I guess you could say I've played clubs maybe 90 percent of my career," Allison said. "I like the intimacy. But like I said, every stage is different."
Throughout his career, Allison has had his music redone by other notable musicians: Bonnie Raitt and the Who are a couple of artists who come to mind. Allison said remakes don't bother him as long as he gets the credit.
"Music is music," he explained. "I get all these people asking me how I feel about this here remake or that there one. They can do anything they want to my music as long as I get recognized and/or the royalty checks come."
At 70, Allison tries to keep healthy so he can play and tour.
"It's simple," he said. "You need to stay in shape. Eat right, stay healthy. You need to be physically fit to play well."
For Little Milton, playing live is an essential part of the job.
"To see the audience react is what makes the music work," Milton said. "If I can get them to feel what I'm feeling, then that's where it's at. And it doesn't make a difference what type of place it is.
"I really believe in the idea of `the more the merrier,' " Milton said. "But even in the smaller places like clubs, the emotions can be more and merrier."
Little Milton, 62, was born Milton Campbell in Iverness, Miss. He was the son of a sharecropper and watched as his family, friends and relatives worked day to night picking and chopping cotton.
"That's hard work," Milton said. "I got into the guitar because I knew there had to be a better way to make a living than working in the sun all day long. When I first heard the likes of T-Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner and Louis Jordan, I wanted to do something like that."
The hardest part of getting into the music business for the young Milton was landing a job.
"I was just a kid then," Milton remembered fondly. "I was trying to get in tune with these professional musicians and begging for a chance to play."
The young guitarist's break came when he found a job with Rice Miller, also known as Sonny Boy Williamson No. 2.
"I'd get up and play and try to show the others what I could do," Milton said with a chuckle. "And I tell you all the other guys showed me up time and time again.
"However, instead of developing an attitude, I used those experiences as motivation," Milton said. "I learned respect, not only for my mentors, but for myself and my audience.
"You see, you're only as big as your supporters," Milton said. "So you have to be for real."