A Canceled Gig With A Happy Ending

I went to play a Sunday brunch gig at the Waynesville Inn and Country Club today and as we were getting ready to set up our equipment, the restaurant manager came up and said something like "you're not playing today, I sent an email to the bandleader a few days ago. No more music for the Sunday brunch." Well, isn't that just grand. The leader of the trio got no such email and had an agreement (a verbal handshake agreement but legally binding nevertheless) that two weeks notice would be given if the music had to be discontinued. So I drive an hour for a $75 gig only to be turned away by a sketchy restaurant manager. Hissssssss! So where's the happy ending with that you ask?

As we sat outside in disappointment, a family that heard us play another time came up and said that they came especially to hear us play and were looking forward to the brunch. We told them the bad news and they too were disappointed. But here's what was a pleasant surprise - they said that they weren't going to patronize the place that unfairly treated us and invited us out for lunch with them at a different nearby restaurant! It was a good reminder that although there a lot of people who could care less about jazz, there are some who not only appreciate the music but also understand that the musicians need to be fairly treated from a business perspective too. I had a nice lunch with good food and good conversations with an interesting and pleasant family. Many thanks to this family for turning a bad gig into a good day.

Austin McBride Jazz Piano Lessons

I don't know what to say about this:

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/92033_piano-jazz-five-four.htm
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/92021_piano-jazz-trio.htm
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/92017_piano-jazz-progression.htm

All of his other lessons can be found here:

http://www.expertvillage.com/expert/1426.htm

He also teaches break dancing and golf ball tricks.

Jazz by Invitation Only

On CNN's website today there is an editorial by Wynton Marsalis in which he makes some general statements about our culture and society today. It isn't a deep article by any means and there aren't any specific solutions given to the problems presented, but there are a few things that stood out:

"In the din of expert voices on everything imaginable, what we don't hear is informed conversation on how central culture is to our national well-being."

Jazz is certainly part of this cultural significance. Wynton Marsalis, for better or for worse, is synonymous with jazz music in the eyes of many people outside of the jazz community but his style only represents a part of the art form. More people need to become visible spokespeople for jazz and the varied nature of jazz (straight-ahead, not straight-head etc.) needs to be better publicized even if the more original music isn't as accessible at first. Most critically, the government needs to take a bigger role in funding the arts at the local level. Instead of paying millions to make bombs to drop overseas we should pay millions to make music here at home. It would be real homeland security in the long run when the US is known as a cultural superpower that supports the arts.

"It's time for us to build a new mythology based on our many cultural triumphs instead of fixating on our never-ending missteps and conflicts."

I agree about emphasizing our own American culture more but mythology doesn't seem like the right word. How about just "public awareness." That seems more attainable. And while "fixating" on conflicts won't end up being productive, debating something can often lead to creativity.

"Almost everything and everyone seems to be for sale. Value is assessed solely in terms of dollars. Quality is sacrificed to commerce and truthful communication is supplanted by marketing."

This is the statement that stood out the most because it sums up a lot about the music business and how free-market thinking fails when applied to the arts. And, excepting the part about quality, it unfortunately refers to the jazz concert headlined by Wynton Marsalis at the Kennedy Center tomorrow.

If you are trying to actually go to the concert that's referred to at the beginning of the story (called "Let Freedom Swing" on the Kennedy Center website,) there are no tickets available. It is by "invitation only" (which usually means donors, politicians, "insiders" and maybe the press) and is "completely, completely overbooked" according to Lincoln Center except if you want to watch a TV simulcast elsewhere in the building.

It's somewhat ironic that Wynton's talking about coming together via jazz and the arts but his own concert is walled off from the public. Jazz, which is the perfect embodiment of American democracy, cannot be by invitation only. Putting jazz behind closed doors is so destructive. If Wynton is serious about change, next MLK day, have the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra play a free, public concert at the Lincoln Memorial instead. And how about releasing the invite list for the concert at the Kennedy Center so we can all see who is lucky or well-connected or wealthy enough to be invited to the show tomorrow?

The business of making a living playing jazz needs much change for jazz to survive beyond being background music for the wealthy or an obscure academic subject, like speaking Latin. More transparency would be an attainable first step and would lead to new, useful paths of action. High-profile figures like Marsalis need to practice what they preach with their own productions and make them open to all not just a select few.

10 out of 10 Jazz Piano Students at Banff Don't Recognize This Guy

Ethan Iverson at Do The Math points out in a recent (and lengthy, natch) post that in a class he taught at the Banff arts center, all 10 pianists in the class didn't recognize a recording of "Carolina Shout" by James P. Johnson. Here's part of what he says about this:

"When teaching at Banff this past summer, 10 out 10 jazz young pianists were working on their post-Brad Mehldau/post-Keith Jarrett conception. That’s cool - I am full-on post-Jarrett myself, and in fact I’m influenced by Brad too - but the same 10 pianists then didn’t recognize James P. Johnson’s “Carolina Shout” when I played it for them in a master class."

"It’s really no big deal if any given young jazz pianist isn’t interested in James P. Johnson. One’s muses needn’t include early jazz if one wants to make good improvised music. But 10 out 10 pianists not recognizing “Carolina Shout” really bothered me."

It sure bothers me. If these students at Banff can play convincingly in a contemporary style (enough at least to gain admission to Banff) and know nothing of arguably one of the most famous recordings of this early jazz piano giant, there is something seriously wrong with the jazz education system these students come from and a disturbing sign that jazz is becoming increasingly watered down. I hope this bothers in particular the admissions people at Banff who should be looking for a little more depth in who they admit and who will reap the musical and financial benefits of saying they went to Banff and studied with so-and-so etc.

I disagree with Iverson on one point though; maybe his phrase "improvised music" is key but I do think that a pianist needs to be aware of James P. and the other early pianists to be a good jazz improviser. Understanding the history of this music (or anything, really) is vitally important to being able to express oneself in a larger, deeper context. If jazz history is discarded in favor of teaching the latest lick, rather than seeing them both as pieces of the same whole, the art form begins to wither.

Sheet Music Available

I've placed some sheet music of my compositions online:
http://www.genedandrea.com/music.htm
Look for the section marked "Sheet Music". They are all in PDF format and I'll periodically (hopefully) post new tunes there. They are all licensed under a Creative Commons license which specifies what uses are permitted, namely non-commercial uses like playing at jam sessions and in schools. If someone wants to use the tunes in a commercial way, like a recording, they need to contact me first and get my OK. Creative Commons is a way of enhancing a copyright to make it more flexible and internet-friendly while retaining the legal rights granted under existing copyright law.

Molly Ringwald - Jazz Living Legend?

I don't make a habit of reading tmz.com but this came up in a Google blog search (the first listing for jazz today!?) and caught my eye:
http://www.tmz.com/2008/11/19/molly-ringwald-jazz-legend/

OK, I'm sure Molly Ringwald is probably a fine singer, as good or or maybe even better than any other former 80's teenage star who tries their hand at singing jazz, but let me think - Ella Fitzgerald, legend (check), Billie Holiday, legend (check), Molly Ringwald, ???????? If she's serious about playing jazz she should tell her promoter to drop the legend stuff and let her music speak for itself.

Review: Ornette Coleman @ UNC

Ornette Coleman and his band played at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last week (11/13/08). Here's my take on the performance:

Likes:

• Ornette Coleman; I don't understand his dialect of improvising that well, but it seems he is fully committed to it. Whether on ballads or up-tempo tunes he plays from his heart - a big plus for me. He also has a plaintive tone on the alto which fits his compositions well.
  
• His electric bassist and to some degree, his acoustic bassist also, listen well to Coleman and complement him. Again, the dialect that they're playing is a barrier for me, but I can tell they are interacting.
• Well-rehearsed arrangements. This was the last concert in a tour so that helps in this regard.
  

Dislikes:

• I didn't understand how the drummer (his son, Denardo) was relating to the group. Most of the night he seemed to be playing grooves based on a metric division of what the rest of the group was playing. Doing this for part of songs (a la Miles' 2nd quintet) or maybe even a whole song might be OK but during every song in a 2 hour concert was distracting at best.
• Doctoring up Bach's 1st Cello Suite. First off, Bach's Cello Suites are written as solo pieces, with the cello accompanying itself, so expanding it to a group format needs to be carefully thought out and have a clear purpose. Second, I know bass players sometimes play the suites, but as any bass/player will tell you, bowing will show off any problems with intonation and there were plenty during that evening. Then there was the funk backbeat from the drums to drive the final nail in the coffin.
  
• While we're on the bass, too much thumb position bowing. The bass player favored the upper register most of the evening which, for me, becomes texturally annoying after an hour or so. If the bowing is part of the group sound, why not try a cello?

Question: What's the deal with Ornette playing the trumpet? He just picked it up for 8 measures here and there and played some random tones (I don't know what it's called musically - just moving your fingers a lot on the valves)? Is it a texture thing? A tribute to Don Cherry?

Another CNN article on jazz!

CNN has another article on jazz today, this time about Washington DC saxophonist and educator Davey Yarborough. Keep the articles coming CNN!
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/11/06/
heroes.marsalis.yarborough/index.html

Jazz club list on CNN today

CNN has an article today on some lesser-known jazz clubs around the world:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/
getaways/11/05/jazz.cities/index.html

Jazz Programs & Competitions

I recently applied to a jazz program with a band and found out that we weren't selected which was not entirely unexpected - I had spoken a few weeks ago to a colleague who had won entry into this program in the past and he thought someone was already hand picked for this year's program and mentioned their name. Frustrating but not unexpected. This made me think of the lack of transparency in many jazz competitions and auditions and how who knows who can make the difference between getting opportunities and not. After a certain point, actual talent and creativity frequently seem like secondary factors. Here are some ideas for making competitions fairer:

• An anonymous application process. We were required to submit a picture of the band and this just serves to screen people out based on looks - young/old, black/white etc. Even names and addresses should be screened out so that judges don't know who is applying. I don't want someone thinking "D'Andrea from where...North Carolina?! That doesn't sound like anybody I know and they can't be serious if they aren't living in NYC." Only musical talent and other explicitly stated qualifications should be judged.
  
• An anonymous audition behind a screen like in classical auditions. There a very few auditions at all in jazz (which is a topic for another post) and the ones that are around should be anonymous.
  
• Know who the judges are - why are the judges who can make or break the future of a musician a secret? If the panel of judges are from a certain clique, applicants should know ahead of time so that they can decide whether it's worth the effort to apply.
  
• Specific criteria for what the competition is looking for. Not just be a good player but whether the competition is looking for straight-ahead bebop, originals etc. Imagine if the Olympics didn't specify what events there were going to be and only said you'd better be a good athlete - this is currently what many competitions are like. What is the harm in a program saying we're only looking for people who play such-and-such a style?
• Subsidize application fees so that a musician can apply for free. I understand that there are overhead costs for processing applications but there is too much temptation for an organization to try and get as many applications as possible just to get more money. Groups holding competitions should get grant funding or advertising revenue to pay for the overhead costs.
• Provide feedback to the applicants as to why they weren't selected so that there is evidence that someone actually listened to the recordings and looked at the application. The "you weren't selected, have a nice life" form letter response is not helpful at all. Even a short, honest comment like "we didn't like the feel of the rhythm section" would give the musicians something to work on for next year.
• Publish all the applicants' names and provide status reports as to who is getting further along in the competition. Again, sports is a good analogy.
• Publish the finalists complete winning performances/qualifications so that other musicians can learn from it.
  

MacArthur Jazz Fellows

A younger jazz musician, Miguel Zenon, won a MacArthur Fellowship this year aka a "genius grant." The prestigious grant, $500,000 given quarterly over five years, is quite a prize and it comes with no strings attached - the recipient can spend the money however they would like. There is no application process - people are nominated and judged in a secret selection process. Here's a list jazz musicians who have won the award to date:

• Ran Blake
• Anthony Braxton
• Regina Carter
• Ornette Coleman
• Steve Lacy
• George E. Lewis
• Max Roach
• George Russell
• Gunther Schuller
• Cecil Taylor
• Ken Vandermark
• Miguel Zenon
• John Zorn

Looking at the list, there is definitely a leaning towards the avant-garde - I wonder what the nominators and judges look for? And who are these secret jazz fans doing the selecting?

Jazz's Ancestors and the AFM

This caught my eye right away in the table of contents for the April 2008 International Musician, the monthly newspaper of the music union, the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). Describing a cover story on pianist Joe Sample:

"Joe Sample...always comes back to his roots...his love of jazz's ancestors - soul, gospel and R&B."

Whaa? I must have missed that day in Jazz 101 talking about R&B being an ancestor of jazz. I can't believe no one at the music union caught that.

How much do you charge?

"How much do you charge?" is a hard question to answer sometimes when it comes to music. Most musicians charge different amounts depending on the nature of the event and sometimes how they perceive the hiring person's ability to pay. The object is to not quote too high of a price for fear of being rejected nor too low of a price. Other musicians, mainly less experienced ones, will sometimes even "play for the experience/exposure," a.k.a. free, in a commercial establishment which really messes things up.

I'd someday like to do a survey of jazz musicians and what they charge for different types of events venues. I would want to find out what people would charge for a 3 hour gig in a restaurant vs. a jazz club vs. a wedding reception vs. a concert hall vs. a school vs. a friend's 2nd cousin's graduation party etc. and ask what area of the country the respondents are located in. I wonder if more transparency and uniformity in what musicians charge would help strengthen the jazz working class when it comes time to talk money. What would the "living wage" for a jazz musician be?

Red Garland vs. Wynton Kelly

Here's a quick comparison of the styles of Red Garland vs. Wynton Kelly:

Red Garland	Wynton Kelly
more legato touch	more staccato touch ("pop")
block chords with root-fifth-octave in right hand common	block chords not as common and many times they just have an octave in the right hand
uses more blues devices sometimes repeated over several choruses (see "Soul Junction" for example)	favors b5 more frequently
long phrases a la Bud Powell	uses triad arpeggios frequently sometimes with b5; sometimes with tremolo "fanfare"
eighth notes are a tiny bit straighter than Kelly's	eighth notes have a triplet feel (try playing transcriptions with boogie woogie triplet left hand to get rhythmic feel)
Left hand chords are frequently played on the upbeat of 2 and 4 or with a "Charleston" rhythm	Left hand chords frequently consist only of 3rds and 7ths

Lennie Tristano and White Jazz vs. Black Jazz

Some interesting analysis from pianist Ethan Iverson with a cameo by mega-critic Stanley Crouch on the Tristano school, racism and white jazz vs. black jazz:

http://thebadplus.typepad.com/dothemath
/2008/05/lennie-tristano.html

http://thebadplus.typepad.com/dothemath
/2008/05/a-note-on-trist.html

http://thebadplus.typepad.com/dothemath
/2008/05/warne-marsh-lee.html

How would the Wynton Marsalis school (to pick a lighting rod example!) fit in with a simliar analysis? Iverson's comment about jazz and American slavery being related is powerful as well as disturbing - associating such a beautiful American art form with something so repulsive - and deserves an article of its own. I'd agree that slavery brought the African influence that is a fundamental part of jazz but I wouldn't say that black jazz musicians are only creative because of this and this seems to be implied by these kind of statements. With there being more white jazz musicians than black jazz musicians today (I'd say very unscientifically from observing musicians on gigs and at other concerts a 70/30 split) I'd like to see Iverson and Crouch give their take on racial issues in jazz today.

Corporate gigs

I had a good gig last night for a private corporate event on the Chesapeake Bay in Stevensville, MD. even though no one was listening closely. These "corporate gigs" have a number of pros and cons. On the bad side no one listens very much to the music that you're playing. That's not to say that the people don't listen at all or don't appreciate having music at their event; they do - they're just focused on socializing more. On the plus side these type of gigs frequently offer better working conditions than "club dates" or even wedding gigs. Much better pay (enough to actually support the fortunate musicians who do many of these types of gigs), food is usually included, the venues are frequently nice and the staff that you deal with are usually very professional. I just think it's important to balance these background music gigs with ones where people are actually listening and interested in hearing the type of music that you're playing.