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I have an opportunity to move and looking for other cities in the U.S. that have good Jazz scene, but don't cost a fortune to live. I'm getting older so somewhere like New York is way too $$$.
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04-16-2013 10:13 AM
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Since the cities are all higher cost, I'd be looking at college towns like Bloomington, Madison, Charlotte.
But good jazz scene? That's tough in the US as you know. I'd almost recommend Amsterdam, they speak better English than most US residents too.
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Well do consider the areas outside of a city and look at how good their late night mass transportation is. I dare say if a jazz musician can live around NY (Brooklyn, Jersey City, Hoboken, Queens...) and if you could find a way, you'd get your money's worth. In and around Boston too, the city ranks high in expensive but there is the suburban fringe, and you can get to some pretty environs very quickly. For many musicians too, these two cities are close enough to warrant the commute between the two.
For variety, affordable door covers in venues and the intimacy of live music, those are exciting cities. For a more progressive angle, NY/Boston. If you're more inclined towards a more traditional bop take, try NJ south of NY for the NY/Philly connection.
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Dallas / Ft. Worth Area has a pretty nice Jazz scene.
The University of North Texas has a highly regarded Jazz studies program and so there are a lot of Jazz musicians around here.
Here is a website that gives you a list of concerts/shows/gigs on a given calendar day. I use it when I want to go out and listen to some Jazz.
There is a lot of traditional jazz as well as other sub-genres available.
Local Event Search | Dallas/Fort Worth | www.pegasusnews.com | www.pegasusnews.com | Dallas/Fort Worth
and
Dallas Music
Another plus is that since land is plentiful, you can find housing at some pretty reasonable prices.
Dallas, TX real estate overview - Trulia.com
There are many other cities in this area and it covers a whole hell of a lot of squares miles of land.
Good luck on your quest!
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California has a pretty heavy Jazz scene, although I don't exactly know what cities.
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I'm from Brazil and it's funny to read that is tough a city with a good jazz scene there...
For you guys that live in US, what about New Orleans?
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I've been very impressed with the scene in Albany, NY since moving here about a year and a half ago. Cost of living is cheap, there are lots of players and places to play and it's pretty accessable to NYC and Boston, Montreal too.
Originally Posted by docbop
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Originally Posted by jtizzle
I live in Los Angeles now and there is some Jazz, but cost of living is on par with NYC. I have a chance to leave so thinking about finally doing it.
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I don't about Cali and jazz.
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Look into Kansas City. Affordable living and there is a definite appreciation for jazz in the metro. I'm not sure how competitive it is if you're a performer, but I'm sure there's room if you're looking to gig or teach. There's numerous online sources real-estate or rental prices for the area.
Info for clubs, events and local jazz performers:
Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors Official Web Site
You have to check out the late night jams here at this historical spot:
Mutual Musicians Foundation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The UMKC conservatory has a jazz program and maybe you'll find some connection here:
The Conservatory of Music and Dance - University of Missouri - Kansas CityLast edited by edward74; 04-16-2013 at 04:07 PM.
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A couple more links about KC. It truly is a friendly, jazz-loving community.
American Jazz Museum | Where It Lives | 15 year !
This is The Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District in Kansas City Missouri
Best of luck on your search for new surroundings!
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Hoboken and Brooklyn are also very expensive. Maybe Long Island or Jersey..
Also, What about New Orleans? or Northern Texas?
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Cool to hear from Brazil. How is the jazz over there, regarding education and activity? Or is it mainly Bossa? Originally Posted by clebergf
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its a tough one. there is nothing like NY of course. i love JALC. what a venue overlooking Columbus Circle and the park etc! but what could be more expensive (and dirty)? Hong Kong? whatever.
Nevada, Texas, and Florida have no state income tax. housing is very affordable compared to LaLa land. i don't know if there is much of a jazz scene in any of them though.
UNT in Denton TX is all about jazz, but its best to get into the program a little bit. Denton is mostly a college town too. if you need to work you would be better off in Dallas or Fort Worth, most likely. i know that Austin is a big music town but don't know if it has much of a jazz scene. its political leanings are much more in line with most Cali folks too.
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I don't know if you can beat the cost of living equation and amount of culture that we have here in Cleveland. The CSO is arguably the best in the world (Franz Welser-Most is amazing), maybe second to Vienna. And other attractions from art through food, thriving theatre, (and a fairly integrated society) are top notch these days. While cost of living is a dream.
As far as jazz goes: there are a few good clubs, including one that gets accolades yearly in Downbeat magazine. I refer to Nighttown. The guy who runs the jazz booking, Jim Wadsworth, was just awarded a "Jazz Hero Award" by the Jazz Journalist Association.
On top of that, we have some of the best health care in the world. The Cleveland Clinic is an industry leader in health care.
We have clean air as it comes across lake Erie from the north. Manageable traffic. HA! to those of you on either the west coast or east coast corridors.
I moved here in 2001. I hope I don't have to leave anytime soon. The natives here don't know how good they've got it. It blows my mind.
Good luck with your exodus.
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Fl has a wierd scene. St. Pete has a great jazz association, but not a great scene for players. Nola is amazing, but, largely it's a traditional trumpet town. UNO had a great jazz program when I was there, but I don't know what it's like now. I guess lookin back, there was a pretty good scene overall.
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The music scene in the Dallas / Ft. Worth Area as a whole has been a bit volatile around the last 6 or 7 years, with many clubs in all genres coming and going. But I am lucky in that I can literally catch some form of Jazz every night of the week, complete with several Jazz jam nights and informal meetup groups.
NOTE: This list is still pretty current although not all of the clubs are still around, and new ones have sprung up.
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Well, here in São Paulo, as others big cities, there is a good jazz scene with some places to go. All over the year there is some very good festivals around here and in other cities. Jazz and Bossa here share the same market and places... Originally Posted by Nolyjazz
Education is a very big problem, there is only one school that is specialized on Jazz, I study there, but there is some very good teachers with a excellent background and some of them had been graduate at US schools.
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Chicago is a great jazz city; living in the 'burbs isn't bad .. Originally Posted by docbop
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Want to say thanks for all the suggestions and I've been checkout out condo and small house prices and they aren't as bad as I expected. So hope to know in a couple weeks if my deal is going is going to happen.
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Seattle
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if you like rain and hanging out at coffee shops?
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Are you looking for gigs or do you just want to be in a place that loves jazz?
Idyllwild is a mountain community of about 8000 in the San Bernardino Mountains of California. There are a lot of retired and semi-retired musicians living there. The Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts is a priviate high school that attracts some really good young musicians from all over the world. They put on some good concerts, and often professionals are brought in as guests. Last year I saw Richard Thompson there. It is also the home of the Idyllwild Jazz Festival. There are various tourist events in the warm months that often incorporate music. Sometimes you will find people performing in a few of the cafes and restaurants.
So, for such a small town, there is a lot of jazz. But I don't think it is a big enough scene to support a full-time musician.
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Looking for place with Jazz clubs and jams, I'll check Idyllwild out. Originally Posted by Jonzo
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned St. Louis. I don't know about their jazz scene, but there is a lot of blues in that town, and the cost of living can't be as high as big cities on the right and left coasts.
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