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An update. We had a rehearsal last night that went reasonably well. I think the sweet spot must be the middle ground between conformity to the written music and the free-flow of jamming the song. Perhaps there's a balance that must be found.
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05-12-2017 09:23 AM
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Sorry. Found this late.
Originally Posted by Thecytochromec
Sandaga has open Jazz Jams on Tuesday night. I think they might have a Smooth Jazz Jam on Thursday but I am not sure.
Another thing I discovered is that a lot of the frequent performers are friends with each other on Facebook. Just go to Shelley Carrol (I think that is the proper spelling) and you will find just about every major player in Jazz by following the "friends" links. This includes singers, songwriters, and some spoken word. "Rob Holbert" is another name you can use to trace to many performers.
They have their own community here.
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Stevebol,
I suspect a good musician could have a lot of fun in this area. There is a lot going on. They probably would not get rich, but they would have many opportunities to play different types of music.
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AFAIK this started about 10 years ago. Old jazz musicians in some urban areas used abandoned businesses to get people together. Didn't matter what they were into whether it was jazz, rap, poetry. Originally Posted by AlsoRan
There are problems doing this in urban areas because of security. It only takes one nihilist to ruin everything.
I say, better start doing this before these guys get too much older. Anything jazz related with do.
'Smooth jazz' is much maligned but IMO it can be anything from Wes, to Benson to today's noodling over Hip Hop beats.
The man running things was talking about having an R&B night. I'm guessing he might mean old school. That's something that can be very profitable.
He's running an institution. A school. Every city needs something like this and where the club is located matters. It does cost money to have a place. Not much but something.
Shouldn't there be an alternative to schools like Berklee?
'The Concept' is an alternative.
In the right location and with good security this can work in many places.
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How big a deal would security have to be? There wouldn't have to be alcohol for sale. That would calm things down. Security issues shouldn't be any worse than a hootenany coffee house or a McDonalds but these days you never know some guy in a Joker costume could come in with an AK 47 and spray the place. If the patrons are called members (paying a membership fee) instead of customers you could probably get around a lot of licensing requirements. It sounds like a great idea to me. I lived in Oakland, CA in the 1990s and knew some serious music fanatics (older local cats) who were planning on renting a commercial space and having a music clubhouse for listening and hanging out. I don't know if it ever happened though.
And it's true about Smooth Jazz. It doesn't have to be as bad as the name implies. Wes, Benson and noodling over Hip Hop beats can work. And let's don't forget my man, the much sampled Little Beaver.
I believe Jaco Pastorius played on this, being called Jocko Padron. (Cleanup Woman) Betty Wright on backup vocals.
Last edited by mrcee; 05-12-2017 at 05:49 PM.
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Last years a trumpet player who ran a club in Milwaukee got shot. He taught at the local community college. WI has a good system. Maybe he was trying to be too much of a mentor and the guy who shot him worked for him. Originally Posted by mrcee
Cities tend to have neutral areas. That's the best place for clubs like this. As for alcohol sales, IDK. Some places are beer and wine- no hard liquor.
These old timers know what they're doing. I think they're trying to offer something that might not typically be found in music schools. They seem to be playing a variety of music.
In my experience which is old, it gets complicated when you can start drawing people with big $. That's yet to happen in the US.
Jazz club owner questions why his business would have been targeted
CBS 58 - Man Charged with Killing Jazz Cafe Owner Appears in Court
This club in Dallas sounds great. Wish we had something like that in Las Vegas.
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^^^^
You're right. Security is definitely an issue.
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Originally Posted by mrcee
It's always an issue with businesses. A better spot for a venue like that would have been on the border of the college district. About a mile away.
That #@$ that shot him can rot in jail for a long time.
When you try to bring different people together I would think security issues increase. In any case I think the place in Dallas knows what they're doing.
Not meaning to go off topic here.
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Hey Stevebol, Originally Posted by Stevebol
I was wondering about the jazz scene in Vegas.. what's it like? Are there any jam sessions anywhere?
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Hard to find jazz here. It's a pain to navigate the strip at night and that's where it's most common. Originally Posted by Toddep
There's a lot of rock, Top 40 and tribute acts. There's a ton of live music but not much jazz, R&B, world stuff.
There's probably a fair amount of blues.
It's probably typical of the southwest(S. Cal definitely) in general but there are 'corporate' bands. They're more than bands. They'll have big rosters and a variety of music. It will include jazz sometimes.
The gigs are here but not everyone wants to live in Vegas.
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Nor Cal has corporate bands to. I'm a little out of touch but I would have thought they were happening in all metro areas. It seems to be one of the few niches where a pro level player could make real money. I know these bands clock some big fees. I don't know if it's true or not but I've heard that big name acts do corporate events for huge dollars. Madonna does a Google Christmas party or whatever. But there's zero publicity so it's under (or over) the public radar.
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If you're making a lot of money to perform it might not be a good idea to talk about it. None of the musicians who worked steady in Japan the last 30 or so years are going to talk about the money they made. Originally Posted by mrcee
It's possible to make a lot of money playing clubs in the US but 'slumming' as it used to be called is more the stuff of 50's Frank Sinatra movie.
If they're rich they're all tramps. A little tribute to my ex;
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What was the 80s deal in Japan? I came within an inch of going over there myself to play but didn't and then an American guy, an actor from LA, I knew who had lived there for years and was married to a Japanese woman wanted me to come over. I came close but again didn't. He had a friend who owned a club and was going to give me the keys to come in and do whatever I wanted. Maybe it was the road not taken. Who knows. I had lived in Kobe for a year in the mid 60s as a teenager and was familiar with it and spoke a little Japanese so I wouldn't have been going in cold. Was the money really that good? From what you're saying it was.
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For me? No, but I only worked for the mafia. I never freelanced over there. I made $250 a week for 48 hours. You could make $250+ in a 1/2 hour freelancing. Unlimited work. Originally Posted by mrcee
Yeah, you blew it but so did I.
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Wow. I'll be damned. I had no idea. Oh well, that's not the first or last time I blew it. I'm hoping I learned my lesson.
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I'm kidding. You didn't blow it but there was definitely a lot of money to be made. Originally Posted by mrcee
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Really. I might have turned into a real slug if I had of gone over.
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As far as your dilemma goes, I personally would hang around awhile and see what develops.
I think the sweet spot must be the middle ground between conformity to the written music and the free-flow of jamming the song. Perhaps there's a balance that must be found.
Missydress.be
Good luck!Last edited by goores; 05-17-2017 at 03:06 AM.
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An update on the trad jazz band...
Our band had our first gig last Saturday night and if felt like a freight train on the brink of derailment. Unfortunately we currently do not have a bass player. To make matters worse, our drummer is just now learning how to play drums! So the groove was virtually nonexistent and the meter was all over the place. In addition to following my own charts, I had to try to keep some semblance of rhythm. Any mistake I made, and there were quite a few, were felt by all. That being said, the crowd didn't seem to notice or care and appeared to enjoy the music. And for the most part, the band still had fun. However, it's still not a performance I'm proud of and my confidence is rather shaky at best right now. I don't know where this band is headed but I think some changes likely need to be made to give us a shot at making really good music. The approach to the music, the personnel, and my own brushing up on reading charts... all of it. I like these guys and absolutely love the kind of jazz we want to do. It's the results that kinda disappoint me.
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That's a thankless job when the guitar player has to act as the drummer.
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Originally Posted by dallasblues
If there's another guitar player available could you switch to bass? I don't play jazz but having to switch between guitar and bass is something I try to be prepared for.
Be patient. Groove can take a long time to get right.
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I love this kind of gigs actually. Playing rhythm guitar is most fun, when people dont even notice there is no drummer in the band. No drummer is better than a shitty drummer though. Originally Posted by mrcee
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My 2 cents; Originally Posted by dallasblues
A lot of bass players don't like pre-bop swing and Gypsy jazz. They think it's boring. It may be tough to find one. You don't need to lug a standup around and there are options to get a decent simulation of a standup with smaller instruments. For the time being you might have to do the work of two people.
If this is a Freddie Green type gig for the guitar player I can't imagine doing it without a bass player. If the bandleader or someone else can't find a bass a player I'd switch and start looking for a guitar player.
That's what I would do because I had to do it before and that was a full time job.
Charlie Christian played bass as well as he played guitar.
It's just you and a drummer for the rhythm section?
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Originally Posted by Toddep
Vegas is far too surreal to be a jazz town.
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That's what they say, but the real reason many just can't handle the physicality of it. It takes a lot of right hand to play this style, and yes, slapping sometimes is necessary. Watching an agony of a bebop player trying to cope with Sweet Georgia Brown at 300 bpm is something to never forget. Originally Posted by Stevebol
Btw, are you saying Carlie Christians did play upright bass? I wouldnt be surprised at all, but where did you hear it, just curious?
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