Latch Music's Ezine #24
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* "The Zine" content is contributed by Dave Latchaw and colleagues who use the Internet to promote their musical projects. You can check out previous issues at "The Zine" Archives.
- Article: "The Bizz Side of Things" by Dave Latchaw
- Guest Artist: Jack Patton - Groovy vibes.
- Featured Web Site: LucasPickford.com
- Featured Web Video: Tower of Power
- CD Pick: Miles Davis "On The Corner"
The Bizz Side of Things
by Dave Latchaw
Musicians spend countless hours focused on developing their craft, especially those that have chosen to make music their career. For many, the bizz side of things is tedious and a bore. They are correct, the business side of music making is tedious and a bore, but it is necessary to have your business chops together if you are going to have any economic success. A player has to be responsible for their economic well being, because no one else is going to. Musicians who avoid the bizz side of music can become disgruntled with music because they aren't achieving what they are capable of.
When I decided to pursue music as a career I would never realized how much time I would have to spend on the phone. A lot of time is spent making and returning phone calls. Work on your phone skills. Make sure you know what you need to convey when you call. When calling someone, be sensitive to whether they have time to chat after the bizz is done. Don't keep someone on the phone if they are busy, be sensitive to the person's time when you call. It's also necessary to have an answering machine, if it isn't easy to get in contact with you, people will stop trying. Most musicians have dozens of things going all at once, and it's easy to procrastinate about making the necessary calls. If you stay on top of making your calls, less things will fall through the cracks, which makes you seem more efficient and professional. The less time you keep someone waiting for your return call, the easier you are making it for that person, and the easier you make it for the person that is intending to hire you, the more likely you will be able to get their repeat business. You will find that most clients who are booking you for a musical event would rather be assured that you can play the situation appropriately and that you make it easy for them to hire you or your group, than with whether you can play "Giant Steps" in every key.
Business cards are always a good thing to have in your "doing bizz" arsenal. They are an easy way to pass on your contact information to a potential client, band mate, or student. The information on your card should include your name, contact phone number, e-mail address, website, and what services you provide. Keep your card current. If you have a new phone number or e-mail address, don't do the "scratch off the old and write the new number or address by hand" number, just have new cards made. Present yourself like your business is important to you, and like you have your act together.
Booking gigs is not for every musician, but if you do book gigs, always use a contract. Design the contract in such a way that it is clear to the client what your expectations are, and what you expect from them. Make sure you include the location, time, and date of the musical event on the contract, and also things like the length of the sets and breaks, if food and beverages are part of the deal, and any other expectations you have. Make it clear how and when you are to be paid. When all of these things are in writing, it protects both you and the client from the musical occasion not going as planned.
A fax machine is also necessary for making your business time efficient and professional. If you book your own gigs, the fax machine is a very convenient way to send and receive contracts from your clients. Most people in business want things to be simple and quick. The fax saves having to address an envelope and mail the contract. It's also a handy way to get charts to other musicians you are working with, which can make your rehearsal time more efficient.
E-mail and a web site are other tools one should consider using. For some people, e-mail is more convenient than using the phone, so try to include it in your business use. For example, if you need to get directions for a gig to your band, you could use the map program at yahoo.com, and save yourself many phone calls by sending the address via e-mail to everyone on the gig. A website that includes bio information, song information, a calendar of your performances, and any other information that will make it easier to hire you, saves you having to spend time doing the verbal hard sell to a potential client.
Being professional in all aspects of your musical activities is always important. Many are simple things. Be on time, don't be skating in at the last minute before you are to supposed to start playing. Wear the appropriate clothing, for some gigs you may be able to dress arty, and for others you shouldn't. If food and beverages are included in your contract, be reasonable about how much you eat and drink, don't think of the gig as a drink and food fest. Taking breaks that are too long makes you look bad and also perpetuates musician stereotypes. Be aware of the musical situation and prepare accordingly.
Spend some time every day on the business side of your musical activities, be it making phone calls, sending out CD's to promote yourself, making flyers for getting new students, contacting clubs, improving your promo pack, or any of the hundreds of things that it takes to achieve economic success at doing music for a living. Don't be one of those musicians who has spent so much time developing their musical ability that they end up with a false sense of entitlement for work and success. Sheer heaviness is not reason enough to be hired or to be noticed in the competitive musical world. One has to differentiate between their artistic craft that they have spent years nurturing, and doing the musical job that is at hand. Every musician would like to be exclusively playing the music that they have spent years working on, but unless you are one of the lucky few in the right spot at the right time, you need to be professional and get all aspects of the job done.
Jack Patton
#1 Where on the Internet can people find out more about you and your musical activities?
The best place to find information on me is www.NuJazzCity.com. It is the website to the independent label that I'm currently signed with called NuJazzCity. They are small but put out very good recordings. I highly recommend visiting their site and seeing what they have to offer.
#2 Who were your earliest influences, and how did they inspire you to develop your style of playing and improvising?
Some of my earliest influences are very different from one another. My first recording of a vibraphonist was Steps Ahead, formed by Mike Mainieri. My teacher at the time, Kent Klee, put it on and said this is how to back up a soloist. He was talking about Peter Erskine playing drums on "Pools" by Don Grolnick. I was studying drums with Kent at that time but had also been studying marimba and began playing the vibes. For obvious reasons, Kent told me to listen to Mike and I did. I fell in love with his playing right then and there. I moved to New York to attend New School University after high school and got in touch with Mike as soon as I could. I studied with him for almost two years and the things he showed me were amazing and still influence me in many ways. Mike's harmonic approach, time, phrasing and sound are all incredible.
Another recording that I listened to and studied was Sarah Vaughan's "Live at Mister Kelly's". This has Jimmy Jones on piano, Richard Davis on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums. Ms. Vaughan's lyricism immediately drew my attention. Her phrasing is amazing. The thing that also intrigued me about that recording was the huge pocket. The beat between Richard Davis and Roy Haynes is ridiculous! Jimmy Jones floats on top but still manages to accompany very, very well.
Ahmad Jamal's "Live at the Pershing" was another recording that blew my mind. Any recordings with that trio are amazing because, similarly to "Live at Mister Kelly's", the beat, groove and pulse are out of this world. Ahmad's use of space, his voicings, arrangements and control are things that I listened to... a lot. The control he played with still baffles me. It's one thing to listen to Bird, Dizzy and all those guys and what (and how) they're playing, but to do it is another. No matter how fast and slow they played, it was all so controlled. They're all very calm and collected and bring a tremendous amount of ease to the table. Ahmad has that same thing and it's absolutely beautiful. The collective of that group was amazing.
Generally speaking, Miles has also been a huge influence. Everything that he did was great. I can't say enough about him other than the fact that I have listened to him a ton.
#3 What have been your most memorable performances, and why?
One of my favorite performances was at the New School in the spring of '99. A trumpet player that I had played with a lot my first year in New York was having his senior recital. He asked me to play on it and I said sure. Little did I know what I was in for. We played the whole concert and it came to the final song. I knew we were going to play rhythm changes and this guy said had Jon Faddis was coming before we started the concert. The trumpet player had been Jon's protege for years and I knew they were good friends, but I didn't really think Mr. Faddis would actually show up. Sure enough he comes up with his horn the final tune and we began playing. Not only was I nervous when we all started but I was still shocked that he actually came. It went really well and Mr. Faddis was very complementary afterwards.
Another show was at the Villette Jazz Festival in Paris. A group had been formed with students from literally all over the world and I was there to represent the New School. We rehearsed and hung out for week before we played. It was great to be at such a wonderful venue and meet some terrific people.
I also played at the Kennedy Center in April of '01. Similarly to the Paris trip, I was invited to play with students from all over the country. That was also a very good time.
#4 How did the band come together for your disc "Sage" on the NuJazzCity label?
The band members that came together for "Sage" were all friends of mine that I met through the New School. At one point in time everybody had gone there and knew each other. I formed the group to do a demo for NuJazzCity. I signed with them and a small tour happen to fall in place for me, so I naturally took the guys. We played and rehearsed for a couple months before the tour. We worked scheduled in the recording since we were already together and took a couple days to cut the tracks. It all came together very easily since we were in the groove of playing with one another.
#5 What do you want listeners to get from your disc "Sage"?
I hope listeners hear the unity on "Sage". That's one thing that really sticks out to me. We were fortunate to know each other's playing and the repertoire ahead of time. Having those two things opened up a totally different level of playing since we weren't reading anything and had everything internalized. I was also young when I wrote and recorded that. I started on the material when I was eighteen and finished most of it up by nineteen. Because of that, I wanted a very broad spectrum of material on the album. I felt like I had to prove my maturity and the fact that I had done a lot of homework. There are a couple tunes like "Sage" and "His Name Means Life" where we stretch out. Then there are tunes like "Ugly Beauty", "Speak Low", "Lauren's Song" and "LadyLove" that focus more on being relaxed. Within all of the tracks, you hear small things that let you know we're all together and on the same page.
#6 In a recording and performing situation, what qualities do you look for in other players to achieve an optimum group performance?
The one thing that I can say about that is friendship. When I hire people, it's always very important that we're good friends. I just think that it opens up the line of communication in a way that may not exist in a strictly professional relationship. It is much easier to travel, play and talk with one another when it's personal. That's what my music is. It is ultimately a reflection of myself and I want people that I'm close with to be a part of it. Obviously I have to really enjoy their playing to play with them, but having that comfort level is very important.
#7 How do you think the Internet is affecting the music business scene?
I think the Internet is giving people a lot more options. I'm honestly not too familiar with all of the resources available on the Internet but I know that getting access to all kinds of music is much easier... and cheaper.
#8 What upcoming projects should people look for from you?
I don't have any major plans in the coming months because I'm focussed on finishing school. I have one semester left and after that I'll be able to assemble another band for more tours, other projects, and another album with NuJazzCity. I really don't have any idea when it is actually going to happen but I'm hoping within the next year I'll have the time to prepare for another band.
LucasPickford.com
Lucas Pickford is a tremendous bassist who has performed with such people as Alex Acuna, Brian Blade, Johnny Vidocovich, Greg Tardy, Matt Garrison, Bob Moses and Steve Hunt. His website is a great example of what a musician can do to promote his musical efforts. He makes a lot of information available about his various interests, such as Sounds of India, Philosophy, and Physics, which I think is useful to help the potential music fan have more insight into his music. There is also a section of lesson articles Lucas has written about harmony and other cool subjects. There is a huge section of transcriptions of lead sheets and solos from various artists including Jaco Pastorius, Jeff Berlin, Stanley Clarke, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, John Scofield and more, that are great fun to check out. Go to lucaspickford.com and hang out for awhile.
Tower of Power
**Update - September 2003**
Unfortunately, this video is no longer available.
Tower of Power is just one of those bands that make you say, "They are cool!". Emilio Castillo is founder and leader of this great band. Emilio describes the music of "Tower Of Power" as "Urban Soul Music". As of 3/14/02, you can see the current line-up and links to their bios here. They have done many recordings with artists ranging from Sammy Hagar to Elton John to Bobby McFerrin to Santana, Bonnie Raitt and more. Find out where they are touring here. The House of Blues makes available a web video of Tower of Power in concert here. Good fun to check out.
Miles Davis
"On The Corner"
One can learn from every Miles Davis recording made. "On The Corner" is a great example of Miles pushing the envelope of Jazz in the early 70's. Miles was a masterful innovator, he changed the direction of music several times during his career. The recording "On The Corner" was definitely ahead of it's time in the Jazz world because of the use of tape manipulation. Tape manipulation had been developed by the Paris and Darmstadt schools during the 1950's, Karlheinze Stockhausen emerged as a contemporary classical celebrity using these techniques. British composer Paul Buckmaster inspired Miles to explore the idea of looping. What makes "On The Corner" different than "In A Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew", is that "On The Corner" emphasizes the groove, where on "In A Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew" the emphasis is more on improvisation. Miles knew how to manipulate technology, and really became an innovator of electronica with the minimalist and trance-like qualities of this recording. Worth the time to check out.
Musicians for "On The Corner"
Miles Davis - Trumpet
David Liebman - Soprano Sax (Track 1)
Carlos Garnett - Soprano Sax (Track 2), Tenor Sax (Track 4)
Bennie Maupin - Bass Clarinet
John McLaughlin - Guitar (Track 1)
David Creamer - Guitar (Tracks 2, 3 & 4)
Herbie Hancock - Fender Rhodes, Synthesizer
Chick Corea - Fender Rhodes
Harold "Ivory" Williams - Organ, Synthesizer
Michael Henderson - Bass
Colin Walcott - Electric Sitar (Tracks 1, 3 & 4)
Billy Hart - Drums
Jack DeJohnette - Drums
Al Foster - Drums
Khalil Balakrishna - Electric Sitar (Track 2)
Badal Roy - Tabla
Tracks for "On The Corner"
- On The Corner/New York Girl/Thinkin' Of One And Doin' Another/Vote For Miles
- Black Satin
- One And One
- Helen Butte/Mr. Freedom X
Click here to learn more about "On The Corner"
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