More on Entertainment

June 18, 2009

If you’ve read more than one post on this blog you’ve probably sensed a theme. I hope that there will be many themes as we delve deeper into what it means/takes to be a working musician. But the early life of this blog is starting to come together around the idea of entertainment. I’m a […]

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Using the Web to Snare Jazz Fans

June 16, 2009

I found a most excellent post today by Peter Hum, the author of Thriving on a Riff, a great jazz blog out of Ottowa Canada. In it Peter details a TON of web-based music marketing ideas. This post is a must-read for any modern musician. Find it here: Using the Web to Snare Jazz Fans. […]

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Jazz at the White House!

June 15, 2009

I should’ve posted this before the event happened, but I just got done watching the webcast of The White House Music Series and their first jazz concert! Sponsored by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and First Lady Michelle Obama, this was the inaugural concert of the series, and they couldn’t have chosen a more […]

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Playing for Free

June 15, 2009

I almost never play for free. I believe that as professional musicians we have to have enough self respect and self-worth to charge for our services. We put in countless hours of practice and preparation to get us to each gig and should not take that time lightly. If we don’t think of ourselves as […]

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There’s Opportunity in an Empty Room

June 14, 2009

As a gigging musician, my hope is that there will be a huge crowd at every show clamoring for our music. And often this is the case. But there are also gigs where you can hear the crickets. Today was just such a gig. I played a Sunday Brunch with my partner-in-crime Josh Rawlings at […]

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A Great Day in Seattle

June 13, 2009

In 1958, photographer Art Kane was working for Esquire Magazine. He was asked by the magazine to assemble as many jazz musicians as he could for a photo to accompany a special edition commemorating the “golden age of jazz”. That photo, seen here, became known as “A Great Day in Harlem”, and features an amazing […]

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Makin’ it Happen – Andrew Durkin

June 12, 2009

Every Friday on this blog is “Makin’ it Happen Friday”, where I feature another musician who’s found a way to make a living playing music. I am constantly inspired by others, and hope to pass that inspiration on to you. Today we turn our attention to Andrew Durkin. Andrew is a self-described hack composer and […]

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Practice

June 11, 2009

Practice is something that is a big part of my life. It used to be that the term only applied to practicing my trumpet, which I do on a daily basis. As I mentioned in the post First, A Little History, when I was younger I hated to practice. My mom had to pay me […]

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Give ’em Something to Grab On To

June 10, 2009

Jazz musicians love to talk about jazz. We talk about the history, the players, the theory and the future. It’s this last topic that sometimes leads to some heated discussions. I can’t tell you how many gigs I’ve been on with musicians both young and old where the topic of conversation invariably turns to the […]

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Change is Good

June 9, 2009

I’m less than two weeks into this new blog and already I have decided to change the look! I had been using Chris Pearson’s Cutline theme and was quite happy with it until I ran across his new theme, Thesis. Thesis is more of a framework than a theme, as it allows you to easily […]

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