What the status of live jazz where you live?

[Hardbopjazz]

If you want to go to see some live jazz tonight, would you be able to in your city (area)?

I live 20 miles from NYC. Just a hop on the train and I'm there. Not sure of many other cities that can offer as much jazz as NYC.

[Pete C]

Better than ever. I live in Brooklyn (Park Slope), and in addition to all the Manhattan offerings, I now have 2, count 'em, jazz venues I can walk to: Up Over Jazz Cafe (generally straight ahead), and Barbes (eclectic programming, but especially great avant series programmed by Michael Attias on Wednesday nights).

http://www.barbesbrooklyn.com/calendar.html

[Jazzmoose]

I'm sure we can't touch NYC; for one thing someone like me who doesn't drive has more trouble getting from place to place here in the San Francisco Bay area, but we do have a few jazz clubs. Yoshi's, of course, but there's others as well. KCSM, the local jazz station usually has a long list of acts on their daily jazz calender for the area. I just wish there was a place like Yoshi's here in the south bay. But then considering so many areas don't have any thing, I should probably quit whining, right?

[sal]

Chicago is quite good too. There is live jazz seven days a week at multiple venues, plus, if you're a musician, there are jam sessions at least 5 nights a week. The only problem is that it seems that public support is dwindling. I've seen Joey DeFrancesco and Bobby Hutcherson within the last year, and I was one of about 10 or so people in the audience. Mark Sheldon told me last week that Tom Harrell's show was dead as well. Its really a damn shame.

[Hardbopjazz]

Chicago is quite good too. There is live jazz seven days a week at multiple venues, plus, if you're a musician, there are jam sessions at least 5 nights a week. The only problem is that it seems that public support is dwindling. I've seen Joey DeFrancesco and Bobby Hutcherson within the last year, and I was one of about 10 or so people in the audience. Mark Sheldon told me last week that Tom Harrell's show was dead as well. Its really a damn shame.

Support is the key. I had seen Horace Silver at the Blue Note in 1996. After he finished playing he talked for about 5 minutes about coming to see live shows. This is the bulk of the money these artists make. His show wasn't filled. He said it was sad, that NYC, the meca of jazz could not fill a club for live jazz. But he was happy that those who were there did come to see him play, and he said thanks.

[Pete C]

Support is the key. I had seen Horace Silver at the Blue Note in 1996. After he finished playing he talked for about 5 minutes about coming to see live shows. This is the bulk of the money these artists make. His show wasn't filled. He said it was sad, that NYC, the meca of jazz could not fill a club for live jazz.

The fact that the Blue Note sucks might be part of the answer. The prices are astronomical, the food is as bad as it gets, and they pack patrons in like sardines. On top of that it's a relatively large club. I can assure you Silver would sell out the Vanguard easily for a 2-week run.

Next time Silver plays the Blue Note the cover is $35. Add to that a minimum, tax & tip, and you're talking at least $50, more likely $60, for maybe 75 minutes of music. I can't do that too often.

Edited March 22, 2004 by Pete C

[Hardbopjazz]

Support is the key. I had seen Horace Silver at the Blue Note in 1996. After he finished playing he talked for about 5 minutes about coming to see live shows. This is the bulk of the money these artists make. His show wasn't filled. He said it was sad, that NYC, the meca of jazz could not fill a club for live jazz.

The fact that the Blue Note sucks might be part of the answer. The prices are astronomical, the food is as bad as it gets, and they pack patrons in like sardines. On top of that it's a relatively large club. I can assure you Silver would sell out the Vanguard easily for a 2-week run.

Next time Silver plays the Blue Note the cover is $35. Add to that a minimum, tax & tip, and you're talking at least $50 for maybe 75 minutes of music. I can't do that too often.

Yeah, he's there the end of April. The price is $35 plus the cover. You know you'll be elbow to elbow when you're in the club.

[frank m]

About 10 years ago on Long Island we had two jazz organizations and jazz club. All gone now, leaving us with zilch. Save for an occasional 60 mile trip into the city or Jersey, we have nothing.

There is a club here that professes to have jazz but it is nothing like any jazz I have ever heard. That and the fact that it is a small room subject to ear shattering amplification of that shit means its better to stay home and listen to stuff on my audio system.

[rockefeller center]

Vienna, Austria. There's one club that has live Jazz seven days a week, plus several other venues that have Jazz occasionally. Tonight I'm going to see Trifaktor - Kahil El’Zabar, Hamiet Bluiett, Billy Bang.

[7/4]

A situation like hardbopjazz: I live about 30-40 min from NYC. It's just a train ride away.

The real questions are: Is there anybody I'm dying to hear and do I have the time to go check it out?

[Dr. Rat]

I used to live near NYC and Philly, so I'm used to pretty vital jazz scenes.

Now I live in a pretty way out place. We count as an urbanized area, but we're a relatively small one. We have some jazz here: in abrs on weekends, and two "arts center" type series where jazz has been struggling.

One message I'm getting is that the gambit of selling jazz as "America's classical music" just isn't working here. This kind of pitch is read as "no fun" and a lot of the venues that jazz gets played in drive that message home with a vengence: no drinks, no smoking, no opportunity to dance.

"Jazz as nostalgia" does fairly well, and a lot of the nostalgia groups--we've had Ahmad Jamal and Ramsey Lewis of late, who were pretty frankly marketed as nostalgia trips (remeber that hit?)--still do a solid show and send everyone home happy. But this is definitely not a pitch with much future.

"Jazz as art" has an audience, but not nearly as big as that of the nostalgia crowd, and a lot of people seem to try to like acts like, say, Jason Moran, but the general consensus seems to be that these shows generally represent "attempts at art" or that the performer uses artistic status as an excuse for poor showmanship. Something like "jazz as art" means the performer plays to please him- or herself. The tastes of professional musicians and audiences coinciding too seldom to justify the trouble of concert attendance. And "jazz as art" also seems to say "no fun."

Meanwhile, blues artists with comparable name recognition (cognoscenti and beyond) like Tab Benoit play to large and enthusiastic crowds. And in bars, groups that freely use jazz as an ingredient in jam band and broadly eclectic contexts do well.

--eric

Edited March 22, 2004 by Dr. Rat

[wesbed]

'Live' jazz. Eh? Like, where you go out and see the music played by a live person? Like, right up there on the stage?

We have our moments in Tucson (like when Bud Shank played here). Mostly, the only jazz I hear is what I play on my own stereo. Or what ss1 introduces me to from his collection.

Edited March 22, 2004 by wesbed

[Rooster_Ties]

Kansas City here.

You can catch local guys playing (somewhere) practically every day of the week. The best club in town (The Blue Room) is open Mondays (jam night), plus Thursday, Friday and Saturday. No cover on Mondays and Thursdays, and only $5 on Fridays and Saturdays -- unless they have a special act playing, but then the cover is anything from $10 (for obscure guys from out of town), on up to $20 (the usual), or maybe $25 (about the most I've ever seen here).

There are perhaps 2 other clubs that have live music 6 or 7 nights a week (nearly all local musicians), and a number of other clubs that book local acts 2 or 3 nights a week (usually Thu-Sat).

I wouldn't call the scene in Kansas City "robust", but I guess it's at least "pretty decent", and there are easily 4 to 8 dates per month that I should really get out to hear (though I'm only usually out there for 2 or 3, or maybe 4 every once in a while).

Things could be better, but they could be worst too.

Edit: I should also mention that there a couple atypical jazz venues where some really exciting stuff happens once or twice a month. One coffee shop down in the Rivermarket area (they also sell beer in the evening - I think), that books this GREAT progressive trio (sax, bass, drums) about once a month. And then there's a coffee-house in the Westport area with a small theatre in back that seats maybe 80 (in old movie-house seats), and they book more progressive jazz stuff too, maybe once or twice a month. And maybe one or two other non-typical ventues programming some seriously creative stuff too, on rare occasion.

Edit #2: I'll be currious to hear from all the other Kansas City folks here on this board, about what they think of the scene here in KC. One's a top-drawer (first call, IMHO) musician, and another's very well connected with the KC jazz scene -- so their opinions on this topic will probably be worth a touch more than mine. (And, of course, from anyone else from KC, or who used to live near KC recently -- you know who you are.)

Edited March 22, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[jazzbo]

It's on life support, and people are looking for a living will document. . . .

[randissimo]

'Live' jazz. Eh? Like, where you go out and see the music played by a live person? Like, right up there on the stage?

We have our moments in Tucson (like when Bud Shank played here). Mostly, the only jazz I hear is what I play on my own stereo. Or what ss1 introduces me to from his collection.

Hey Wes, There's a friend of mine in Tucson by the name of RC Crawford. He's a guitar player and a really good one. If you happen to know him or see him, tell him Randy Marsh says "Hey"...

[randissimo]

I live in west Michigan where there are no Jazz clubs, only a few restaurants & brew pubs that book Jazz acts maybe once a week or once a month. Ann Arbor has 2 fulltime Jazz clubs. The Bird Of Paradise, which may be gone soon because of poor management; and the Firefly which is almost impossible to get booked into..

Detroit has a couple of Jazz clubs like Baker's and Bert's Place. There isn't really much of a Jazz scene in the Motor City these days, mostly Techno, Rock, & Hip Hop nite clubs.. I'm only 3 hours from Chicago where I occasionally go to get inspired. We have been trying to get Organissimo booked somewhere in Chicago but so far have had no luck..

It seems to me like there is a dwindling percentage of people these days who are willing to pay a cover and quietly sit and listen to the music. The best audiences for Jazz seem to be concerts in libraries, churches, colleges and music academies, and Jazz society events. Most of the gigs I play, we're usually at war with indiffernce and loud room chatter.. The Jazz Showcase in Chicago is the only place I know where the audience is instructed by owner Joe Siegal to listen or go somewhere else...

Edited March 22, 2004 by randissimo

[jlhoots]

Long live Tom Guralnick at The Outpost Performance Space in Albuquerque.

Have recently seen Cassandra Wilson, Oliver Lake, Jessica Williams.

Coming up soon are Roswell Rudd, Bobby Bradford, Mark Turner, Marilyn Crispell.

Reasonable prices, no smoking, attentive audiences.

Frank Morgan plays once or twice a month at the Taos Inn. No cover charge.

[randissimo]

Long live Tom Guralnick at The Outpost Performance Space in Albuquerque.

Have recently seen Cassandra Wilson, Oliver Lake, Jessica Williams.

Coming up soon are Roswell Rudd, Bobby Bradford, Mark Turner, Marilyn Crispell.

Reasonable prices, no smoking, attentive audiences.

Frank Morgan plays once or twice a month at the Taos Inn. No cover charge.

It looks like you have a nice little scene there.. Does guitarist Bruce Dunlap ever play these clubs? he's been a friend of mine since 1976..

[GregK]

I'm quite pleased with the live music in Ann Arbor. Last Friday I saw Ornette Coleman, in February I saw Organissimo, and in the past 3 years I have seen Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock (both leading their own quartets and in a duet, 3 different shows) and Keith Jarrett. Plus, as mentioned above, the Bird of Paradise and Firefly Club have live jazz pretty much all week

[connoisseur series500]

I'm quite pleased with the live music in Ann Arbor. Last Friday I saw Ornette Coleman, in February I saw Organissimo, and in the past 3 years I have seen Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock (both leading their own quartets and in a duet, 3 different shows) and Keith Jarrett. Plus, as mentioned above, the Bird of Paradise and Firefly Club have live jazz pretty much all week

Don't forget that Charles Lloyd played recently as well, though I missed him. At least, I never miss any of Organissimo's visits.

[GregK]

Don't forget that Charles Lloyd played recently as well, though I missed him. At least, I never miss any of Organissimo's visits.

Oh yes, I forgot about Lloyd. I wish I had seen him

[Chuck Nessa]

I live in "never never land", but this week I heard Ornette (in AA, 3 hours away) and the Tony Malaby/Angelica Sanchez/Tom Rainey trio (at a radio station recording session courtesy of Lazaro Vega) and hope to attend the Malachi Favors tribute in Chicago on Wednesday. Also within the last month I've heard Organissimo 15 miles south of my home, and will hear them again shortly.

We DO live in interesting times.

[Uncle Skid]

Incidentally, Tom Rainey was the drummer at the Brad Shepik Trio show that Joe G, Upright Bill, and I caught in Grand Rapids at the UICA. The bass player was Tom Hebert, who I believe is now off playing with Andrew Hill somewhere in Europe.

Phil Woods was recently in Grand Rapids, and James Moody/Cedar Walton and the Newport All-Stars came to little ole Muskegon. Also caught Marcus Belgrave at GVSU in Allendale a few months ago.

Bill and I saw Rudy Linka and Miles Evans, in Fremont(!), Michigan. Chuck's home town is a bustling metropolis in comparison.

While we certainly don't have jazz every night (or even every weekend) around here, there have been some great shows recently. It's nice having Lazaro on board here to alert us in case we miss anything!

[Joe G]

There was a great jazz series in Okemos, a suburb of Lansing, this year. Last month I saw Cyrus Chestnut, and just last weekend, Donald Walden. It's close enough to me that I could ride my bike, except for the cold weather. And there's a wine and cheese reception afterwards, too. Elsewhere in Lansing, the Creole Gallery, an intimate venue that we hope to get into soon, has been booking quality national acts. We even had Wynton play there!!!! But they aren't exclusively bringing in jazz. Rodney Whitaker has been working hard to get jazz into the Wharton Center, the big concert venue in town. A welcome change from all the broadway shows...

[gdogus]

Chattanooga, TN -

The Southside Jazz Junction was the only dedicated jazz club in Chattanooga (this in a mid-sized city that boasts the Bessie Smith Memorial Hall and a certain song about a Choo-Choo; it's also the birthplace of Bessie Smith, Jimmy Blanton, and Yusef Lateef, among others). The owners closed their doors back in October 2003 - they couldn't make a go of it anymore. They said they'd maintain their email list and continue to promote jazz acts when they do come to town, at whatever venue. I've gotten, like, one announcement since then. Pretty sad.