| LearnJazzPiano.com archives: For Scot/others re the northwest music scene | |
| JL -- 08/26/2006, 17:31:15 -- #29501 | |
| Hey everyone, I'm a musician who just graduated from a conservatory, and I'm considering various places to relocate and try to start my music career. I'm not really considering the obvious hubs of New York and LA, because I don't really wish to live in either of those places, despite their great music scenes. I was thinking about the northwest. I've always loved Seattle, but don't know much about its music scene. I know it's close to Portland and Vancouver, other great towns, but I don't know much about their music either. So does anyone have any insights into these areas? Keep in mind, I WILL be trying to do a full time music thing, so I'm not just looking for a city where I could play a few gigs every now and then. Also, my interests, and hence what I'd try to pursue professionally, are very diverse, so ideally I'd like a city with multifaceted arts appreciation and possibilities. My main ambitions are to perform as a pianist (jazz and other genres) and a pop-rock singer-songwriter (hopefully with a good band), and also perhaps get into production/arranging work. So if anyone knows anything about the northwest scene with regard to these ambitions, I'd really appreciate your responses. Thanks so much! Josh | |
| Scot -- 08/27/2006, 21:48:40 -- #29501 | |
| If you want to be a serious musician, then you live in a serious city like New York. If you want to be a laid back coffee shop book store player, Seattle is the place for you. Denver has a good scene. Nashville is another place for serious musicians. Bruce Hornsby and others live there. With your songwriting, maybe that's the place. The quality of life in the Northwest can't be beat. But the scene in the Northwest has a lot to be desired, for serious musicians at least. | |
| CynBad -- 08/28/2006, 08:38:41 -- #29501 | |
| Lordy, Scot, I'm a Denver native, and I think the Denver "jazz scene" sucks compared to Seattle. That's something I'd really miss if I moved back to Denver. The Denver jazz station isn't as good, either. Nor is the Symphony. | |
| Jazz+ -- 08/28/2006, 10:53:45 -- #29501 | |
| The only music cities in the USA are NY, Nashville and LA. And there is too much rain in the NW. | |
| CynBad -- 08/28/2006, 11:00:43 -- #29501 | |
| New York gets more rain every year than Seattle. Fact. | |
| JHMurray -- 08/28/2006, 11:55:49 -- #29501 | |
| I've always been torn between where I want to live and where the jobs are. I have lived a few years in Denver and never cared for it as a city in general. I've only been to Seattle a few times but I've always had a good impression of it, especially since the first thing I saw when I stepped out of the car was Bud's Jazz Records. I believe Seattle is similar to Portland, where I have also spent a few years ('90-'93). Great jazz scene and never a shortage of bass players. But I gave it all up for Tokyo. | |
| jazzwee -- 08/28/2006, 13:10:27 -- #29501 | |
| While LA has big music scene, there tends to be a focus more on Motion Pictures/TV. Not really large venue gigging (unless you're some major rock/hop hop band). For jazz, a lot of good musicians don't gig all that much. On the other hand, due to the size of the place, there's definitely a large market for private gigs (weddings, etc.). There are many jazz shows to watch (fortunately), but even major players like Benny Green, or Mulgrew Miller, or Kenny Werner will not draw a large crowd. Thus, if you are not at the level of these folks, it's hard to make a living. So in my mind, it has to do with competition. If you live in a place with fewer musicians, maybe you can actually make more of a living compared to a place crowded with musicians. | |
| Scot -- 08/29/2006, 00:36:22 -- #29501 | |
| Also, don't forget that being a working musician and being a serious musician aren't always the same things. Seattle is an easy place to make a living as a musician. I can get $300+ solo piano casuals twice a week. But it's just money and not very rewarding musically. To get picked up by real players, NY seems to be the place to be. Denver may not have a good jazz scene, but every musician I know who lives there gigs all the time. Maybe not in clubs, but casuals and such. Tokyo... Man, I miss Asia. As a musician you are treated RIGHT. They understand how much time and effort it took and they appreciate it. If I didn't feel like I'd be bailing out on my family and friends, I'd go back to Asia tomorrow to play music. | |
| SolArt -- 08/29/2006, 04:14:15 -- #29501 | |
| "$300+ solo piano casuals twice a week." If it's a superb grand, it would personally reward me musically. Easy money though, & it can buy equipment, books, etc. eh? Better than those of us who don't make our main money from gigging. Scot, no doubt in Asia the caucasian or black man is considered exotic so this has appeal to the natives. I've known many Japanese in the past & they are a very nice & POLITE people indeed. | |
| 7 -- 08/29/2006, 08:39:14 -- #29501 | |
| From what I've heard Austin TX is a GREAT town for music, but the competition is sure to be brutal. The grass may look greener on the other side, but there's a lot to be said for "Bloom where you're planted". | |
| Scot -- 08/29/2006, 11:55:08 -- #29501 | |
| It's not the color of your skin that gives you lasting appeal in Asia, though that definitely doesn't hurt when you're trying to meet new friends. The Asian culture, from my experience, has a great reverence for learning. People who are artists spend a lot of time studying to be that way, and people who are professional artists are treated like royalty because not only have they dedicated their lives to the art, they have gone to the next level and are able to do it to pay the bills. I lived there for six years playing music. Mostly in Korea, but I also lived in quite a few other places, but wherever I went, the music thing opened up all of the doors I ever needed. | |
| Gordon -- 08/29/2006, 17:16:20 -- #29501 | |
| Does anyone have any advice on the availability of piano vocalist work in, say Japan. Is it OK to be singing English out there ? Any agents who specialise in work over in Asia etc | |
| JHMurray -- 08/29/2006, 18:14:28 -- #29501 | |
| It's not only OK to sing in English, it's expected. Even Japanese singers who don't understand a word of English still sing in it, or try to. People seem to love English here, but more as an image, rather than a mode of communication. I'm also embarrassed to admit that I've had been hired for gigs here because of the color of my skin. Some hotels just like to have an "international" look, and only hire black or white foreign musicians. Hopefully my piano ability had something to do with it, too. If you do make it to Japan, drop me a line... | |
| Jazz+ -- 08/29/2006, 21:51:52 -- #29501 | |
| I guess you must be in Tokyo, JHMurray. I often go to Japan, which hotles do you play in? | |
| JHMurray -- 08/30/2006, 14:46:59 -- #29501 | |
| Jazz+, Yes, I'm in Tokyo. I will be playing at the "New York Bar" (featured in Bill Murray's movie "Lost In Translation") top floor of the Park Hyatt hotel in Shinjuku, until December 2. After that, I don't know but you can check my website for future appearances. http://www.k4.dion.ne.jp/~jimsjazz/ Cheers, Jim | |
| Scot -- 08/30/2006, 16:20:32 -- #29501 | |
| Jim, who are you going through? I used to go through the Belmont Agency north of Seattle, but they pretty much only book show bands these days. I used to go over for 2-4 weeks until I moved to Aspen and got a house gig there for three years. | |
| Gordon -- 08/30/2006, 17:08:16 -- #29501 | |
| Thanks for that Jim, it sounds fascinating playing over there. | |
| SolArt -- 08/31/2006, 09:07:50 -- #29501 | |
| Now I understand your user name... | |
| JHMurray -- 08/31/2006, 16:12:50 -- #29501 | |
| Scot, I've only been working through local agents in the Tokyo area. Originally I came here as an English teacher and gradually worked my way into the music scene. | |
| jwv76 -- 08/31/2006, 22:43:42 -- #29501 | |
| I was curious if anyone had any experiences to relate about playing in Europe. I was there for the first time last year on vacation, Barcelona and Amsterdam. I was only there for 10 days, but I definately had the impression that there was a lot more interest in jazz over there, even in younger people, which you hardly see at all in the US. I sat in at a jam session in Amsterdam at a beautiful club called Bimhaus. It was amazingly well attended, a lot of young people, teenagers, twenty-somethings. After I was done playing a number of people approached me, wanted to know who I was and where I was playing. I had to tell them I was just on vacation, not gigging. I definately plan on spending more than just ten days next time I'm able to go over there. | |
| SolArt -- 09/01/2006, 04:11:45 -- #29501 | |
| In Europe Jazz is considered "exotic" & foreign and has also "America, Hollywood, etc"., connotations. Plus the general population is more educated & sophisticated than the norm in America (true, like it or not). As the countries are co close together it's more open-minded. I live in a small town in Germany & at a club here the Jazz jam sessions are well-attended. I'm always amazed at the number & ability of the musicians. Here it's also tough to make a living with only music, which I (sniff) don't; maybe someday. I think the arts are hard pretty much everywhere. Here it's hard to find ANY job, but then there's the social system so you won't live under a bridge or have someone throw all your stuff out in a pile on the street when you can't pay your rent, & passer's by pilf your belongings; which I've seen often enough in America. | |
| jwv76 -- 09/02/2006, 02:54:20 -- #29501 | |
| The musicians who were at Bimhaus that night were very impressive in their ability, it was quite apparent that they were all classically trained (especially the piano players) and had devoted a study to jazz. But that's exactly what it sounded like, a study in jazz, I wasn't all that impressed. All the piano players were very Bill Evans-esque, no dis to Bill, but that's kinda what classically trained pianists tend to sound like. I think what drew attention to my playing was that it was a little more spontaneous, it swung a little bit harder. That wouldn't even get noticed at the sessions I go to here in San Francisco (I don't play professionally yet either, I try to sit in wherever I can when I get the chance), it's expected as a bare minumum. If you got chops, great, but hey, play some music. There's definately a difference between the European approach to music and ours here on the "new" continent. | |
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