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Next week I'm going to Ajijic, Mexico, which is just outside of Guadalajara. I'll be there for two weeks. I have a couple of gigs at a nice club right on beautiful Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake. I'm just taking my mouthpiece, there's a retired LA studio guy there who's going to let me play his horn. It's freezing right now in Portland and they say that tomorrow will bring six inches of snow. In Ajijic it almost 80 degrees, oh yeah baby. I'll try to do some writing while I'm down there, I won't have much else to do really.I played a session today at my place with guitarist John Stowell, who I try to play with whenever he isn't out of the road. John sounded killing, as usual. He has been making his living for many years doing small clubs, clinics and house concerts on the road. He goes out alone and drives all over the country in his little Honda Civic. He says that the generosity of the friends that he stays with allows him to do what he does. He seems to have built up enough connections over the years to keep him working most of the year.
John was saying today that he was hearing from musicians all over the country that things were getting pretty rough. He thinks that the future of Jazz is house concerts. He may be right about that. The future certainly doesn't seem like it's going to be the Jazz clubs. There's nothing more rewarding than playing for a small room full of people who are intensely interested in your musical performance. No blenders whining in the middle of a ballad or smokers in the first row chatting away, just attentive listening.
House Concerts in Your Home web site
4 comments:
the future of MUCH music is house concerts, not just jazz. Have a look, David, and have fun in Mexico!
http://concertsinyourhome.com
Best,
Fran
I just attended my first house concert in San Francisco,CA on New Years day. It featured the master himself,George Garzone on sax and a excellent young pianist Julian Waterfall Pollack.There were maybe 35 people in the audience.Talk about an intimate setting.Check out Chez Hanny on the web.
I think it all depends on the music, and the show. I used to sing in a chamber choir and we did house concerts all the time. However, I really prefer a music performance venue -- a concert hall, large or small. Thirty or forty people in an audience isn't a bad crowd for a very small venue. I'm just saying, don't give up on jazz clubs! House concerts are a great part of the total mix of live performances options we have, ranging from outdoor venues, festivals, restaurants, dive bars and (to me) nirvana, concert halls small or large (with good acoustics and sound engineering).
BTW your blog looks amazing! I am trying to spruce mine up too. So many wonderful resources here. Thank you for all that you do. I've learned alot from this space.
Seems like the future of a lot of music that does not fit into todays corporate commercial music business structure is underground. House parties are a logical way to go. I do prefer clubs, but they are a disappearing trend. DJs seem to be taking over.
Thanks for creating this blog and keeping it going. Cheers, Larry
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