tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post2039728621536414916..comments2023-12-04T09:29:06.375-08:00Comments on Casa Valdez Studios: Personal rant about the state of JazzDavid Carlos Valdezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-32198114651885853592010-09-17T16:24:06.253-07:002010-09-17T16:24:06.253-07:00Interesting thread, jazz and the music profession ...Interesting thread, jazz and the music profession changing from an art form for interesting souls,who could scrape some kind of living together,into a pyramid teaching scheme in academia...<br /> A lot of musicians invest their money and time into a higher degree,rather than find commitment and try to make a great record,some of them don't grasp a distinction between an artist and an intellectual.<br /> I still hear a lot of new stuff I really like though,but I hardly ever buy it now,part of the industries race to the bottom is everyone giving their stuff away free...I like your site very much!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-39518684902581213002007-05-29T22:54:00.000-07:002007-05-29T22:54:00.000-07:00Some good points Alexa. I usually only get dark ab...Some good points Alexa.<BR/><BR/> I usually only get dark about music for a short time before I snap out of it. For instance last week was very rewarding. I had a duo gig with a great pianist at a nice wine bar that paid us well and loved the music. Last Sunday I had a really great time playing a brunch gig of all things. My rhythm section was great and we just played through my very entertaining (for me at least) quartet book.<BR/><BR/> I have some more interesting gigs in the next couple of weeks, one is a large band with vocalist Nancy King, three horns and an interpretive modern dancer.<BR/><BR/> A really great gig can get you through months of bad gigs. As you said, there's nothing like the feeling when the band is on, the house is packed and they're there for what you are doing. <BR/><BR/>In less than two weeks I'll be playing Jazz in Istanbul, things could be a whole lot worse.David Carlos Valdezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-48657624496387487782007-05-29T19:20:00.000-07:002007-05-29T19:20:00.000-07:00David, couple things: First, marrying a profession...David, couple things: <BR/><BR/>First, marrying a professional woman wasn't an option for me--and there's even more of a double standard if you're a female musician. As a woman, it's still often assumed your husband should make more money than you. My husband is a carpenter and does not make enough to support us singlehandedly (he's a fantastic father and doesn't object to my saying this). People sometimes assume that as a female player this is my hobby and my husband is the one paying the bills, and that ain't the case.<BR/><BR/>Second, I am in this for the long haul. I have days when I feel like you do. There are moments when I look at other regions in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world and wonder if the living would be easier. I think there is a greater appreciation of musical ability, American jazz and the arts in Europe, from what I have read. In the U.S. the focus has changed slightly. Used to be that money was the main indicator of success. Now it's fame. But neither of those things should be viewed as absolute goals--that's just society's pressure to conform.<BR/><BR/>There is a wonderful new wave of independent musicians out there that gives me new hope. We are finding new ways to sell our music--and new places to perform. There are so many aspiring pop stars out there, but those of us with training to play instruments, read music and perform live still have an edge up on them. I think the perceived value of live musicians will grow as people realize that making music on the computer is not the same as performing it for the public.<BR/><BR/>My final point is, I have seen the other side. I worked for 10 years in a cubicle farm. Sure, the money is nice. The slow withering of your soul as you wonder whether owning fancy shoes or a shiny car really is worth not pursuing your musical career? Horrible. <BR/><BR/>I am now applying many of the skills I learned there to my music career. On a good day, I think things are looking up. This is a business. We have to find ways to run it efficiently and meet market demand. By saying that, however, I am in no way saying that I have "sold out" my vision as an original artist, which is what I do. I'm not in a top 40 band--I'm still striving to create a unique sound and perform as often as possible. There is no question that having jazz as your primary identifiable genre can limit your audience today--but so can "classical" "folk" or anything that is not "top 40" or an identifiable party genre. <BR/><BR/>You have to give it a twist. What is it that you do as a jazz musician that no one else does? It doesn't have to be something from another genre, but it should be something unique or entertaining.<BR/><BR/>I hope you feel better, David. There are good days and bad days, but being on stage and blowing a brilliant solo makes it all worth it.Me Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03065973224789847682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-81684433955524281922007-05-21T22:00:00.000-07:002007-05-21T22:00:00.000-07:00I sure hope you're right Bill...I sure hope you're right Bill...David Carlos Valdezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-39711540212951687702007-05-21T20:50:00.000-07:002007-05-21T20:50:00.000-07:00David,What I mean by Jazz going in cycles follows....David,<BR/><BR/>What I mean by Jazz going in cycles follows. When I was in Portland in the eighties, there were maybe 2 clubs that regularly presented Jazz. The Hobbit and Parchman Farm (pardon my Eastside prejudice.) <BR/><BR/>Of these, the only full time jazz club was The Hobbit, although, I'm sure that it might have been my low awareness level, but whenever any "name" players came into town, they would play here. I don't think that there was a big enough scene to support a reasonable number of players until the mid nineties. <BR/><BR/>Now, it's definitely taken a nose dive, but I guess my feeling is that from the larger historical picture, the main clubs that presented Bebop in NYC, S.F., and L.A. seemed like they went belly up as the sixties turned into the seventies, and by all the accounts I here from musicians, the seventies were pretty dry.<BR/><BR/>There's one line of reasoning that I don't personally believe in that the free players killed the audience in the late sixties and then it was saved by the neo-con players in the eighties. I will not mention any names but I think that we all know who some of the players that I refer to might be.<BR/><BR/>So, I guess my point is that there will probably be an upwards trend, in terms of the jazz scene. Shit, Bird had trouble getting gigs at certain points (although there are doubtless other reasons for this.)<BR/><BR/>So I wasn't totally disagreeing with you that there's been a nosedive, in terms of a viable jazz scene in many places. What I'm trying to point out is that there is a good chance that this might change. <BR/><BR/>Part of the problem in my view is that music education has taken a big hit with school funding. It used to be that half of the population could at least play some piano. Now there are so many media available and, from what I've read, less than 7% of the population play any instruments at all.<BR/><BR/>While I don't think that people need to play an instrument in order to appreciate good music, I think that it certainly helps. My wife didn't listen to any jazz until I had it regularly spinning on the CD player and it took her a couple of years to adjust her ears from the Americana, Roots and Indy music that she preferred.<BR/><BR/>I took her to see Tim Berne, who isn't straight ahead by any stretch of the imagination, but at the intermission she was enthusiastic, especially by the rhythmic conception of his pianist Craig Taborn, which I found quite heartening. <BR/><BR/>Maybe I just have some kind of wishful thinking but I do think there is some cyclicality (pardon my creative vocabulary) in the economics of different genres of the music business. <BR/><BR/>And I don't think that global warming is cyclical, but if you read the research of Richard Muller, one of my old Physics professors, you'd be quite surprised by his argument that the natural climate of the earth is one of Ice Age and that we're in an uncharacteristically warm period. After we help to destroy the atmosphere, he argues, the earth will simply plunge back into another Ice Age.<BR/><BR/>Do I believe his research?? It's just a theory. Is it a valid point?? Probably. I hope that my convoluted arguments present my points effectively.MonksDreamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01925609181536862036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-8609169555077649622007-05-21T04:08:00.000-07:002007-05-21T04:08:00.000-07:00dave, always appreciate your insightful comments a...dave, always appreciate your insightful comments and knowledge about music. am over $20,000 in debt since i began playing music full time about 5 years ago. i live on over 20 credit cards despite living in the bastion of socal where millionaire studio players are in abundance. they don't mind going out to small clubs and restaurants and playing for next to nothing.<BR/><BR/>wenwen mewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17390868308394336933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-89020445545573765452007-05-20T22:54:00.000-07:002007-05-20T22:54:00.000-07:00Thanks Bill. It does seem like there would be more...Thanks Bill. It does seem like there would be more Latin-Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Hip-Bop, and the like here in PDX. There's a slight crossover, but not like other towns. It's interesting that before I moved here I played a lot more gigs that weren't Jazz, including African, R&B, Pop, Latin-Jazz, "Nu-Jazz" (I hate that name) and more. Since I've been here it's been mostly Jazz for me.<BR/><BR/>To say that Jazz goes in cycles is like saying that the earth isn't getting warmer because we have a few cold days in a row. Over the last three decades Jazz has been taking a nose dive. I'll continue this one in a new post......David Carlos Valdezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-32177066592730848942007-05-20T22:12:00.000-07:002007-05-20T22:12:00.000-07:00David, I like this posting. For those of us who a...David, I like this posting. For those of us who are part time musicians, I sometimes feel like maybe we're copping out and I have to say I admire the chutzpa and bravery that a committed "full" time jazz musician might take. <BR/><BR/>I think that the scene seems to always go in cycles. The guys who really seem to do reasonably well either have the tenaciousness of a pit bull or have definitely made some trade-offs as you refer to in your posting. <BR/><BR/>I was talking with a drummer who moved here from NYC about how the dividing lines between the different genres over there seem much more blurry and I sometimes wonder why, with Portland being a hotbed of indy rock, there aren't more hybridizations of music occuring. Not a critique just an observation. <BR/><BR/>Maybe the guys who get PhD.s and teach have it down?? One of them I know spends most of his time writing Pro Tools manuals. I guess you just keep considering the challenges and attacking them from as many different angles as possible. <BR/><BR/>Interesting and valid posting. You have a killin' alto sound, so you've got that goin' on, maaaaaaaan!<BR/><BR/>cheers!MonksDreamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01925609181536862036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-15252679260384178572007-05-20T10:02:00.000-07:002007-05-20T10:02:00.000-07:00Having lived in Europe I can attest to Mr. Anonymo...Having lived in Europe I can attest to Mr. Anonymous's statement regarding the cold shoulder from Euro musicians. I played with mostly Americans and Euros who wanted to actually swing. Euro player (I know that this is both off topic and a broad brush) don't swing all that hard.<BR/>As to the point of this post. Fuckin' a. No work and too many players who all sound the same. Good luck to them. THERE'S NO WORK FOR YOU.chicken littlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05846432464310781117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-27135257749628081632007-05-19T08:54:00.000-07:002007-05-19T08:54:00.000-07:00Hey Thanks. It's not hard to imagine myself living...Hey Thanks. It's not hard to imagine myself living in Portugal.Not hard at <BR/>all..David Carlos Valdezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-11186154039335733212007-05-19T08:24:00.000-07:002007-05-19T08:24:00.000-07:00Even though I can only guess which of the jazz fes...Even though I can only guess which of the jazz festivals is the one you mention, I honestly hope you accept the gig in Portugal. It would be great catching you live around here.<BR/><BR/>And by the way: for what I know about the pro players in the country, I seriously doubt any of them would see an American (or any other foreigner) wishing to move over as a work-"snagger" threat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-17849750227191745702007-05-18T23:35:00.000-07:002007-05-18T23:35:00.000-07:00Excellent rant, Dave. Also, insightful comment by ...Excellent rant, Dave. Also, insightful comment by Mr. Anonymous. Definitely agree, students deserve a "reality check" from their teachers. The reasons for the downhill slide in paying gigs thru the decades aren't hard to find. Changes in technology, demographics, intellectual property, local entertainment and noise abatement laws, consumer demand, etc., all of these things (and more) help to scare off all but the most determined (or naive) music presenters. Live performances should NOT have to be that much of a hassle to produce. I believe one venue, Imbibe, found out recently what happens when you don't pay BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC their extortion... er, uh excuse me... I mean licensing fees. And let's not get started on the alcohol board....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-86688477619511043972007-05-18T12:02:00.000-07:002007-05-18T12:02:00.000-07:00Both cities have a ton of tweakers too.Both cities have a ton of tweakers too.David Carlos Valdezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-84939417422993230352007-05-18T11:49:00.000-07:002007-05-18T11:49:00.000-07:00Isn't Portland about the same size as Fresno? I t...Isn't Portland about the same size as Fresno? I think it should be Fresno North or Wet Fresno.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-39829511030447911662007-05-18T07:48:00.000-07:002007-05-18T07:48:00.000-07:00Mr. Anonymous here,Great post! You seem to be have...Mr. Anonymous here,<BR/><BR/>Great post! You seem to be have a talent in expressing how many of us out here feel.<BR/><BR/>To some students, they feel that the end of their problems will be when they start to play great---when in fact, it can be more like the beginning of them!<BR/><BR/>There are no easy answers, unfortunately.<BR/><BR/>Will Jazz Ed become like Creative Writing Programs, where future poets & short story writers hide out in schools forever, getting Phds & entering their derivative, over-intellectual works into various little contests, hoping for some kind of sucess, while waiting on their monthly check from Mom & Dad?<BR/><BR/>Europe?<BR/><BR/>Number one thing, great to visit & go over for a month of gigs. Nice scenery, good players, nice clubs, chicks that dig Trane, etc., <BR/>jazz-paradise, right?<BR/><BR/>HOWEVER,<BR/><BR/>They got their own players over there, that are now, pretty-darn good. Those cats are super-nice to the visiting NEW YORK player, (cuz, hey, they might want to hang w/you when they visit NYC)...<BR/><BR/>BUT<BR/><BR/>If you are there TO STAY, you now become a THREAT to their scene & potentially taking GIGS away from them, so they get chilly, very fast.<BR/><BR/>Sometimes I think jazz guys are like rats, running from ship-to-sinking-ship:)<BR/><BR/>ps>> I think the professional women are on to our sh*t, bro, the secret's out, there arent even enough gigs out here anymore, to even pretend you are "the artist" to snag 'em<BR/><BR/>'tain't easyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com