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Guide to Choosing a Band: Elements to Consider When Booking Jazz for an Event
by Vinson Valega
The most important element of jazz is the warm, natural sound of the acoustic instruments that comprise the ensemble. Most groups consist of either piano or guitar complemented by bass and drums (with additional horns or vocalists added when desired). The repertoire is wide-ranging and the musical language common to all Just Jazz musicians. No matter the size or make up of the group, the long heritage of our jazz vocabulary creates an elegant, smooth sound that enhances ...
read moreJazz vs. Classical Funding
by Nicholas Krolak
Throughout jazz history there has been a desire among the jazz community to see the music respected on the same level as western classical music. It is after all, jazz is America's classical music. As Dr. Billy Taylor explains, Classical music must be time-tested; it must serve as a standard or model; it must have established value; and it must be indigenous to the culture for which it speaks. Jazz meets the criteria of classical music. Because it is particularly ...
read moreJazz Ear Training: The Best Ear Training Guide For Jazz Musicians
by Freek Just Rijna
You've heard the gospel: if you want to play jazz, you need to train your ears! That might be easier said than done though. Where do you start? And if you're a bit more advanced, how do you train your ears in a way that impacts your playing? In this article, I'll explain why ear training is important and how to do it. Introduction To Jazz Ear Training Ear training, why should I even bother? There are tons ...
read moreSeven Free or Inexpensive Ways to Get Featured At All About Jazz
by Michael Ricci
All About Jazz & Jazz Near You offer a variety of promotional opportunities for music professionals. From musicians and publicists to venues, festivals and record labels, there are several ways to reach the largest network of jazz fans, jazz influencers, and industry professionals online. In this article, we list two free services and five inexpensive services to help you establish a presence at All About Jazz... a presence that will serve you for years to come. Standard Musician ...
read moreMedia and Industry Tips for the Accomplished Jazz Musician
by Kerilie McDowall
Are you releasing your next recording? Are you an independent artist? Is getting that crucial interview to further your music career on your bucket list?--A couple of key points: For reviews, interviews, or story coverage (generally speaking), print editors of magazines require a listen three months' notice BEFORE your release date. Newspapers need one month's notice (sometimes two months if it is a larger event) for story coverage. Major publications are able to jump online with publishing very ...
read moreA Professionals Guide To Live Streaming Jazz
by Robert Bullington
If you're reading this, you're likely either a performer, or own / manage a performance venue. Are you wondering how to stay connected with your audiences? Are you thinking about maximizing your reach, after all the quarantines and stay-at-home orders are lifted? Internet livestreaming could help you reach audiences who can't leave their homes now, and may help you expand your audience after the crisis begins to recede. Some important questions to ask are: How much of the ...
read moreA Guide To Live Streaming And Best Practices
by Matt Jorgensen
With COVID-19 upending our lives over the last two months, finding ways to replace lost income has become vital to many of us--not to mention connection to community and just the act of MAKING MUSIC. With jny: Seattle being an original hot spot for the coronavirus, our community had to move fast to find ways to stay connected. As a Seattle drummer and record label partner, the need to create concepts and protocols seemed urgent, so I put ...
read moreUploading Your Albums To All About Jazz: A How-To Guide
by Michael Ricci
All About Jazz, with the help of musicians, record labels and publicists, add new jazz albums to our database every day and we've added close to 168,000 albums since 2015. You can read more about the seeds of our discography project here. In this article, we'll explain how to add, update, and delete albums associated with a musician page. Our goal is to help musicians sell their music by presenting their discography and by making their ...
read moreBanner Advertising: Questions to Ask, What to Look For and Red Flags
by Michael Ricci
As a leader in the online jazz music space, and with years of hands-on experience at managing advertising sales and ad serving software, I felt it was a good time to help the many newcomers to this arena better understand how banner advertising works, and offer sound solutions and insights when making purchasing decisions. I'm going to shoot straight with you. Many of my comments below are based on conversations I've had with various advertisers over the last ...
read moreIndaba Music Women's Music Summit
by Teri Harllee King
In Texas you'll often hear someone who's being asked why they've been out of touch for a long time respond with an old saying. The conversation is this: Where've you been?" Oh, to Hell and back." Well, since my last column, my husband (guitarist Jackie King) and I have suffered the loss of our oldest son, our parents, a grandchild, and some of our closest and dearest friends, so that old saying rings especially true ...
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