Chats with Cats
Guitarist B. D. Lenz chats with today's industry experts about career advice and approaches for today's jazz professional.
The Jazz Innovator: Jerald Miller
by B.D. Lenz
It's understood that talent alone is rarely enough to be successful in the music business. Among other things, it requires drive, relentless hard work, resilience, and a certain level of business acumen. But, in the last few decades, it's become increasingly important to be tech-savvy as well. To highlight the difference, could you imagine Miles Davis posting a selfie on Instagram or John Coltrane uploading a reaction video to YouTube? Now, consider how many artists in recent times have built ...
Continue ReadingThe Ukraine Connection: Sandy Eldred
by B.D. Lenz
It's an understatement to say that politics are very polarizing right now and one of the most heated topics is that of Ukraine. Regardless of how you feel about the war, we can all agree that it is a very difficult time for the Ukrainian people. With the conflict raging on for years, they're undoubtedly trying to find some semblance of normalcy amongst the terrifying chaos and uncertainty. With this in mind, it was enlightening to speak to ...
Continue ReadingThe Collective Organizer: Kyle Knoke
by B.D. Lenz
It's no revelation that the U.S.A. is a big country and the “fruited plains" is a vast area with “spacious skies." While that's great for agriculture and makes a pretty song it's not so good for touring musicians. The distances between venues can often deter prominent jazz musicians from traveling this region as jazz clubs aren't exactly aplenty in this space to begin with and wrangling the ones that do exist into a feasible route can be a very difficult ...
Continue ReadingThe Vinyl Collector: Chris Brown
by B.D. Lenz
When I was a kid, I would listen to records all of the time. There just weren't that many other options when it came to consuming music back then. It's interesting that, now, through all of the iterations of distributing recorded music that have come since (cassettes, CDs, MP3s, and streaming), vinyl is finding a whole new audience. In fashion, they call it the “twenty year cycle," where styles that were popular reappear decades later with a modern ...
Continue ReadingThe Jazz Kissa Owner: Danny de Zayas
by B.D. Lenz
When you read the title of this column there's a good chance you asked yourself, “what the heck is a jazz kissa?" I had never heard of them either until a recent interview I did with photographer Philip Arneill about his photo collection dedicated to the dying institution that is the jazz kissa (read that interview here: The Jazz Photographer: Philip Arneill). Japan is the birthplace of these establishments and I find it very interesting that one has now made ...
Continue ReadingThe Label Head: Nils Winther
by B.D. Lenz
Talk to anyone from around the jazz business and they'll all tell you the same thing, there is no shortage of it. There is plenty of great music being made by plenty of great musicians. In fact, the supply is probably outpacing the demand. And yet independent jazz labels are having a tough time. Do they just have the same woes plaguing labels of all genres; streaming, low royalty rates, and downloads? Yes and no. I got an ...
Continue ReadingThe Art Curator: Vincent Gérard
by B.D. Lenz
Music is an auditory experience and, yet, every genre has its own set of visual iconography that evokes the spirit and feelings of that style. With a long and rich history, jazz has its own such imagery made up of seminal album cover art, iconic portraits, and artistic interpretations of the music itself. In this Chats with Cats I spoke with Vincent Gérard who has had a long career as a creative but found his passion dealing in ...
Continue ReadingThe Archive Curator: Judith Korey
by B.D. Lenz
As jazz moves headlong into the future it becomes even more important to document its rich past. The development of this art form is a mirror to the development of the culture from which it comes and its origins provide an important insight into the current state of both. Thankfully, there are places dedicated to this preservation as well as people who have painstakingly curated and protected these institutions. As important as these collections are in preserving the ...
Continue ReadingThe Mentor: Katherine McVicker
by B.D. Lenz
Like most other industries, the music business has changed radically since the rise of the internet. Nearly every facet has been transformed from the delivery of its product, to its marketing, to the way booking and promotion is handled. Learning to navigate these developments is a challenge for folks in the business, let alone musicians who ultimately just want to make music. It's almost a necessity, now, that an artist not only be great at their art, but ...
Continue ReadingWomen in Jazz Media: Kim Cypher
by B.D. Lenz
It is rare that a jazz musician is just a jazz musician. In order to survive you almost always have to have another gig, teach, or work in some auxiliary role to your music life. A musician who exemplifies this diversification is Kim Cypher, a saxophonist/vocalist based in the UK. Besides being a musician and composer, she is also a radio host, gig promoter and a member of Women in Jazz Media, an organization dedicated to promoting women in this ...
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