Chats with Cats
Guitarist B. D. Lenz chats with today's industry experts about career advice and approaches for today's jazz professional.
Women 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 ...
read moreThe Jazz Photographer: Philip Arneill
by B.D. Lenz
I always find it fascinating when art forms collide. In this case, photography and music. Of course, each has their commonalities but they also have their differences. And, when an artist of one medium can intersect with another medium, their perspective is going to be very interesting. In this case, not only is there a crossing of art forms but also of cultures. Philip Arneill is from Northern Ireland but, through his photography, has documented a dying Japanese institution known ...
read moreThe Music Trustee: Dan Beck
by B.D. Lenz
Hunter S. Thompson once said, “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." With a reputation like that, it's easy to be cynical about this industry. But, occasionally, it does get something right and, more astonishingly, doesn't always make it widely known. Such is the case with the Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF) ...
read moreThe YouTuber: Andy Edwards
by B.D. Lenz
With the rise of the internet and social media, some new job titles have recently come into existence such as Influencer, Blogger, and YouTuber. And, just as these social media platforms inform the public's knowledge and opinions about everything else nowadays, they certainly have an effect on people's interactions with music. It's just as common now for folks to learn about music and musicians through viral videos and TikToks as it is through the traditional vehicles of the old music ...
read moreThe Jazz Entrepreneur: Charles Carlini
by B.D. Lenz
The music business is a chaotic place. Charles Carlini definitely underscores that point throughout our interview. Like many, he's worn a multitude of hats in the business. It's not uncommon to find people who do that. It seems that in order to survive in the modern jazz business, you have to be versatile and you have to be able to adapt to the ever-changing models and new technologies that come along every few years. Gone are the days when you ...
read moreThe Jazz Historian: John Edward Hasse
by B.D. Lenz
Jazz is not simply a style of music; it is also a culture. The impact of this cultural force has had many ups and downs throughout the last century but, undeniably, has been felt worldwide across all nations and all languages. With such a storied past, it's important that an account of its beginnings and those who were its pioneers be told so that those contributions are not forgotten and are always kept in proper social and historical context. It ...
read moreJazz With A Purpose: Franco Nannucci
by B.D. Lenz
Sometimes it takes someone from the outside to shake up an industry. The case could be made that Franco Nannucci is just that sort of person who could shake up the jazz business. With his background as a successful textile entrepreneur, he's somehow made his way into the music business rubbing shoulders with top musicians, producers, and executives. A self- described “Mr. Nobody," he's still been able to release albums and produce concerts that blend genres and styles that would ...
read moreThe Jazz Critic: Neil Tesser
by B.D. Lenz
For as long as there has been art and artists there have been critics to give their opinions about their work. There is even that famous joke about everyone having an opinion. But, clearly, some opinions are more informed than others and when it comes to being a competent jazz critic one needs to have a keen knowledge of music that few lay people possess as the music is often deep, abstract, and/or subtle. For this Chats with ...
read moreThe Record Store Owner: Jim Eigo
by B.D. Lenz
The last couple decades have brought a revolution in every aspect of the music-making process. Technology has transformed the creation of music, the promotion of music, and of course the distribution of music. At the very end of this delivery pipeline there has been a variety of formats that includes bulky vinyl records and clunky CDs, both of which were predicted to be dead once the immediacy and ease of streaming arrived. Curiously, while streaming is both immediate and easy, ...
read moreThe Musician / Entrepreneur: Eddie Roberts
by B.D. Lenz
Throughout my Chats with Cats columns I've tried to seek out information and advice from professionals across the jazz spectrum to give musicians, like myself, the tools to forward their own careers. This is an unprecedented time where technology has put it all out there for the taking. I discuss all of this in my Mind Your Business columns as well. In this installment I interviewed a prime example of the musician/entrepreneur. Eddie Roberts, best known as the ...
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