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2012-01-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

Blog #96: 'Heart of Darkness' live @ Freddy's Bar and Backroom; Brooklyn

Just played a show this past Friday night with a new band of mine called 'Heart of Darkness'.(or Jon Crowley's Heart of Darkness). Pretty amazing, we rehearsed for the first time that afternoon, it was the first time even I played a few of the tunes since they were brand new, all originals of mine. Also, most of the guys in the band had even met before. Wow: Jazz is pretty amazing sometimes. We made some mistakes on the melodies, but the energy and vibe were awesome.

Jon Crowley- Trumpet

John Beaty- Alto Sax

Brad Whiteley- Keyboard

Julian Smith- Bass

George Mel- Drums

ENJOY!

You can listen or Download the show for FREE:

Here: Bandcamp.com

-JC

How things have changed

2012-01-09T18:25:00.001-08:00

Blog #95: How things have changed

This week was a big one for Jazz in New York(yes I'm still calling it Jazz). First there was an all day event sponsored by JazzTimes that was a 'Do it yourself Crash Course' in promotion and 'the industry' on Thursday, then a series of APAP workshops/panels/speakers from Friday to Monday. Add in the fact that WinterFest was going on Fri and Saturday: it was a big week for Jazz.

I attended the thurs 'DIY' event and one of the panels on Sunday, I just didn't have the time to go to 4 full days worth of panels, the trumpet needs more attention than that, but I got a lot out of what I saw. Got some ideas for new ways to get my recent album out there more and really enjoyed Michael Ricci's ideas and presentation on his website and a future one he will launch as well. Props to Michael for being someone who is working hard to find new solutions and approaches to this music world we live in, and for having the balls to publish my friend John Beaty's controversial articles.

Going back to the 'DIY Crash Course' event, I had some strong reactions to what audience members were saying. People seemed to break down into 2 camps; Those that realize the music world has changed due to all the new technology and those who think the ways which they succeeded 30 years ago will continue to work.(These ones seem to me to be shoving a square peg in a round whole).

I just wanted to take a second and talk about how much things have changed in the past 10 years(which really isn't a long time)

First, when I was in high school AIM was HUGE. 'Instant Messenger' was a program on 'America Online(AOL)' where you could chat with your friends. It was the precursor to 'Gchat' on Gmail. When I'd get home from school I'd sign on(which consisted of 'Dialing up' using the phone line) and talk to my friends. You could surf the web too, but I don't remember there being much that interested me....outside of Napster(where i pirated incredible amounts of music for free). After a while my mom would yell at me, because i was tying up the phone line and we couldn't receive phone calls while I was using the internet. I also remember fondly that crazy noise the computer made when you were dialing up.(weird buzzes and hisses)

When I got to college, my school had a network, so I could ALWAYS be signed on. I left up an 'Away Message' most of the time, but when I came back from class I'd see a message on my computer from a friend that would say 'You around? Gonna go to the Cafeteria'. You could even chat with the guy across the hall via AIM.

Somewhere in there I totally abandoned AIM(maybe everyone did), and somewhere in there Facebook crept in. People could post about what they were up to, yada yada. AND Texting seemed to appear out of no where. Texting is basically AIM on the go; because you don't need to be stuck at your computer to type. Quick communication without having to actually pick up the phone.(big fan of texting)

Itunes

Pandora

Youtube

Twitter

Spotify

The reason I mention all this is to illustrate how much things have changed and how fast its happened. Who would have seen any of these things coming? But one thing is clear, the world is different. People listen to music differently, and people buy/find out about music differently. It seemed like a lot of people I heard speak(some audience, some panel) had the attitude of: "I know how to do things, I sold tons of records back in the day". They seem to refuse to accept that their methods won't continue to work because the world is different. And there's one thing that's stopping them: their own ego. They need to accept that they don't know everything, and be open to trying new things if they are going to have any success.

Changing it up

2011-11-26T16:34:00.000-08:00

(I always have fun picking the images for these blogs)

Blog # 93: Changing it up

I think its important to keep things fresh, new and to change things up from time to time. I think as human beings we can all get into our certain patterns that we do day to day; maybe its the same breakfast or lunch, maybe its the same exercise schedule, or the same practice routine(seems like a lot of musicians get stuck playing the same stuff). It is easy to get comfortable doing the same thing and the next thing you know, you blink and maybe 10 years have passed and you're still doing the same thing! Sometimes big changes are hard, but little changes are much more manageable.

I definitely felt like I had a certain pattern to my life from when I graduated NYU in spring 2007 until 2009 and then a different pattern from then until the end of 2010. This year has been great though, I've met a lot of new people who bring a totally different energy to my life, I moved out the apartment I had been living in for 5 yrs, I've been listening to different music and playing music with a more varied group of musicians, genre-wise. I got pretty into running this year, trying to go for an hour run, 3 days a week, and I've been getting more and more into eating healthy too. I actually feel younger now than I have in years, maybe its surrounding myself with younger, hungrier people too. Its also interesting how certain friends I've gotten closer to, and others have drifted away. I guess that's just the nature of life, and I accept this.

But its never enough, there is only forward to the next thing. With 2012 just a month away, I've been thinking about what a big year 2011 has been for me. Its been a year of progress and a year of remembering. Its been a year of intense feelings too. I feel like I just woke up from a long sleep, and everything is now in bright colors(like when Dorothy wakes up in Oz). Even though a year is just an abitrary start to a new cycle, its good to have a marker. It makes it easier to remember the distinct feel of each year and I want 2012 to be the biggest yet. I'm looking forward to a rebirth and re-invention.

I'm welcoming change and I already have one thing I plan on doing different in the new year: my practice journal. Since 2002 I have kept a daily journal of my practice habits. Each day I record how long I practice, if I had a gig, or a rehearsal and even details on if my chops felt weird etc. Its been cool to see how when I started these journals I could only play 2-3 hours a day before getting tired, and since moving to New York(and studying with Laurie Frink), I've done 5-6 hours per day, every day. If the journals were started to keep myself accountable they've succeeded. I've only taken 3 days off since 2002: one when I got mono sophomore yr of college and my throat swelled shut and had to go to the emergency room, and 2 days off when I got my wisdom teeth out(I actually started back playing again too quickly and ended up getting them infected; woops!)

If the purpose of the journal was to monitor my playing and make sure I wasn't slacking, I think I've established that I'm not that guy, so I've decided I'm going to stop the journals on Jan 1st 2012. Maybe they just became a compulsive habit, but in getting busier over the last few months I've noticed that I can get hours of practice in during different times of the day and still keep my ability up, whereas for the longest time I forced myself to play 11-1pm, 4-6pm, and 8-9:30(regardless as to how I felt). I still like playing those hours, but I am more flexibly now. If a friend calls and wants to hang randomly one afternoon, I can take an afternoon off and its not the end of the world. This may not seem like a big deal, but it took me a long time to get here. I was just so tunnel vision on trumpet that I forgot about a lot of other great stuff that is out there in this world. I'm more relaxed about life now. I still want to be the best trumpeter I can be. I still want to practice insane amounts, and I'm still not going to take a day off, but I'm a human being too...and I get that now. It took me a long time.

I'm also entertaining the idea of checking out a new trumpet. I've played the same Bach 43 trumpet for the past 10 years too. I've been curious about Martin Committees for a while, but have heard horror stories about finding a good one and their intonation issues. I've heard Lawler makes a great modern version of the Committee, so i'm curious. We'll see what happens. Gotta do some more homework on the subject, but the idea of shopping for a new horn is intimidating, especially with all the leadpipe, bell, and bore variations. I don't even know where to start.

Looking forward to some big moves in 2012

The Petition

2011-11-15T19:51:00.001-08:00

Blog # 93: The Petition

So my good friend John Beaty wrote this petition to support this new movement relating to Jazz he's creating called "Stretch". John also makes some great points about the current music scene and hopes of reforming it. Here's the petition. or go to www.Mymomthingsimgreat.com

To My Fellow Jazz Musicians and Music Lovers,

I am a saxophonist living in New York City. I have lived here for the past ten years, attended and graduated from some of the best music schools in the world. I have toured and played with many of my jazz heroes including Dafnis Prieto, Jean-Michel Pilc, Chris Potter and Richard Bona, and have been a working musician on the scene. I now find myself looking at a broken, antiquated system—a system that no longer serves us and is no longer self-sustaining. The jazz system sends young hopefuls through music schools, charges them upwards of $150,000 and then spits them out into a world where it is almost impossible to obtain the most basic sustenance. We're not talking about low-level products; these are amazing and virtuosic musicians who are struggling for work. How did jazz arrive at this current state?

Until the 20th century, virtuoso classical instrumentalists were often considered the most highly regarded entertainers in the world. With the emergence of jazz, Coleman Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, and the Dorsey Brothers were immensely popular. Coupled with the advent of recorded music, musicians were able to reach larger audiences and make more money as well. They were entertainers as well as great instrumentalists. Next came Bebop in the 1940's. Unfortunately, with the increased musical complexity the American public forced these musicians to make a difficult decision: stay true to their art or water down their music for the sake of entertainment and record sales. This moment was quintessential for the evolution of Jazz; leaving the realm of strict entertainment and becoming an art form. Musicians like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were not only virtuosos, they were innovators. These two founders and the Bebop movement demanded respect. The unfortunate consequence of this decision of art over entertainment was that it often lead to fewer record sales. As hard bop, cool jazz, and later modal jazz developed there was still a small but devote audience for the music. In 1959 Colombia Records released Dave Brubeck's album 'Time Out'; an album that would go on to become one of the best-selling instrumental records of all time. However, in its first year, it sold a mere 50,000 copies. If 'Time Out' had been released today, Brubeck would have been cut and searching for a new label. Miles Davis' masterpiece 'Kind of Blue' (also recorded in 1959) was classified quadruple platinum in 2008. It took nearly 50 years, and Miles had long since passed away.

To compete with the increasing popularity of Rock music, Miles Davis and other jazz instrumentalists sought to reach wider audiences. They combined their music with rock and other popular styles. Stanley Turrentine, Wayne Shorter's Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Grover Washington Jr. and George Benson were amongst those who achieved commercial success. Then someone came along who took things even further in that direction: Kenny G arrived on the scene and released his first album in 1982. Despite the opinion of many jazz musicians, Kenny G's success actually created a new market called smooth jazz. His music became wildly popular throughout the 80’s. In fact, his Christmas album has sold more copies than any other holiday album in recorded history (outselling Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Sting and Nat King Cole). For the first time in a long time, an instrumental musician was selling millions of records. Also During the early 80's, Wynton Marsalis emerged on the scene. On his arrival, he was viewed by many as a savior of Jazz; someone that could bring the music back to the mainstream. Record labels started to change their view of jazz after Wynton's success. Due to his popularity and the "Young lions" movement heating up in the late 80's and 90's, labels tried to find the next Wynton Marsalis. By the mid 90's he had established Jazz at Lincoln Center and Jazz Education had become a staple of "The Jazz system."

This system seemed to work effortlessly. Jazz musicians were able to make more money than ever before, recording whatever music they chose. Jazz was now in the school system too, all the way up to the university level. When musicians weren't touring they could teach and generate income that way as well. The system worked great until the early 2000's, when the American economy began a slow decline. As America began unraveling financially, so did the Jazz Community. Downloading became the new way people acquired music, with less and less emphasis on physical CD sales. This eventually led to the demise of the record label as we knew it. As the economy slowed over the last 10 years, there were also fewer and fewer opportunities for new jazz musicians coming out of schools; fewer record deals, fewer gigs and fewer teaching positions.

I was a product of this failed jazz system. I studied at The New School and even graduated with a Masters Degree in Jazz from NYU in 2007. Throughout my entire schooling, I believed the propaganda I heard. I watched the "Young lions" get paid to play standards. I vehemently supported Wynton Marsalis and looked down on Kenny G as a sellout. I discredited all other forms of jazz and believed in staying true to the tradition of this music. I studied and learned everything that was asked of me by all of my teachers, but I was blind to the reality of the situation we now all find ourselves in. We overpaid for an education that feeds us into a Jazz system that has no hope of supporting all of our talent. We are the most gifted musicians in the world. We understand theory and function on a level other musicians can't even dream of. Compared to the worlds of Hip-Hop, Rock, Country, and even Classical, we have the most inspiring blend of sophistication, musicianship, and feeling. Though we once believed Wynton Marsalis' success had saved us, it really set us up for a greater failure: the position we are all now in. By recording music in every meter but 4/4 and playing songs that go on for more than 20 minutes we've created a greater distance between performer and audience than ever before. Even the current model for Jazz Clubs is flawed. By setting up performances with such steep entrance fees and food and beverage minimums, the younger audience can no longer afford to see this live music. This is absurd when you consider the fact that young musicians and students are not only the talent but the main financial source of income behind the current Jazz System. We need to find a way to get the music back to the people.

There is so much wrong with the Jazz community, Jazz clubs, and Jazz education. I offer this solution: we split away from this failed Jazz System and start a new genre. I suggest we do a mass re-branding and call the new genre “Stretch.” We can stretch music in ways no other genre has the capacity to do. "Stretch" is a form of instrumental rock/hip hop that is predominantly in 4/4 or 3/4. We have shortened the length of our songs from the 20 minute self-indulgence of Jazz to around 4-5 minutes. We think about what the listener wants to hear. We think about being entertainers again. If we can play 3,000 standards from memory, I strongly believe we can come up with a new form of music that people in their 20's can be fans of. I am not talking about selling out. Part of the jazz lie that we have been fed is this idea that we can't play music that can be both popular and artistically fulfilling. I believe we can, but we have to meet our listeners half-way.

We all are a part of a special time in American history. It is time to be an active part of the change that is happening in America. We have a chance now for a new beginning. Though we will always point to our jazz heroes as inspiration, we have to change something for the sake of our futures. We owe our predecessors respect, but we do not have to live lives of poverty to show it. Sign this petition if you are willing to join in building the "Stretch" genre. Sign this petition if you believe re-branding will save our community. Sign this petition if you believe change is needed. Sign this petition if you are tired of getting paid less than you deserve to make money for artists in other genres. Sign this petition if you believe you deserve something greater than what the Jazz System offers us. I offer this website as a starting ground. I will keep the blog up-to-date. I want to hear your suggestions too, and will post them on the blog and start forums for us to open a dialogue on the subject. I encourage you to get involved in any way you can. Felix Pastorius, Chris Ward and myself are already working to establish a record label to support this new music. Below is a list of musicians who have already joined us. Musicians I know who have the talent to be at the vanguard of the "Stretch" genre. My name is John Beaty, please join us by signing this petition.

As author of this petition, count my name as first to sign,
John Beaty

First Days in NYC

2011-11-07T17:56:00.001-08:00

Blog # 92: My first Days in NYC

For some reason I thought about my first days in New York today. I moved to the City in the fall of 2005 to attend NYU. I spent my first academic year living in a dorm on 26th street, where I shared a kitchen and bathroom with a Korean Dental student(sadly, I can't even remember his name now!)

After I moved my stuff into to the building, said goodbye to my parents and settled in, the next day I had to go down and take my placement exams. These are tests all grad students take to make sure their knowledge of Music Theory, Music History and Aural Comprehension is up to par. So, the day after I moved in I had to get down to NYU(4th Street) and take these tests, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Between the big buildings, the fast pace and the new environment, I decided it'd be best not to trust the subways(I didn't know how often they ran) and decided just walk down to 4th street. So, I walked down, took the first test, walked back to 26th street, ate lunch and then walked back down to 4th street again, took the second test and then walked back to my Apt one final time. These trips back and forth added up to about 7 miles total....all because I didn't trust the NY subway system yet and wanted to make sure I didn't miss these tests :)

Its funny to think about to my first days in New York City...

Pace

2011-11-02T17:55:00.003-07:00

Blog # 91: Pace

A few days ago I was running at the gym. I really enjoying running on a treadmill because I can control the speed, see how far I've run, make sure I'm not slacking and keep a good pace. Somedays I seem to have an easy time and somedays just ten minutes into the run I know it'll be a tough one. This alone is interesting considering I run regularly, so its not like there is a lot of downtime and slacking between runs(I go Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). Maybe it has something to do with what I eat before the run, or how much I sleep the night before, or maybe its just my emotional state. Regardless, I run at least 4 miles and don't let myself take the easy way out. Monday I was running, slowly increasing my speed and got to the point where I felt at a certain pace I could have run all day. The timing between my footsteps and my breathing was perfectly in sync. At this pace, I would never get tired.(Monday it was at 6.5 miles/hr)

This feeling surprisingly reminded me of playing on tour this summer with Red Light Growler. After playing 4 shows in a row, on the same material with the same band, I felt I had found my pace. I knew how much space I could leave, when I could increase my volume and intensity and building a solo with the band became a lot easier, almost effortless.

Strangely enough, these thoughts on 'Pace' reminded me of something UFC welter-weight champ Georges St-Pierre said in an interview once. The reporter asked him how much cardio work he did, because he never got tired in any of his fights. St-Pierre's response was that he didn't really do that much cardio work, but he just forced all of his opponents to fight his pace. Whether it was faster or slower than his rivals, it brought them out of their zone, made them uncomfortable and threw them off their game. St-Pierre said, once he finds his pace in a fight he's unstoppable.

Running, Fighting, Improvising music: I love finding the similarities between seemingly different things and I think there is a lot in common. This Idea of 'finding your pace' is an important feeling and idea I'll be thinking more about. Ideally, I'd like to be able to find my pace whenever, where ever and whatever the musical circumstances.

Charts

2011-10-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Just to give an example of what I was saying with my last entry about leadsheets vs arrangements, I included a chart from my most recent album 'At the Edge', just to show how much is written vs how much is improvised.

Standards

2011-10-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Blog # 90: Standards

I have mixed feelings about jazz standards and the tradition. I, like everyone else, listened religiously to Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Horace Silver, Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson etc. I learned standards in school, transcribed solos from my favorite performers, practiced licks in all 12 keys and absorbed the tradition. Then I started to write my own music. First composing leadsheets(melodies with chord changes) and then got more into writing out bass lines, piano figures and getting more into creating a specific texture outside of just "I'll play the melody, you playing a walking bass line, you ride the cymbal and you comp". There comes a point where, as a composer, you get bored with just writing a melody with chord changes. You want to do something more. You start thinking outside the limitations of that format. Maybe you want to combine different influences, styles and genres you like. Now once you come up with something that isn't just 'standard straight-ahead jazz' you are forced to rationalize 'your style' with the tradition and the idea of standards. Are you still going to play your new music and standards on the same gig? Will it be weird switching between styles?

I actually really love playing standards and they are an amazing tool to use when you're playing a gig with no rehearsal. They are a common language that enables you to play with people you've never even met before, but I wonder how much you can play JUST standards your whole career and develop your own identity. I know personally, I feel like my composing is very linked to my musical identity. I just don't know what the future is in playing standards forever and I feel like I want to create something different. I also don't feel like playing nothing but standards is that original. And while we're on the topic, there have been enough tribute albums made covering Coltrane or Monk's music.(Seriously, record labels, STOP WITH THE TRIBUTE ALBUMS!!) Our Jazz heros were playing their original stuff and the best tribute to our jazz hero's is to continue to compose our own new original music. I go back and forth on if I even want to play standards publicly again. But I have no answer or conclusion. These are just more things I think about...

Sound Quality

2011-10-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

Blog # 89: Sound Quality

One thing I've been thinking a lot about recently about is sound quality. I know when I was in school I would always hear "Oh my god, have you heard _____?, he has the biggest sound." or "I saw ____, last night, what a HUGE sound!".

Recently I've been thinking about this, and I'm just over the cliche of having a 'big sound'. I've come to the conclusion that I'd rather have a 'beautiful sound' than a 'big sound'. In fact, I've heard stories that Joe Henderson's sound on saxophone wasn't particularly big. He played pretty light reeds and usually hugged the mic. Towards the end of his career Chet Baker used to put the microphone all the way into the bell of his horn. And lastly, Ron carter has been documented as saying Miles Davis' sound wasn't big, but it was 'focused'. Isn't Miles the best example of how much focus, intensity and quality can overcome having a big sound? When Miles played a note, everyone would lean forward and anticipate the next one. Plus, he's arguably the greatest Jazz Musician of all time.

Anyway, I'm over it. I've been spending a lot of time just trying to get my tone the exact way i want it over the past several months and I've come to the conclusion that I'd rather have a beautiful, perfect tone than a big one. If the sound is the quality I want it, I don't care if its big, small or in between. I've been obsessing with the details of every interval, and every nuance of a note. You really can play every note an infinite number of ways. The fewer notes you play, the more you can obsess about the details of just one note.

AllAboutJazz.com Feature

2011-09-28T19:21:00.001-07:00

This week a track from my new album is featured on the AllAboutJazz.com website. You can download the track for FREE here:

AllAboutJazz.com

If you like what you hear, go buy the full album on Itunes, Amazon, or CDbaby. I've already gotten a lot of great feedback.

The Editor of AllaboutJazz had this to say:

This is the first I've heard of Jon's music, and it's an introduction I'm thrilled to make. His sound on trumpet is ethereal, like a strong gust of wind that can be felt but not seen. Wonderful tune. Should appeal to fans of Brian Blade and Taylor Haskins. Jazz from NYC.

thanks,

-JC

Playing Gigs

2011-09-20T19:43:00.001-07:00

Blog # 88: Gigs

Okay, I'd like to say something that may surprise you. I never really enjoyed playing gigs until recently. I know this may sound weird, considering I've been doing shows with various bands for about 10 years now, so let me clarify that statement: I've always enjoyed playing music, but I've always felt kind of indifferent about performing for people. It wasn't that I disliked performing. I liked it okay, but gigs were more something I felt like I should be doing, because the goal was always just 'to get better'. My goal was to become a great trumpet player and musician. Gigs were a way to play with different people that I wanted to play with. Don't let this confuse the issue though, I love music. I love practicing. I love rehearsing and hanging with the band. I really love playing music with the band(whether its on the stage or not). I live to compose. I love exploring emotional territory through improvisation. Gigs were gigs; just a measuring stick to see where I was at musically, and to see what I needed to work on more in the practice room. If there were people there who enjoyed the music; cool. If they didn't like it; who cares. If it was a light audience: whatever...I was usually more disappointed that this meant less pay.

But this has really changed over the last year. I actually really enjoying playing gigs now. I really like getting up there and trying to tap into something emotional and really actually like playing for people for the first time(maybe ever). I've had more and more interactions with audience members after we play and its been really awesome to talk to them about our music, music in general or just life. I also think having more technical ability on the instrument has freed me up too, so now I can express myself better, which makes performing more fun. I'm also performing music that I like more and playing with people that I'm closer too and this all makes gigs a lot more fun. The gig is now; the rehearsal, the performance and the after-gig hang.(I used to leave quickly after playing before). I had a great time doing a couple tours this year, and I've decided I'd like to do a lot more touring. Excited about the future and where music will take me next.

'At the Edge' Pre-Release

2011-09-06T18:17:00.001-07:00

Blog # 87: CD OUT TODAY

I just wanted to let everyone know that today my new album, 'At the Edge' come out Pre-Release on Itunes, Amazon.com(download only) and CDbaby.com(download and physical copies available). You can also buy it directly from me if you want a physical copy($15). Just email me: JonCrowleyMusic@gmail.com By the end of the month the album will be available on Amazon.com(physical copies) and everywhere else wide-release.

Really excited to share this music with you. It has some amazing NYC musicians on it. Jeremy Udden is on Alto Sax. He has a few albums out on FreshSound and SunnySide, I love his playing, always melodic and tasteful. He's a real improvisor. Ziv Ravitz is on Drums, he plays with everyone and has been touring with Lee Konitz for the past 5 years. Julian Pollack is on Rhodes and Piano, he's someone you'll be hearing about very soon. Julian Smith is on bass. This guy has the thickest, real bass sound. Great player.

The record combines elements of classical minimalism, Indie Rock and Jazz. All originals by me. My favorite part of the record is how all the tracks flow into each other without space between, so its like one long piece of music. I really tried to make a concept album with a distinct vibe to it, not just another jazz record. I think I pulled it off.

Itunes

Buy it Here on CDbaby

Buy it here on Amazon

Check it out!

Thanks

-Jon

I'll write a little more about the music of 'At the Edge' in my next entry.

RLG Tour pt 2

2011-08-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

The band shares a laugh as we set up @ The Garage, Charlottesville

Blog # 86: RLG TOUR PT 2

Friday morning we woke up and found out that our gig in DC at Gin and Tonic had been cancelled. Apparently they had to do some 'emergency renovations'. This meant we had saturday off. We had a quick breakfast and drove to Charlottesville, VA; hometown of our singer Katie Vogel. This drive took a while cause we hit some serious traffic around Baltimore and DC. I did all the driving for the tour, with Deric sitting shotgun and Katie, Noah and Ross sitting nice and close in the back seat. It was amazing that we fit 5 people, plus gear in my Jeep Liberty. I still think there was some magic involved in squeezing all that stuff in. We ended up arriving at 'The Garage'(Charlottesville VA) just 30 min before we were set to play. A quick set up, 15 min trumpet warmup and a CVS 'Redbull' energy drink run and I was ready to play the gig.

This was the one I was most worried about for the tour. 'The garage' is that; a one car garage turned into a performance stage, with a hill across the street where people passing by can sit and check out some music. I thought that it would be a glorified street performance, but that wasn't the case. A lot of people turned up and seemed to really like our music. I even sold 7 CD's there. One funny moment happened when someone wanted to buy a CD between songs during the performance. I sold one this way, and when more people approached I had to tell them to wait til we finished playing. I felt the music was received well and that 'The Garage' was an awesome venue. We even did pretty well with the 'tip jar' that was passed around. I hope to play there again next time I come through Charlottesville. Afterwards the band and Katie's sister Brittany hung out and had some beer and pizza. Then we headed back to Katie's mom's apt to crash.

Saturday we had the day off since our DC gig had been cancelled. We got a big breakfast from Katie's favorite Charlottesville spot(ate some serious biscuits and gravy). Then we went to the vinyard where Brittany works and had a wine tasting. I wish I could have had more, but I was still doing all the driving. Next we headed further out of charlottesville to 'the swimming-hole', to hang out and swim. It was nice to do a little hiking on a trail before arriving at the actual swimming-hole, which was a pool of water surrounded by rocks. I really like being out in nature and feel like it clears my mind and relaxes me. Everyone was having a good time swinging on a rope swing into the water while I snuck off into the woods to practice a little bit. As I snuck away I took a bad step barefoot and broke my third toe, it later turned completely black and hurt pretty bad. When we finished at the Swimming hole, we hiked back to the car and drove back to Charlottesville to get dinner and a beer, by this point I was starting to really have trouble walking: my toe was throbbing. After dinner we went back to Katie's mom's apt, had some more drinks and hung out. Brittany was nice enough to put ice on my mangled foot and take care of me.

Sunday we got up, got a quick breakfast to-go and drove to Baltimore. We arrived at 'Birkfest'; a house-show of many musicians each playing hour sets of music. Heard some great avant-garde stuff, snuck away to get some food and then played 10 minutes in my car before it was time for our band to play. I was finding the toughest thing about touring was practicing. Trumpet definitely requires some daily maintenance, and I was hard to sneak off and get a few hours in when everyone in the band wanted to hang and do stuff.

'Birkfest' was in Ross' friend's house and it was H-O-T. Probably the hottest place I've ever played. I was SO close to just taking my shirt off and playing shirtless for our set because it was so hot. I liked the space though and thought the whole things was a cool idea. After we played, we had to jet, because I promised Katie I'd get her back to NYC at a decent hour because she had work Monday morning. Thanks impart to my 'motivated' driving, we got back to NYC not too late. I couldn't find parking near my new neighborhood so I parked far away and took a subway to my apt, arriving home around 2:00am. Sleeping wasn't a problem that night.

I had a really great time on tour. I am really good friends with everyone in the band, but in spending 24 hours a day with them I got to know them even more and in different ways. For example I found out Ross is even goofier than I thought and loves to sing constantly. Noah really loves traveling and checking out everything in each town we visit. It was a lot of fun grossing out Katie in the car with our inappropriate talks and Deric makes sure we're organized and together, plus he's also super funny. Anyway, it was a blast, and I hope to take 'Red Light Growler' on the road again soon. Thanks to everyone that came out and saw us play.

RLG Tour pt 1

2011-08-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

From our Gig @ Milkboy, Ardmore PA
Sleeping arrangements in Malvern, PA

Blog # 85: Red Light Growler Tour pt 1

Got back late last night from our first tour with Red Light Growler. It was a lot of fun playin', hangin' and meetin' new people. I'll give a quick recap:

First off, before we even left, the band finished a rehearsal tuesday night and I headed home. Being slightly paranoid by nature, I made sure I walked by my car before I went in my apartment. Unfortunately my car wasn't there and I came to the quick realization that it had been towed because I'd parked in a 'no standing' area. (I had naively thought "no standing" meant "no loitering" because I'd never seen a sign like that, I had just moved to this new neighborhood). I headed to the brooklyn navel yard to get it back. I was there for 3 hours and almost didn't get my car back because the insurance card in my glove compartment was out of state(PA) and expired. I spent a few hours on the phone with my the insurance co. and my parents and was eventually able to get them to fax an updated insurance card to the Brooklyn Police. Getting my car back just hours before we headed out for the tour. (and spending $340 in the process). I Didn't sleep so great that night because I was pretty wound up from the ordeal.

Wednesday I woke up, practiced and then met up with Katie(voice) and Ross(keyboard) and drove down to my parents house in the suburbs of philly. We met Deric(drums) and Noah(bass) there, ditched some of our stuff and headed to Milkboy Coffeehouse in Ardmore PA. Upon arriving I was pretty nervous. The place looked totally empty and I was thinking we were going to have an lame first gig playing to an empty room. But 5 minutes before the first band started playing a ton of super young looking college kids(or at least they said they were in college) showed up. We later found out they were there to see the band that opened for us. I wasn't really into the band that opened for us, but there were young and hopefully if they keep at it and get better. They were a jam band and played 30 minute songs: not really my thing. Even though we were on the schedule as playing at 8 pm, they put us on at 10:00(pretty late to start on a Wednesday night). This is standard Bullshit you put up with when going on tour. I thought my band, Red Light Growler, played pretty well and musically I was happy with the gig. I also talked to some people after the gig that seemed to like the music and I sold a few CD's. We headed back to my parents house, had a few beers and talked until 3am.

Thurs the band chilled at my parents house. I practiced up in my room. We swam in the pool and got cheese-steakes for everyone(they wanted some real philly cuisine). Afterwards we headed to Philly to play at Chris' Jazz Cafe. I play at Chris' every 3-4 months, so I was looking forward to doing this gig, however upon arriving found out that Chris' Air conditioner had broken several months before and they just had a series of portable AC units and fans. I think this hurt our turn-out a bit. Usual there is some sort of build in audience at Chris', which is great to win over new fans, but our audience was a bit small this time(probably only 20 or so people). I was really happy to see my boss/friend there as well as grandparents who came out too. This gig felt a little random, because we played a few jazz standards with Katie singing lyrics along side Red Light Growler tunes(which are more rock songs). We didn't have enough 'Red Light Growler' music for a 3 hour gig so we threw in a few other songs. Genre switching felt a little weird, but I think it worked.

NEXT PT 2....

Red Light Growler Tour Schedule (REVISED)

2011-07-31T10:42:00.000-07:00

Blog # 84: Red Light Growler August Tour

My band Red Light Growler is hittin' the road in August! A nice little week tour, hopefully coming to a city near you. Here's the schedule. Check the websites for accurate show times and prices, hope to see you soon...

Weds Aug 17th: Milkboy Coffeehouse, Ardmore PA 8pm

www.milkboycoffee.com

2 East Lancaster Ave

Ardmore PA 19003

Thurs Aug 18th: Chris' Jazz Cafe, Philly PA 7-10pm

www.ChrisJazzCafe.com

1421 Sansom St

Philadelphia PA 19102

Fri Aug 19th: The Garage, Charlottesville, VA

www.thegarage-cville.com

250 1st St N

Charlottesville, VA 22902

Sat Aug 20th: Gin and Tonic, DC

www.ginandtonictavern.com

2408 Wisconsin Ave NW

Washington DC 20007

Sun Aug 21st: Baltimore House Show (afternoon show)

3030 Abell ave

Baltimore MD 21218

On the Porch

2011-07-26T16:09:00.001-07:00

Blog # 83: On the Porch

I am sitting on the porch of my parents house in the suburbs of Philadelphia, though it could be the suburbs of any town. I am dwarfed by trees on all sides. The sun set hours ago, and it is raining. The storm has knocked out the power to the neighborhood. I've found a seat alone on a bench on the front porch. The light from my laptop screen is the only light I can see from where i'm at, with the exception of the very dim sky backlite against the trees. I hear only rain spattering on leaves and a few angry crickets. The mosquitos seem to want to make friends with my computer screen. In the morning I'm sure I will have inchy bumps on my ankles and feet. I don't care.

I can't help but think about all the events and circumstances that have brought me here. All of them meaningful and pointless. I have been staying at my parents house for this entire month of July, working a camp job I've done for years. It is the only steady job I've worked consistantly and it feels like I'm doing something good in giving the kids a fun 5 weeks. Giving them someone who will listen to them. I like to think I can make their lives just a little better, but that's probably not true. My boss is now my friend and my desire to help him with the camp is an equal motivation, though this year will most likely be my last. In a few years the kids will forget me and the small lessons I've tried to teach them. It is okay; that's what happens. None of it matters and that's okay. Though, when I look back and think about when I was 6 years old at this same camp, it mattered to me. People treating each other well feels like the only thing that is important now.

Upstairs in the darkened power-less house sit 6 boxes of my new CD. Months of work. Time. Money that will never be made back. Few people will ever hear this recording, but I think it is good. I value this music and that is enough. It doesn't matter at all, and it feels like the most important thing I've ever done. It is weird to care and believe in something that no one else feels the same about. It makes you alone, different and separate in the universe.

In two weeks I will be back in New York City. I'll start working on making the new CD available on itunes, amazon, CD baby etc. It is called 'At the Edge' and I am very proud of it. I will be booking shows and back to my New York life. Trying to get anyone who will listen to hear this new music. There will be a moment when I'm sitting alone in my apartment on another rainy night, thinking back to this night on the porch. How I got here. Questioning the meaning of everything. The people that I've lost touch with. How many choices and decisions lead to this version of my life and all the other different versions that could have been. Lives I could have had. This is the one I have though. It is mine, it is as good as the next. No better or worse.

Mastered

2011-06-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Blog #83: Mastered

So, we did it. Finished the mixing touch-ups and mastering yesterday. The CD sounds beautiful. Mike Marciano did an awesome job mixing and mastering. I finally got the track lengths and emailed them to my artist Julio. He'll add those the the CD design, I'll listen over the the master a few (hundred) times just to be sure there are no mistakes or imperfections and then we ship it off to get printed up.

I felt a lot more involved this time around for some reason, even though it was pretty much the same process. I guess I just have a deeper understanding of the different parts that go into making a CD. I also know more what can be done in the studio, and that changed my writing process a bit. Mixing is okay, but I like mastering. In mastering you get to actually make the CD and put the tracks together, including how much space is between them. On this record I wrote the music so each track would flow into the next, this made the mastering process really fun. There is no space between tracks. I finally got to hear the concept I came up with months and months ago come to life. This album sounds like one long, flowing piece of music, not just a bunch of tracks. This is the way this music would ideally be performed, but with minimal rehearsal time, and not of lot of gigs in a row, its hard to get a band to play the music like that live. Once I send the CD off to get printed up, I pretty much wait, and then the next part will be promoting, getting reviews, and setting up some shows with this band.

AND writing new music for some new projects, this is what I'm really excited about. Its always about the next project.

Mixed

2011-06-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

Blog # 82: Mixed

Friday I went back to Systems 2 studios and worked with Mike Marciano on the mixing for my upcoming album. It was a long day: 11-7pm. Mike is a magician with this kinda stuff, and I'm just there to give the thumbs up or thumbs down on what he does. Mixing is not my favorite part in the process of recording and releasing a CD, in fact, it may be my least favorite part. Listening to any one album for 8 hours straight is pretty tough(though Mike seems to love it), I get sick of hearing the same solos over and over again(even if I really love them). Its such a detailed process, Mike goes through and adjusts everything down to the detailed nuances of the bass drum or snare sound to get them just right. I have trouble hearing the differences when these things are isolated, but when I hear a full finished CD and it isn't mixed right, it can be VERY distracting. A poorly mixed album can really take you out of the moment and enjoyment of the music.

Now I've been back at my apartment listening to the mixes over and over, seeing if there is any last minute tweaks or changes that need to be done before mastering. I've made a couple notes and on Tuesday I go back to the studio to finish mixing and hopefully do(and finish) the mastering too. I'm going to be going out of town for a month, so I was hoping to finish all of this and mail it off to get the CD's printed while I was gone. If I'm able to finish everything tuesday, I could have the CD's printed and in hand as early as August 1st, however, if we don't finish, the date will probably be more like October 1st.

Trying not to rush things, but I got my fingers crossed that we can pull it all off tuesday.

Other than that, I'm looking forward to getting out of NYC for a while. Its funny, whenever I'm in New York, I can't wait to get away, then whenever I leave, I get bored quickly and can't wait to get back. I gotta figure out how i can change this feeling. My band Red Light Growler is still in the process of booking our short tour for August. Its proven surprisingly difficult. Our band doesn't really fall into specific genre's cleanly. Its kind of a rock band, and has a singer, but no lyrics, but then it has trumpet solos, but its not really jazz. This all makes it tough to book. We've got a few dates so far, trying to get a solid week of 8 gigs locked in. Lastly, my lease runs out on Sept 1st and I'll be moving. I'm really looking forward to a fresh start. I'm going to get my own place. The past few months have been a bit difficult with the schedules of my other two roommates. I like to write music everyday and have a piano in the living room which I use, but because of our schedules, I haven't been able to use it, so I haven't been writing as much, which is frustrating. In my next place, I'll be living alone. I can see myself being really productive. I can't wait~

Going Against what you know

2011-06-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

Blog # 81: Going against what you know

Last night I played up in Harlem at Shrine. It has a mixed reputation amongst musicians, I think mainly because its a 'tips only' gig. Shrine has lots of different styles of music booked in hour slots all night, every day. I actually think this is a great idea because people are exposed to music they wouldn't normally go see. There also seems to be some sort of built in crowd of people that just come hang, enjoy a drink etc. So, I actually enjoy playing there. I usually go in with a band that is unrehearsed(or has never played together) and just try to hit as hard as possible for our hour slot(no need to pace yourself when you know its just an hour). Its a certain music experience and can be a lot of fun. Low(to no) pressure environment.

This gig I went into with a real goal in mind. I wanted to play differently. I know that's kind of vague, but what I mean is that I wanted to do things that I wouldn't normally do. I really wanted to be unpredictable and I wanted to play not like me. The anti-Crowley.

Back up to the week before, I was house-sitting for my parents for 7 days while there were out of town. They have a nice house in the suburbs, and there wasn't much to do but practice and take care of the animals. Just a lot of time to think. I tend to just take a song and practice one all day, trying to come up with different ways to approach it, different soloing ideas. I was working on 'Freight-Trane' one day(a blues for Alice type tune in Ab). I guess I was having an uninspired day and just felt like everything I was playing I'd played before at some point. I don't know about other musicians, but somethings I just don't know what to play. After working on the tune for 4 hours or so I started to really think about my note options. Granted on any given chord you've got 7 diatonic notes, and 5 that are 'outside'. I started really spending time trying to figure out what those 5 notes were and how they related to any given chord. So for a major chord those notes are, b9, minor 3rd, #11, b6, and b7. Each of this pitches has a feel, direction(pull towards a chord tone) etc over that chord. #11 is the most obvious and consonant, b9 has a certain pull towards the root etc. (I wasn't trying to rationalize them as a tritone sub or anything like that, purely as stand-alone pitches).

I've never been a licks/patterns player(something I pride myself on), never got into playing ideas in all 12 keys(or songs for that matter, sorry teachers!!), but there are still approaches that have, things that are in my DNA as to where I like to phrase, where I usually end ideas within a bar etc. And I wanted to go against that. All this was just an attempt to find something different. New. Something I wouldn't normally play. I had a week to think about this gig coming up and was committed to fighting my normal impulses. If I felt like I should play here, stop and play in a different place. If I felt like I should play this phrase, play the opposite. I was committed to change, even if it meant sounding like shit.

Anyway, the gig was fun, short and sweet, and I felt like I accomplished my goal to a degree. Its pretty hard to just change your style in a week or one gig. But I had moments where I felt myself caught up in the music and I pulled myself out, to fight my natural urges/tendencies. It was a good experiment, and I'm going to keep trying it, looking for new approaches, questioning every note or phrase, striving to find something new. That's what its always been about for me since day 1, and that's what its still about. Growth and progress.

Update and 'Lonely Crow Records'

2011-06-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

First Draft for the actual CD

Blog 80: Update and 'Lonely Crow Records'

Sorry its been a while, but here's the update. Finally scheduled two days to do all the mixing and mastering with systems 2 studios. I'll be heading in June 24th and 28th. I've got 8 hours scheduled both days, so I'm hoping to bang it all out. I've also been emailing back and forth with my graphic designer Julio Jimenez. He worked on my first album. I love working with this guy, he always does a bunch of variations for me to choose from and I pick and choose what I like. I tend to do the same thing when I write songs, write a few versions and then pick one. We're refining the concept, but everything is looking good. If all goes as planned I'll send the art and the final recording off to Discmakers to be printed up July 1st.(and 4-5 weeks later I'll have the record in hand).

Lastly, I've decided to start my own record label: 'Lonely Crow Records'. I plan on releasing all my future projects on my own label and the upcoming album 'At the Edge' will be the first release. I'm hoping to have it out by Sept 1st at the latest. Looking forward to getting more into promoting and distributing the album, making contacts and this new frontier. If it goes well, maybe I'll even try to release other people's projects that I like. The decision to start my own label came after hearing how shitty the distribution deals are currently within the jazz world. I'm not sure if anyone knows this, and I'll probably burn some bridges saying this, but most of the jazz labels offer a deal that is: You pay out of pocket for your recording, and all the musicians, then they give you $800-$1000 bucks for the music, they own your music and they give you back 200 CD's for you to sell at your live shows. Just to give you some perspective the best jazz recording studios charge between $175 and $200 per hour to record. So add up two days of recording, plus paying the band...you're several thousand dollars in the hole, before even mixing or mastering. Most recordings cost between $6000-10,000. At least with self-releasing you have the chance of earning your money back.

I'd also like to explore cheaper ways of recording, because I'd like to record more often, and document some of the different projects and ideas I've been working on. We'll see...

Progress

2011-06-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Blog 79: Progress

I've been working on the Album a lot since my last entry. Listened to all the tracks a billions times, decided what tunes needed splices and figured out a track order for the CD. I went into the studio Friday and finished all the splicing and edits. Pretty painless and a lot easier than my last album. Now I'm just waiting to hear back from the studio as to when they have some time open for me to come in and work with them on the mixing and mastering. I'll be out of town in July so I'm trying to take care of all this before I leave.

I just emailed my graphic designer(the one that did my last album) with some ideas as to what I want this one to look like. So I'm getting that ball rollin' too. I also took care of all my publishing with ASCAP today. Probably my least favorite part of the process, but good to get it out of the way. Its just a lot of filling out of forms and usually involves me calling the help-line because I can't find my 'user ID #' or 'registration #' or I'm confused about which is which. I think they make it so complicated just to dissuade people from doing it often.

Discmakers(the guys that print up the actual CDs) usually takes about a month to duplicate them so the new record could be available as early as late August(most likely September though). I'm excited about this record, it is just a much more mature musical statement than my last one and I can't wait to get it out there for people to listen to. It is not your typical jazz record, which I'm happy about. It is going to be called: 'At the Edge'. I will explain this title more later.

Album Sneak Peek

2011-05-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

So I decided to put a link up on my bandcamp site with some samples of the recording I did last month. I'm hoping to get this album out by October/November.

http://joncrowleymusic.bandcamp.com/album/album-sneak-peek

Enjoy the preview,

-Jon

Reconnecting and Living Forever

2011-05-09T14:11:00.001-07:00

There is a beautiful video on Youtube of Billie Holiday and Lester Young. The story behind the clip is that they were very close but had some sort of falling out and hadn't talked in years. They were filming a show about jazz and brought them together. Watching Billie's face as she hears Lester solo is ...more than I can explain in words. Check it out.

Blog # 78: Reconnecting and Living Forever

Have you ever run into a friend who you haven't seen in a while, you talk to them and then your mind is flooded with all the memories of your time together, the gut feeling of your friendship and history together and it's like no time has past and you're completely connected again? You remember who they are in a deep way.

I get a similar feeling through music that I find to be really beautiful. When I hear someone I know play or play with a friend who I haven't played with in a long time, I have a sensation of remembering our history together. It kind of a warm nostalgic feeling. A few weeks ago after recording I went to see my friends Ross and Katie play with their bands at Nublu in the Lower East Side. I hadn't seen them in a few weeks and I didn't get to talk to them much before their sets but hearing them play just made me remember our friendship and remember all the details of who they are and what I like about them. In a way, its almost better than catching up in words. The feeling of someone is stronger than the words you use to describe them.

Similarly, I was listening to a recording of my old teacher Charles Fambrough recently. Charles passed away on New Year's day, but listening to the recording just gave me this whole feeling of who he was again. When someone is recorded, its almost like they live forever in a way. When you hear someone talk or play music, its a captured moment in time of their thought process. Hearing Charles playing just made me remember our friendship and the feeling of who he was as a person. It was a beautiful feeling of being re-connected, even though I won't be able to talk to him again.

The Band

2011-05-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

A 'Rubber' Band.

Blog # 77: The Band

I thought I'd take a second and and talk about the band that is on the album we just recorded and how I came to play with all of them.

First there is Jeremy Udden on alto sax. I remember when I first moved to new york in 2005, I was in an ensemble at NYU and was asking the sax player in the group who he listened to and who he liked on saxophone who was playing around nyc. He said he didn't listen to any sax players any more, with the one exception of Jeremy Udden. I kinda stored the name in the back of my mind. I remember I was at a party a few years later and a friend of mine had mentioned that he'd just seen a show of his former teacher that was great. Jeremy Udden. So I finally went online and ordered his CD 'Plainville', which ended up being one of my favorite CD's I bought that year. It's a great record, with a definite vibe to it, and Jeremy has a beautiful sound. He's so direct and there is no pretension or chop flexing. Its all music. Listening to that CD, I thought his playing style would fit with the music I was writing at the time, which became this record. So I just went out on a limb, sent him a message on facebook and asked him if he wanted to play a session sometime(having this record date in the back of my mind). We played the tunes, he sounded great and fit the music really well, so I asked him if he would do the record. He played beautifully and it worked out great. Hopefully there's a lot more playing for us in the future.

Julian Pollack is playing rhodes and piano on the album. I've known him for the longest of all these musicians. I met him through my friend Peter Schwebs(who played bass on my first album). There is also an NYU connection there. We've done a lot of sessions, and some gigs around town and in Philly and DC. Julian is a very exciting soloist and a funny guy to be around. He is also a prodigy and blows me away with his technique. Thinking back to my NYU days I remember hearing that the grad piano players were terrified of 'some young freshman piano player'. I found out a while later that was Julian Pollack.

Julian Smith is on bass. I think we met on a house session of a mutual friend, but its hard to remember. We've played around town a bit and done a lot of gigs up at Shrine. My favorite thing about Julian Smith is his sound. He makes the bass sound like it should, and is a REAL bass player. I know a lot of other guys around new york who play very flashy, but have thin sounds. Julian Smith isn't that kinda guy. He's so solid that I always feel comfortable playing with him. Besides being great to play with, Julian is a super nice guy that I dig hanging with. He makes everyone feel comfortable around him, which really helps the music. I was really glad to have him on the record.

Lastly is Ziv Ravitz on drums. I think I first heard Ziv playing with my friend Aki Ishiguro at Solo Kitchen Bar, a local brooklyn hang. I remember liking the way he played and thinking that I wanted to play with him at some point. Months later I was scheduled to do a gig at Fat Cat in the village and the drummer had to cancel last minute. I was talking with Nick Anderson(who was on tour) asking him which drummers he thought would fit my music best(I wanted to play with some new people). He recommended Ziv and gave me his number. When we played the gig I heard something in his playing that made me think he'd fit the new music I'd been writing perfectly. Ziv was the first person I asked to do the record. He played some amazing stuff, especially on the track 'Find Me'. You'll see what I'm talking about when you hear the record.

Recording Album #2

2011-04-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

The unassuming entrance to one of the best recording studios in the world: Systems 2

Blog # 76: Recording Album #2

So I'm relaxing in my room, recovering from the past two days. Super tired. We did 95% of the material on the first day, and played pretty much 11:30-6:00. The original plan was to play the 6 longer songs on the first day and then to do the shorter pieces, intros and connecting material the second day. I knew Ziv, the drummer, had to leave early the second day, so he was really pushing to finish everything the first day so he could drive to Boston the next day for a gig and not worry about being late. This kinda gave me a little more of a sense of 'urgency' about the recording. So I ended up saying 'fuck it, lets just see how much we can get done' and pushed through any 'chop' fatigue with musicality(!)

After going home and listening to the stuff I decided that we weren't going to do any more full takes the second day(everything sounded pretty good). We ended up just cleaning up melodies, did a few intros(one with bass and trumpet) and a piano and trumpet duet. I almost didn't play this piece at the last second because I thought we might not end up using it, but was VERY glad we did it. It turned out to be one of my favorite things we recorded and will most likely be the last tune on the CD. I also did a piece with 4 overdubbed trumpets and piano that sounds pretty cool.

Lastly I'll say that everyone was super cool to work with and played really well together. We had only played together as a band once the sunday before we recorded, but the band came together great. Also, big 'thanks' to everyone at Systems 2: my favorite recording studio. They make it so easy to record and everything always sounds beautiful (There are always, 'I played that? wow!' moments)

Listening to how great these songs sound, I really think I have to try to book some gigs with this band and get this music out there more. Its a shame jazz clubs won't book me because I don't have a big name(or really any name!). Because this music sounds great.

The Night before Recording

2011-04-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

Blog #75: The Night Before Recording

Its been about 2 years since I recorded my first album(jan '09), I can't help but think about how much has changed since then and what is the same. My whole approach to the first record was to be comfortable. I brought a band into the studio that had played the material a bunch. We'd had gigs off and on for about 2 years before we did that album and all those musicians were close friends. This made for a pretty relaxed atmosphere during recording. I am the type of person that likes to have decisions made and know what's going on and with the first record, it was all planned out. I was comfortable with my level of preparation.

Now going into the second record, which I will record tomorrow, I can't help but think its the opposite to that. We did one rehearsal on sunday and will record the album tomorrow. I emailed the musicians the charts, but we were all pretty much sight-reading them at the rehearsal. Even I was sight-reading my tunes, because I wrote them on piano and had barely played over them due to being busy this month with gigs. On top of all that, I've been repairing my chops for the past few days, I really messed them up during all those gigs and was getting a little distortion in the middle register(not enough for anyone to notice but me). I went to Laurie Frink, my trumpet teacher from my NYU days and she gave me some drills to do to bring them back into focus. I've been doing this stuff for the past few days, focusing on chromatic scales and low F#'s. But as a result, I haven't been able to really practice my own music for the record, SO for all intensive purposes, I will be feeling my way through and playing the music for the first time tomorrow too. I'm sure this will be fine, I just hope I've done enough to have my sound clear for tomorrow, and for my endurance to hold up for the 7 hours of recording. I feel good about my chances though. Tomorrow is also going to be interesting because I don't know a few of the musicians I'm using very well AND I added a song last minute that I just wrote. So for this record, I really put off making the decisions(I didn't even know who was going to play on it until 3 weeks ago). There are still a few songs I'm not sure if I'll play muted trumpet or flugelhorn on...I'll feel it out tomorrow, I guess.

I believe growth comes from putting yourself outside your comfort zone and for me 'not knowing' or 'putting off decisions' is something that doesn't come naturally to me...but I'm getting comfortable with that now too. Not having decisions made can be tough, especially when everyone is looking to you for answers, but we(the band) are just going to have to figure it out tomorrow as we go along.

Its 2 years later, I'm ready to roll the dice. Let's see what we get tomorrow...

Gigs Gigs Gigs

2011-04-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

Blog #74: Gigs Gigs Gigs

This week was the last of my 'busy gig' run. Monday I played with my band 'Red Light Growler' at Bar 4 in brooklyn. My chops were still bit tender from the weekend gigs with 'Morning Musuko', but I thought RLG played well and was really happy with the turnout. Great, enthusiastic crowd and our music was well received. At our last gig someone at the show told us they loved our band, but that we were super awkward on stage and had 'zero stage presence'. Strangely enough, I always liked the fact that I didn't talk much to the audience, so at the Bar 4 gig, I actually talked a bit, announced songs, made a few jokes. In all my time playing music, this was the first time i really tried to talk to the audience. It wasn't that bad; maybe I'll do more of it in the future(though ideally I'd have someone else do it).

Last night I played at Chris' Jazz Cafe in philly. It was a group with trumpet, tenor sax, organ and drums. We played standards all night. I can't remember the last time I did a gig of all standards, so that was cool and I was leading the gig, so we only played ones I like :) One of the guys in the band actually got someone to sub on his teaching gig so he could come down and play with us(knowing he'd make less money on the gig than teaching). I thought that was beautiful, and is a good reminder why we all do what we do. Also I've felt recently like I'm really making progress in my playing and could really feel it on this gig. One thing I've been thinking about a lot is playing small phrases that can stand on their own. Just focusing on making one perfect idea. Using more space too. I just really want to play something that means something and I've been definitely feeling a pull towards simplicity and directness.

Today I'm really paying for it chops-wise. I've done a lot of gigs and rehearsals in the past few weeks, playing loud, high, and with little to no warm-up. My chops are feelin' pretty beat up and my tone is a bit distorted. I have from now until Wednesday to get it back together, because that's when my recording is and I really have to sound good on that(obviously). Luckily I've got the next few days free. Heading to see my trumpet teacher Laurie Frink tomorrow...

Touring with Morning Musuko

2011-04-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some Photos Chris Ward took at the show in Philly

Blog #73: Mini-Tour

Just got back from a mini-tour with 'Morning Musuko'(a big band that plays Japanese pop songs). I've done some small tours in the past, mostly leading my own groups, but this was the first I've done with a large ensemble. I had a good time, it was fun hanging with some friends, meeting some new ones and playing some shows. Its funny, touring ends up being 95% travel and 5% actual playing. We did a 1 hour 15 min set in Philly and 45 min set in DC at the Cherry Blossom Festival but were gone for basically 2 days. There wasn't much down time outside of driving and I didn't get to practice other than warming up before the performances. That was a bit weird for me, in the past when I've lead groups I've had times set up where I know I'll be able to do my exercises to keep my chops together, but even without that, I felt good chops-wise during this tour. Shout-out to Miki Hirose and Taku Kuroda: two bad-ass japanese trumpet players.

One thing I thought was interesting was the music that we listened to while we drove around. I wasn't in charge of the stereo so I just listened to whatever they put on(and I'm not one to complain). We listened to a lot of Phil Collins, some Michael Jackson and other 80's pop stuff. This got me thinking about how pop music is mostly in major keys and is generally pretty happy and up-beat. After a while I was just dying to listen to something a little deeper, darker and melancholy. Elliott Smith to the rescue via my ipod. I guess I just really love darker music and the 'real-ness' of it. I don't really understand 'good-time party music'. We all gotta find what speaks to us.

Back to the tour, it actually was pretty nice to drive around and talk with people in the van(the band had 2 vans, each with 8 people). I was lucky enough to be with my friend John Beaty(alto from my first record). Besides the band, we also had 2 girlfriends, an artist and a film maker(Morgan) taking video footage for a documentary. I thought he was a pretty cool guy. I am usually the one off to the side doing his own thing, but ended up talking for a lot of these drives after getting pulled into conversations. It was nice, but now that I'm back, I'm in serious need of some alone time(which is usually the hard part I have while touring).

Anyway, it was nice getting out of the city, playing some music and meeting some new people. I hope everyone enjoyed the shows. Tonight I'm playing a show in Brooklyn with 'Red Light Growler' and then back to Philly Wednesday playing at Chris' Jazz Cafe with a quartet group led by me. Should be fun.

April Schedule

2011-03-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

Blog # 72: April

I have been slacking with my blog this past month. Lots of rehearsals and scheduling. I've been gearing up for what is going to be the busiest month I've had in a while. It is so busy, I've warned my close friends that I'm going to be MIA and that they should consider me 'gone' until May. Here is my itinerary, for those that are around and want to see me perform. I have some dates with Joe and John Beaty's big band 'Morning Musuko', this band plays jazz covers of Japanese Pop songs. Recording with my friend Deric Dickens: he's doing an album of duo performances, other people on that album include Matt Wilson, Jeff Lederer, Jeremy Udden, Kirk Knuffke and Ben Cohen. I'm also playing with my band 'Red Light Growler' in Brooklyn, this group plays a mix of Post-rock-indie-rock-jazz. Then in Philly with a jazz quartet led by me; playing mostly standards and then finally the last week of April, recording my album in Brooklyn with Jeremy Udden-Alto Sax, Julian Pollack-Rhodes, Julian Smith- Bass, Ziv Ravtiz-drums. I'm fired up to do this record, it's going to be great. I also have a lot of rehearsals and whatnot filling out this busy schedule. April: Let's do this :)

April 7th and 8th: Recording Deric Dicken's Album

April 8th: w/ "Morning Musuko", Philly, @ Mausoleum of Contemporary Art

April 9th: w/ "Morning Musuko", DC @ Cherry Blossom Festival

April 11th: w/ Red Light Growler @ Bar 4 Brooklyn

April 13th: w/ Jon Crowley Quartet, Philly @ Chris' Jazz Cafe

April 20th and 21st: Recording Jon Crowley 2nd Album

If I'm playing in a city near you, come by, check out the music, and come say 'hi'

Update

2011-03-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

Blog #71: Update

I've been very busy the past few weeks, hence why I haven't updated this blog. Its a little over a month until I record my second album and things are starting to really ramp up. The music is almost finished and will be 6 songs(longer tunes, 8-10 minutes, that are multi-movement suites), plus interludes to connect the pieces. The concept being to have the entire album being one thing that just flows tune to tune, instead of just a collection of songs. I just wrote a duet intro for Bass and Trumpet, that should be fun. I'm even considering writing more 'connecting' material that i'd use on the final record, just to have options depending on the final order of the CD. But this all means that mixing should take a bit longer than last time.

I still have a lot of unanswered questions going into this record, and I'm okay with that. I know Julian Pollack is playing rhodes keyboard and Ziv Ravitz is playing drums, but I am still weighing my options on bass, and using a sax or guitar. The first record I did ('Connections') was a very well rehearsed band. This record is going to be a studio project, with very limited rehearsal, so there is a lot of unknowns with that. Its a gamble, but I truly believe that jazz musicians work best when they are faced with the unknown. We'll find out soon enough if it works!

Lastly, I've been pretty busy with a band I'm in called 'Red Light Growler'. Having a lot of fun with this group, hopefully we'll get some sort of small tour in August or September, and maybe try to do a record in the fall. Also, my good friend Deric Dickens(great drummer) is recording his first album in early April with people like Matt Wilson, Kirk Knuffke and myself. Its going to be a series of duets, looking forward to that. Keep an eye out for it.

Feeling pretty optimistic about the future at the moment...

Blog 2nd Anniversary

2011-02-17T18:20:00.000-08:00

Blog# 70: Blog's 2nd Anniversary

Whooops, I just realized I missed this blog's 2nd Anniversary!(Feb 9th) Been up and running for 2 years now. I did 39 entires my first year and 34 my second. Not bad. Hopefully everyone's enjoyed reading about my musical journey and my thoughts about music and the world which surrounds it.

If you haven't done so yet, please click the 'follow' button on the side. You won't get any emails from me or anything like that, it's just a great way to let me know someone is reading, and will encourage me to keep writing.

Please leave comments, love letters, hate mail. S'all good.

thanks for reading

-JC

Limits, Assumptions and Unanswered Questions

2011-02-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

I've included a photo of the Pyramids because I believe them to be a triumph of human determination

Blog # 69: Limits: Questioning everything

I'm not sure if it comes across in this blog, but I'm actually a pretty shy person and I'm pretty private too. It might seem like a contradictory thing for a private person to blog, but it comes down to this: I have no problem sharing my thoughts, reactions, opinions on topics, but my feelings are what I usually keep to myself. But in this blog, I'd like to share a little more than usually of the type of things I think about.

Last week I was listening to an old podcast I'd heard before on NPR by Radiolab about 'Limits'. The topic discussed the limits of the body, mind and the limits of what it is possible to know. So I started thinking a lot about my limits. What am I capable of? how far can I be pushed? how hard can I work? How many hours can I write and practice? Am I working hard enough? I practice between 5-6 hours every day, and usually compose music for an hour...but can I do more?

This got me started really questioning some assumptions all artists make about themselves. We all assume we will succeed(however we define success), or we will be great someday(if we don't already think we're great now). I think all artists assume that they have 'what it takes', that they are special. And while every artist questions their work, I think at the end of the day, they all believe in themselves. If they didn't they wouldn't continue.

But how do you KNOW that you are great? That you are special? That you will succeed? That you aren't a quitter? That you have 'what it takes'? How do you know you're strong? After a lot of thinking, I came to the conclusion that you don't know. Its all just an assumption. You can't know unless you're tested. Frequently.

Are you a good person? Do you do the' right thing'? Prove it. Everyday. Are you treating the people around you well? Are you helping your fellow human beings? OR could you do more? Maybe its as simple as telling someone they did a good job, or that you value them. Or maybe its as simple as helping an old woman, by holding a door.

Are you a quitter? I'm sure everyone thinks 'no', but that's just an assumption. How do you know if you've never been tested? If you haven't been put in a really difficult situation?

This week, I had been thinking about all this stuff and I went to the gym to run on the treadmill. I go to the gym regularly and run, usually stick to around 3 miles(30 min). So I decided to test myself, by doubling it. I was going to run 6 miles(1 hour). It wasn't pleasant but I did it(and have the blisters on my feet to prove it). I don't think that this really proves anything though. I finished the hour run, my feet and knees hurt, but I wasn't dying on the floor. Maybe I realized I had a lot more inside than I thought, but I still wasn't any closer to finding a limit.

The point I'm getting at, is its very hard to know how far you can push yourself in any field unless you're constantly trying. You might push yourself beyond what you think you can do just to realize that you're capable of much more.

Are you capable of greatness?

Are you a good person and do you do the right thing even when its hard?

Do you have 'what it takes'?

Are you a quitter?

Prove it.

I don't know if I am any of those things, but I'd like to find out one way or the other.

Titles

2011-02-07T14:29:00.001-08:00

Blog # 68: Jazz Song Titles

Jazz song titles are interesting to me. Titling a song with Lyrics is pretty easy. The lyrics usually tell a story or paint a picture, and the title is just a phrase from the song. Many jazz musicians seem to just title tunes with 'cool words' they like, that mostly have nothing to do with the music or occasionally just a girlfriend's name. And Jazz musicians rarely explain their titles to the other musicians or audience(my guess is because the titles are rarely anything deep, profound or anything specific at all). Some jazz musicians title songs after people as a tribute to them(their mentors or family members). The beauty of non-Lyric music is it can express more vague feelings than specific events. Sometimes expressing emotions without words can be even more profound than lyrical music.

The titles of my songs usually fall into two catagories. Some titles of mine are 'program music.'(songs that go along with stories). I had a song titled 'Icarus' on my first album that followed the greek myth (there was a section that was optimistic and hopefully, a section of concern and a section that had a descending figure to symbolize the 'falling' part of the story). The most famous example of 'Program Music' is Berlioz' symphony fantastique. The different movements each tell of different dreams(hallucinations) of a man who has lost his love.

Many of my titles are words or phrases to remind ME of things that I went through in my life around the time of the song(or feelings I had at a specific time). The cool part about this is when I flip through my music folder I remember all these feelings and times from the past and I am instantly transported back to that time. Some titles are like morales; life lessons that are messages to myself to remember things.

Just today I was pulling music out to bring to a rehearsal and I saw my tune 'Momentum' in the folder. I remember titling this tune this for both its slow pace tempo and to remind me of this idea: Its easy to succeed when the momentum of life is going your way, its very tough when things aren't going your way to turn it around and get back on track.

This felt very fitting today to read this, and it's almost like advice to myself, from myself.

If someone asked me what the meanings of all the titles of my songs were, I think i'd probably share them, but no one ever really asks, because we play non-lyrical music.

Thoughts on Identity and Development

2011-01-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

Blog #67: Some Thoughts on Identity and development

I've been practicing a lot of new music ideas and it's made me think a lot about the concept of a 'Musical Identity' along with growing and developing. Obviously, as we age we learn new music, we play with different people and we are exposed to different things but I think musicians can generally take three paths:

1) Musicians who keep the same style and play within the same context.

Most musicians(like most people) are uncomfortable with change. This category play generally the same style their whole career, and they do that style within the same format. They know what they do well and they stick to it. I'm not saying anything negative about this group, its quite an accomplishment to have one's own identifiable style at all.

2) Musicians who kept the same style, but played within different contexts.

These musicians always sound like 'themselves' but might put themselves within different groups(trying different instruments, or combinations). They play with different people but always sound like themselves.

3) Musicians who change styles.

This is by far the minority. Two that come to mind are Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Both changed dramatically during their careers AND both also played within different formats, different instruments, and different styles. These types play with different people and sound different doing it.

Breaking down musicians into these three categories really made think about what it is to change styles. Is changing one's style an active act?(thinking about what you want to do differently) or does changing one's style just mean getting closer to who we actually are. By this I mean, we are who we are and 'developing' is more a matter of getting closer to that honest musical version of ourselves. Does actively trying to incorporate new different ideas take us farther away from our true selves or closer?

Is our musical identity really changing or are we just moving towards 1 thing the entire time?

I guess this blog is kind of incomplete, because I don't have an answer. I don't really know. These are just things I think about.

Remembering Charles Fambrough Pt 2

2011-01-03T19:35:00.001-08:00

Remembering Charles Fambrough Pt 2

I just wanted to share a few of my favorite Fambrough stories:

My Neighbors

My senior year at Muhlenberg I lived off campus in a split house, owned by Muhlenberg. The other side of the house was filled by football-Frat guy types who seemed to always be giving me dirty looks(I gave them mean looks right back). I did most of my practicing in the house(into the closet to muffle the sound) and they would routinely bang on the wall louder and louder. One time they even called campus police on me. I never complained about the noise from any of their parties.

One day Fambrough drove me home and they all happened to be sitting on the porch. Fambrough was a big guy, and to anyone that didn't know him, he was quite intimidating. He had a presence when he walked into a room. When these Frat guys saw me jump out of Fambrough's Ford Explorer they were silent. I said goodbye to him, thanked him for the ride and went inside. My Frat boy neighbors never bothered me again.

Musical Advice

I was in an ensemble taught by Charles for 3 years at muhlenberg. The skill level of the members of the group varied, but we were all working hard and were serious about sounding good. One semester we were working on 'Mr. Clean' by Freddie Hubbard. We could all play the notes right, but 'real dirty funk' seemed like a difficult concept for a bunch of suburban white kids.

Fambrough finally explained it to us this way:

"Picture a beatiful beach in brazil. The sky is blue and water is clear. The breeze feels nice and the temperature is perfect. You're sitting in the sand and the world is what it should be. Then out of nowhere a big fat sloppy woman comes walking by. She's crammed into this ugly polka-dot moo moo, he feet are squeezed into shoes that are way to small. When she walks, you feel it in the ground. She's even wearing two slabs of beef as earrings. And she walks right by, she has a horrible attitude and ruins your whole day. Play that image"

After that we sounded much better.

'O Ye of Little Faith'

Occasionally Fambrough would play at Chris' Jazz Cafe, and my friends and I would drive down from Allentown and see the show. One time in my lesson Fambrough mentioned he was going to be playing some some guy named 'Arty Horrig' (Ari Hoenig). I told fambrough, 'This guy is pretty serious, he's always changing the tempo and feel, he can throw a lot of people off. Make sure you're prepared for that.' Fambrough gave me this 'O ye of little faith' look.

We went to the show and it was great. Ari was superimposing all sorts of different things over the time and Fambrough was right there with him. (for those that don't know Ari, he has a very unique technique and often makes ...unique facial expressions while playing). During the set break Fambrough came over to hang with us and said this:

"That Arty is alright(a big compliment coming from Fambrough). But he keeps making faces at me, so I gotta play with my eyes closed".

Fambrough was HILARIOUS!

The Nicest thing Fambrough ever said to me:

Fambrough wasn't the kind of man that would throw around compliments, so when he did give you one, it meant something. Mostly if I had played well, Fambrough would say, 'Keep working on it'(if I played poorly, he'd say nothing). He wasn't afraid to tell you where you were weak and what you needed work on. This sort of honesty is one reason we got along so well. After one of my last concerts at Muhlenberg, Fambrough said to me, "You know what Crowley? You're starting to not suck so much". Man! I was so happy to hear that, I was smiling all night!

Kindness

During my senior week Fambrough called me up and asked me if I wanted to play a gig with him and the late Sid Simmons(who I had listened to for years) at a very nice theater event. I said 'yes' before he had even finished asking. These musicians were way out of my league and I took a musical asswhoopin' that night, but it was one of my favorite memories from Muhlenberg and I loved every second. In Jazz, playing with musicians that are better than you is how you get better, and it was a thrill to be on stage with these guys that night. Fambrough could have called someone else that was better than I was for that gig, but he called me. To me, this was his way of saying 'thanks' for all the hard work I had put in while studying with him. It's him that I owe many thanks too.

-JC

Remembering Charles Fambrough Pt 1

2011-01-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

Charles and Me at my Graduation from Muhlenberg College

Blog # 66: Remembering Charles Fambrough Pt 1

I did my undergrad at Muhlenberg College in Allentown PA. It's a small liberal arts college with a pretty small music program, and while it had some great teachers, there weren't many dedicated music students there at that time. As I went through school there, it was kind of apparent that it would make more sense for me to transfer to a music school like Berklee or New School, but I stayed at Muhlenberg and graduated. The main reason I stayed was Charles Fambrough.

I studied with Charles for 3 years while at Muhlenberg (he started teaching there my sophomore year). We became close during those three years. Fambrough(which was what most of us called him) had many students at Muhlenberg, but I was definitely one of his most enthusiastic and it was because HIS enthusiasm was contagious. He would mention musicians I should check out and then I'd go buy some CDs and come back super excited. We spent most of our lessons talking about my jazz heros(who he actually knew, played and hung with). He had endless stories and I wanted to hear all of them.

Charles was teaching most of the jazz students at Muhlenberg, regardless of instrument(I think my forms said I was studying 'Trumpet' with him). Sadly, many of them weren't very committed, and didn't practice much. But Fambrough saw that I was really into jazz, practicing, music and so if he saw me in the hallway, he'd invite me in to hang out during other people's lessons. So at least two days a week I would spend my whole afternoon (4 hours!) with Fambrough, as his other students came and went. He'd work on stuff with them, while giving me stuff too. It was like having a 4 hour lesson twice a week and afterwards he'd drive me home too! Sometimes he'd ask me to go find some sheet music of tunes he wanted to play with our ensemble and I'd come drop it off and end up staying for a few more lessons until I'd have to say "Fambrough, I gotta leave! I'm going to be late for my Education Psychology class."

While we dealt with music theory and jazz harmony, most of our lessons were about the non-musical aspects of music. The Magic in music, for lack of a better explanation. He frequently talk about putting a 'vibe' on whatever song you were playing, bringing energy, and having passion in what you were doing. A lot of his explanations of tunes were describing a visual image and then playing that thing in musical form.

The thing that I am most thankful for from Fambrough is getting me REALLY excited about jazz. Hearing his stories and hanging out listening to CDs made me really want to move to New York and try to be a real jazz musician. I moved to NYC the fall after I graduated from Muhlenberg College, received an MA from NYU in Jazz performance a few years later, recorded a CD etc...

Charles, Thank you for everything you've done for me.

I miss you already

-JC

Poll Results

2010-12-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

Blog 65: Poll Results:

The Poll Results are in! I had a poll on the sidebar of this website going for a few months, asking everybody who reads this blog what they would like to see more of. Here are the results:

56% Free Bootlegs of my Live Shows and Rehearsals

43% Talk of Life as a Musician

37% My Thoughts on Music

37% Educational- Music Theory and Improv Ideas

37% Trumpet Exercises and Technique

31% Discussions on Composing Music

25% Charts of my Tunes

18% Transcribed Jazz Solos

12% Shameless Self-Promotion

SO, Ask and ye shall receive! I'm going to try to record more live shows and rehearsals this year and post them on this website, or put up a link to www.JonCrowleyMusic.bandcamp.com , where I usually post live bootlegs. I'm going to try to record all sorts of different music projects I'm in and post them, so there should be a lot of variety; from the post-rock band 'Red Light Growler', to my minimalist-jazz project, some pop-rock stuff, to some straight-ahead standards, ballads etc. Maybe I'll even link some of the music I've been writing for Solo piano.

The second most votes went to 'Talk of Life as a Musician'. I can't even exactly remember what I meant when I wrote that, but I guess I can talk more about the struggles of being a working musician in NYC and the US. Maybe I will talk more about the day to day stuff of what a musician does to make rent, keep playing etc. I also have a camera and Flip Video recorder, so I'm going to try to record and take more pictures of going to gigs, hanging out, talking tunes, discussions about music with friends. Maybe I'll make some sort of video montage type stuff of my life in New York and playing gigs.

Tied for third, is 'My Thoughts on Music', 'Educational stuff' and 'Trumpet stuff'. I haven't put much of this stuff on this blog before. The closest I did was some exercises on Octave Displacement : http://joncrowleymusic.blogspot.com/2010/04/trumpet-flexibilities-octave.html and a few entires about Voiceleading: Voice Leading in Composition So more of this stuff too.

I'm looking forward to doing more stuff in this direction. This blog has been going on for almost 2 years now, looking forward to covering some different ground.

-JC

Lastly, 'Shameless Self-Promotion' only got 12% of the votes :(

Free Download

2010-12-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

Blog # 64: Free Download

Just wanted to share some free music with you. From a show with a band I'm in called 'Red Light Growler'. The show was at Bar 4 in Brooklyn 12/6/10. Download it FOR FREE at www.JonCrowleyMusic.bandcamp.com or Just listen on the site.

'Red Light Growler' is:

Jon Crowley- Trumpet, Compositions

Ross Edwards- Keyboard, Effects

Noah Garabedian- Bass

Deric Dickens- Drums

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

-JC

If the Music is Good, then I'm happy

2010-12-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

Played at Bar 4, Brooklyn and at Chris' Jazz Cafe, Philadelphia this past week

Blog 63: If the Music is Good, then I'm happy.

So I feel like I haven't written a blog in a while, I got a little busy with some gigs this past week. On Monday I played a show at Bar 4 in Brooklyn with a band I'm in called 'Red Light Growler'. I had a great time playing this one, with this band we play all originals of mine, but because we rehearse pretty regularly we can attempted more complicated music. This means I don't have to dumb down my writing to compensate for a band that is sight-reading. It was super cold monday, so we didn't have a lot of people there(maybe 15?), but I was really happy with the show because the music was good. I've realized in the past few weeks that that's where I'm at right now. Obviously, I'd like big crowds and full shows, but I played a show a few weeks before to a really full club, but the music wasn't great; so I was unhappy. So for me its this simple: If the music is good, I'm happy. If the music is not good, I'm not happy.

You can hear the 'Red Light Growler' show and some other live stuff I recorded this week here:

www.JonCrowleyMusic.bandcamp.com

If the recording of 'RLG' sounds strangely mixed, it is because my recorder was actually BEHIND the band, so my trumpet was pointed the opposite direction.

The show in Philadelphia at Chris' on friday was alright; rocky at times, good at times. All and all, it was a learning experience(aren't they all). It was a pick-up band(never played together before and unrehearsed) and we pretty much just played standards all night. I've finally realized there are some patterns to audience turn-out. I usually play at Chris' 3 times a year(April, August, and December). August is usually a full house, April is usually pretty good and December is usually the lightest show. It was still nice to come hang in my home town and a big THANKS to the tourist group(people from France, Brooklyn etc). You guys were super cool and thanks for buying all those CDs! Enjoy

Lastly, I gotta say, I really enjoy playing shows out of town and wish I could do it more. So far, I've only played in Philadelphia, Allentown, DC, with my groups (I mostly play around NYC), but I just really like driving, hanging in the car with the band, and going to new venues. And while, I'm not a people person(I'm pretty anti-social and have a low threshold for BS), I really like meeting jazz fans who are cool and respectful. Its a pleasure playing for these types of people.

Playing in Tune

2010-11-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

AutoTune (Kanye west fans? haha!), A great Tuning fork Picture :)

Blog #63: Playing in Tune

I think that playing in tune is strangely the last thing many musicians learn. Many jazz musicians spend so much time working on quick phrases, articulation, range etc we overlook pitch accuracy perfection. Its pretty easy to neglect it when so many jazz musicians play so many notes, and its usually only noticeable when a musician holds just one note for a longer duration. I actually believe a lot of horn players 'hide' in all those notes. Recently I was listening to some early recordings of John Coltrane was he playing pretty sharp. Kenny Dorham and Jackie McLean are two other examples of guys who regularly play sharp.(and I say this without disputing their greatness).

Whether you're aware or not, most instruments are inherently out of tune. I could get all scientific and talk about the pythagorean comma, and the creation of the equal tempered scale, but I'll keep it simple. I'll speak about horns, because that's where my knowledge is, if you're familiar with the harmonic series(the ascending notes on a give fingering) the notes become increasingly flat as you ascend. To give you an example: C# and D below the staff are sharp, D 2nd from the top line is slightly flat, E and Eb are pretty flat...etc. Really every note on the trumpet has a particular tendency whether that be slightly sharp, very sharp, slightly flat, very flat and as a horn player you have to adjust using your lips and your slides. This means playing in tune is a lot harder than just adjusting the tuning slide and blowing away. If you're a horn player you really have to listen to the rhythm section(piano, bass, guitar) and use that to guide your ears into playing in tune. The slower you play, the more obvious it will be as to if you're in/out of tune.

Besides just 'playing in tune' with the rhythm section, there is also playing in tune with the other horn players in the band. Saxophone seems just as naturally out of tune as trumpet(especially alto, though soprano can be downright painful in untrained hands). I remember when I was in school and did an ensemble with John Scofield. He told us that there is an art in doubling melodies and the key is to put one ear on yourself and one on the other horn. I know this is really simple advice, but you'd be surprised how many people just put themselves into the music stand and don't listen to the other horns. The key to playing well with the other horn is to try to make yourselves into one thing. You try to make the two horns sound like one peson and you try to make your phrasing identical. Besides articulation and breathing, a big part of that is Tuning.

One thing I've been checking out recently is using alternate fingers to play certain notes in tune better. One of my songs "Progress" is in Concert C#(my Key of B). The melody I wrote(on piano) is super hard to play in tune and I've realized in the past few days if I play D# top line with 2-3 fingerings, instead of 2, its easier to play in tune. I'm going to experiment with this sort of stuff more.

Lastly, one of my big pet peeves is vibrato. I've never liked it, and that's one reason I never got into early jazz and swing. The vibrato is just too much for me. I prefer horn players with straight tone, and I try to keep mine very straight and clear. I've always been partial to players like Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Woody Shaw etc. I think certain players use vibrato as a way to hide their pitch accuracy. The straighter the tone, the more obvious it will be if you're playing in tune. Certain bass players like to put the vibrato one when they get in the upper register: gag me. That shit sounds terrible. I'm not even going to try to sugar coat it or be polite on that one.

Playing in Tune on naturally out of tune instruments is hard, but I think its a very important thing to be aware of.

Post Bad Gig

2010-11-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

I've decided to put certain music on the 'back-burner', unless its adequately rehearsed.

Blog # 62: Post bad gig.

I usually don't blog impulsively, but I'm in a certain mood this morning. I played a gig last night in NYC under my name with a band playing my original tunes. Once I made all the calls and knew who was playing the gig, I tried to schedule a rehearsal. We had an email chain that was 20 messages long, until we accepted that we weren't going to get a chance to play before the gig because everyone was so busy and the band would have to read my tunes on the gig. I emailed them their individual parts, full scores of the music and mp3's of the tracks from other gigs.

We had a pretty good turn-out, and people seemed to like the music, but to my ears(because I wrote it), it was sloppy, stiff, and sounded like we were all reading. The music we were playing wasn't even that complicated(no mixed time signatures or super crazy changes). I remember playing and trying to build my solos, and feeling like the rhythm section wasn't listening to me. It was pretty frustrating and while in life its almost impossible to get me mad, it seems that music is the one thing that can do that for me when its not going well. It pisses me off when people play my music wrong because in my mind it makes me look like I can't write.

I've been thinking a lot about my 'minimalist-jazz' project, which will be my next record and I think it might be time to put it on the back-burner or make it a 'studio project'. Unless the band is rehearsed, the music doesn't sound right. I think I'm going to write more lead-sheet-type tunes that bands can read without rehearsal, and if we DO get a chance to rehearse, than I'll dig out some of my more complicated stuff. The good news is I have a band called 'Red Light Growler' that plays some of this music in a more rock setting and RLG is a well rehearsed unit. New York can be a frustrating place for a composer, everyone is doing so many gigs, its almost impossible to get your band tight and rehearsed. On most gigs in New York, all the musicians are reading. It sucks. I would rather see a well-rehearsed band of no-names, than an all-star band stumbling through complicated music.

It seems like there are 3 options:

1)If you want to play more complicated music, rehearse.

2)play simpler stuff that the band will be able to read on the gig

3)Hire some REALLY great musicians(and hope for the best)

Time Away

2010-11-19T12:47:00.000-08:00

Coltrane liked to Shed in the attic of his house. I do all my practicing in my apartment in Brooklyn, and occasionally go back to my parents house outside philly to get away

Blog # 61: Time Away

This past month has been an interesting one for me. When I'm in New York, I tend to play a lot of house sessions, rehearsals and Jam sessions(2-4 a week usually). I also like to practice about 5 hours a day(and I haven't taken a day off since I had my wisdom teeth removed in 2003). But scheduling rehearsals, practicing that much, and booking gigs was burning me out. About a month ago I was playing duo with my friend Deric Dickens and he sent me the bootleg recording he made afterwards. We were playing in a drum room(totally dead acoustically) and I heard a ton of things that I felt I needed to work on in my playing. Soundproof rooms are pretty unforgiving on trumpet. I decided I needed to get away for a while and doing some very specific shedding on weaknesses I heard, work on some bad habits and avoid playing with people for a while.

So for 3 weeks I didn't schedule any sessions, avoided all music related calls and just practiced like a madman. I even went back to my parents house in Philadelphia for a week to get further away from any distractions. I was practicing about 6 hours a day, but my practicing was lot more focused, specific and I felt that it was a lot more productive. I learned there is a big different between practicing just to maintain your ability and stay in shape and specific goal-oriented practice. When your mind is clear and focused you can get a lot more out of your practicing. It felt really good to get away and work on some things and last week got back into the scene and scheduled a session/rehearsal everyday. I definitely felt that I had made some progress during my time away(with music, you're never going to feel completely satisfied, but I felt I made some significant improvements).

Its been good to come back out, see my friends, play some sessions and gigs. I still feel like I am riding an intense practice period, but now I'm going to try to balance it with playing with people again, at least for a while. The funny thing about the little hiatus is that it felt so productive, I have the urge to take another one already. I may try to do this once or twice a year. I want to continue to improve and that's why I've been so drawn to music. Its really endless as to how far you can take it.

Its good to make a list of weaknesses and things you want to fix in your playing and then to get working on 'em. Bad habits die hard, so you gotta be mindful of them everyday. The practicing never ends, but there are times its more productive than others. I always really liked jazz/improvised music because I view myself as the thing I'm working on and the performances and CD's as just a gauge to where I am at any moment.

The Reality of History

2010-11-02T16:33:00.001-07:00

A photo looking into 'Smalls', a jazz club in NYC

Blog # 60: The Reality of History

Like many other music students, when I was in high school and college I listened to all the greats; Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Art Farmer, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham etc. I was blown away by the talent of these people and really viewed them as I'm sure most kids view sports stars(I never followed sports). These guys were untouchable; they were perfect, even when they made mistakes. And in my view of history, I imagined jazz to be very popular before I was born. I saw photos of billboards saying 'Miles Davis Quintet Tonight, Horace Silver next week'. I assumed that these musical hero's of mine were playing sold out shows, with lines around the block. But the more I learn about Jazz and History, the more I question these thoughts.

Recently I downloaded a Kenny Dorham live recording off itunes from a club in Queens called 'The Flamboyan'. Its a good live recording, with Joe Henderson and Kenny Dorham in their prime being broadcasted over the radio. The disk jockey tells the radio audience that they can call in with requests. He also repeatedly tells people they should come out and that there is no cover, no minimum and that the band will play every monday night until 3 or 4 in the morning.(he even says the band needs the bread!). But most tellingly he implies that there is no one in the audience(!) and that they are essentially playing for an empty room. The announcer also says there are dance nights and latin music nights later in the week, and that monday is jazz night. (doesn't really sound like The Bluenote, The Vanguard, or Birdland)

I think we forget that no matter the talent, most musicians have played some shitty gigs during their career. We all play shows with packed houses, and have done some really depressing nights playing for just a couple people at the bar. I used to think light audiences were just a product of current music tastes, but apparently even great musicians like Kenny Dorham and Joe Henderson played some crappy gigs. While these guys are still just as great in my eyes, maybe its history that let people realize how great they are and maybe they were under-appreciated in their time too.

Another musician that comes to mind is Eric Dolphy; who I consider to be a phenomenal musician. He had his own voice on 3 instruments: flute, alto sax, and bass clarinet. Despite his talent, Dolphy had great difficulty finding any work during his life. I've heard stories of him surviving on a large bag of beans that he kept in his closet, because he couldn't affort any thing else to eat. He may have also developed diabetes from this diet, which later lead to his early death. He wasn't a junkie, his death may have been just the result of people not 'getting' his music.

Pop Jazz sells out tourist trap jazz clubs and big festivals. These musicians are on magazine covers and are sponsored by instrument companies. They are popular today, and will be forgotten in 20 years, because 'Pop Jazz' isn't really jazz. Its a watered down version for the general public and its stars have bright smiles and seductive eyes.

But Real Jazz is a different thing. It isn't necessarily glamorous, well paying, or popular. And these real jazz musicians probably won't win any beauty contests. But Real Jazz, as part of history, lives forever. People will never stop listening or talking about Real Jazz, but it will never be appreciated as much in its time.

My Trumpet Gear History

2010-10-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

My horns(L to R): Bach 72, Bach 43, Kanstul 1525, Old Couesnon

Blog# 59: My Trumpet Gear History

I thought I'd take a second to share my thoughts and history with different trumpet gear. I usually avoid talking about gear because with trumpet. It really is the player making the sound, the horn is just the microphone(it amplifies the sound of your lips). Searching for the perfect horn is pointless; you'll never find it. I just try to find something that works and go with it.

I have to admit, I have certain fear when it comes to trumpet gear, mouthpieces etc. My chops are pretty sensitive, so when I switch trumpets or mouthpieces, I feel off and like I can't get my sound together like I want. Even if I start playing too much flugelhorn, that can make my trumpet chops feel off. This has been the case ever since I started playing trumpet when I was a kid. I'm a one horn, one mouthpiece kind of guy. And the few times I've changed gear over the years, I usually have a fairly long adjustment period(I usually have to find where all the notes exist on each horn). So to some degree, I've tried to avoid learning too much about mouthpiece throats and trumpet bore's, and I try to keep my mind on making whatever instrument I'm playing work for me.

My Gear History:

I started playing trumpet(though I had no desire or motivation at the time) at age 6. The first instrument I owned was a Conn Director trumpet(you can find them on ebay for $25!) with a Conn 4 Mouthpiece. I think this trumpet was my uncle's when he was a kid. I played this horn and mp all the way into high school. Sophomore year my parents bought me a brand new silver Yamaha 6335 and a 11C4 mouthpiece(that came with it). (11C4 was yamaha's version of a Bach 7C). This was a REAL horn compared to the Conn Director. I played the Yamaha for 4 years(last 2 of high school, first two of college).

Junior year of College I was studying with John Swana and he let me play his old Bach trumpet during a lesson. This was an incredible horn so I decided to sell my yamaha and buy a Bach(which I purchase used from John's friend who buys hundreds of trumpets on ebay). I got a used Bach 43 (made in the early 90's). It also came with a Bob Reeves Valve Alignment, and the fastest valves I've ever felt. Around this time I also was involved in my first 'Mouthpiece safari'. I tried tons of mouthpieces and settled on a Bach 5C, which I really liked, and still think is a great mouthpiece. I played this Bach 43 trumpet and 5C for the last 8 years. I also bought a Couesnon Flugelhorn on Ebay that I played during my college years which I played during that time. I had an awesome repair guy in Philly, Bret Gustaffson, who put a trigger on the 3rd valve slide. Unfortunately, Bret moved to Australia :(

The exception during that 8 year period was I bought a new Bach 72. I felt this horn was a bit darker and had better projection. The downside is it required more effort to play. I played it for about a year until I took it to a repair guy in NYC to clean and he offered a discount on a valve alignment that ended up pretty much ruining the horn, at which point I went back to the Bach 43. Also for those 5 years in NYC I started playing a Kanstul 1525 Flugelhorn(which was the sound I was going for on Flugel at that time). Plus I also found it annoying that the Couesnon leaked oil on my hands. I played the Bach 43 and Kanstul Flugel on my first Album, 'Connections'.

Two years ago my trumpet friend Eric gave me a Monette B6, which I've been playing since. Occasionally I play my old Couesnon(I got a plastic thing online to keep from getting oil on my hands). Recently I've been playing my Bach 72(the one the repair guy messed up). The valves still suck and I'm not in love with it, but It still projects better than the 43 and is a bit darker. Hopefully I can get used to it, I don't want to have to try out trumpets again. (In fact, even when friends want me to try out their new horns, I usually pass.)

So that's my gear history!

Written out, it sounds like a lot of equipment, but it pretty much boils down to:

Conn Director w/ Conn 4 --------------- 10 years

Yamaha 6335 w/ 11C4--------------------4 years

Bach 43 w/ Bach 5C------------------------8 years

(Monette B6 mp for 2 of those years)

Bach 72-------------------recently(we'll see if I go back to the Bach 43)

Flugels:

Couesnon w/ Bob Reeves 43.5DF-----3 years

Kanstul 1525 w/ Bach 5A-----------------4 years

I dunno, a horn is a horn, you still need the person to play it.

Voice Leading in Composition

2010-10-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Blog # 58: Voice Leading in Composition

One thing that I think is very important in composition is voice leading. I write almost all my songs on piano, and most of the time I find a chord voicing that I like and then I experiment with voice-leading. Coming up with a good line for the top voice(melody) and bass movement that I like too, and then filling in the inner voices. Seeing how many notes you can keep the same too. I think you can come up with some really beautiful progressions this way, and it will also help out if you're writing parts for larger ensembles. Its funny, because its essentially the same technique you learn in school when studying classical harmony IE 'Bach Chorales'.(who'd a thought that stuff would actually be useful?)

I remember tons of Music Theory classes while I was at Muhlenberg College and later NYU, doing harmonic dictation or 'figured bass' chord progressions. (I always had tons of red marks for 'parallel 4ths' and 'tritone movement'. The beauty of being out of school, is I write what I like, and I can break the classical rules whenever I want to and just let my ears guide me.

Try writing a tune as if it were a 4 part 'Bach Chorale', just use 7th chords, #5's, #11's, Altered Chords, whatever you want instead of boring triads. Its one great way to start writing tunes.

Trumpet Secrets

2010-10-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Blog # 57: Trumpet Secrets:

Trumpet is a very strange instrument. I don't know any other instrument which requires the type of discipline that trumpet does. You have to practice every day for years and years just to get a decent sound and if you are slacking, the trumpet lets you know IMMEDIATELY. Everyone has heard the old adage:

if I take one day off I notice,

if I take 2 days off my friends notice,

if I take 3 days off the audience notices.

or Dizzy Gillespie's famous line:

"Somedays you win, and sometimes the trumpet wins, and it goes on and on like that until you die...and then the trumpet wins."

I thought I'd take a second to share a few little tricks I've learned.

My first trumpet Secret is if I'd had a really rough gig the night before and my chops feel beat-up. I'll do a very slow warm-up while drinking some hot tea. I think drinking the tea while warming up helps me slow down and take more rests between exercises as well as getting the blood flowing in my lips. I try to save this for the morning after a hard gig, when I know I have another one the next night. I try not to over use this trick because I don't want to 'spoil' my chops or make it a habit.

My second trick is for when the trumpet 'just isn't happening'. I use this trick every so often when I feel like my chops aren't responding or when I just can't get satisfied with my sound. I'll wear a pair of headphones while I'm practicing. (not the kind that completely cover your hear, just the kind that go over the top of your head and sit on top of your ear). This kind of muffles the sound, and lets you focus on the notes themselves, as opposed to your sound. This way you can work on your phrasing and lines without obsessing on imperfections in your sound when you're having one of 'those days'; and this way you'll still have a productive day.

Years ago I used to use an Alto Horn Mouthpiece to buzz on the morning after a hard gig. I thought this helped loosen my chops. It may work for you, but I haven't used this technique in a few years. I liked it for a while though during my college years.

Obviously the real key to good trumpet playing is consistency. I studied with Laurie Frink for 2 years('05-'07 and still see her occasionally) and she gave me a wealth of exercises that keep my trumpet playing together. My playing has become so much more consistence as a result of our lessons. I have 3 different warm-ups that are all different lengths depending on how much time I have. The most important thing though that I always tell my students is, 'If you want to play consistently, you must practice consistently', and I think the last time I took a day off from the trumpet was back in '03 when I had my wisdom teeth taken out(and even they got infected because I started practicing again too soon). All the tricks in the world won't shortcut hardwork, but the ones I've shared above can help out a little bit.

Please share your 'Trumpet Secrets' under Comments

New Album Status

2010-09-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

Photo from 'Connections' recording Session Jan '09

Blog # 56: New Album Status

So as I've mentioned a few times in previous blogs, I'm hoping to record my second album this spring. Right now, I'm refining my concept and am finishing up writing the music. The music on this album will be a departure from my last record, 'Connections', which was a 'modern straight-ahead' record. The new record will use elements of minimalism, indie rock rhythms, along with improvised solos, and will be much more of a 'concept' album. Some of the songs I've already finished and have been playing them live, figuring out exactly what I want to do with each of them and getting comfortable playing on the forms and chord structures. 'Shine', 'Progress', 'Patience', and 'Fixation' will all appear on the new album. (you can hear some of these tunes in their early stages on my bandcamp website: www.JonCrowleyMusic.bandcamp.com)

When I wrote 'Fixation', and wanted to have an interlude piece played before like an intro, which is how I came up with 'Patience'. This got me thinking, and I've decided the album will have several longer compositions with shorter interludes between them. It is my hope to use the 'interludes' to bring the whole album together into one large piece, that is the whole album. These interludes won't just be random intro's, but will hopefully link song to song to make a more seamless flow. I'm also thinking of using these interludes, to combine different instruments in the band. Maybe one Interlude will be solo piano, another just bass and trumpet.

I'd like to write 3 more tunes (I have one already half-finished) then work on the 'connecting' material. Then ideally I'd like get the band to play a few live shows, to get it all working smoothly.

I've also started to figure out who I want to use on the next record. Some people I want to use I've only played with a little, but think there is potential with, others I've done a lot of playing and gigging with. I know a few of the people I hope to get have never played with each other, so I'm also trying to set up some sessions soon to make sure the chemistry is good. Some of these guys are pretty big names and pretty busy; so we'll see what happens. (sorry to be so vague and mysterious here, but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by saying too much now).

Lastly, I'd like to say that I've been thinking a lot about what I want to say with this album and what I want to express. I keep coming back the idea and progression of: 'Sadness, Suffering, Hope, Triumph', which has become the working title for the album and that is what I'm trying to express with this music.

I'm starting to get excited about this project as it comes together. The next step is to finish the music and start looking for funding.

Stay tuned......

Jazz Musician Bio's

2010-09-13T08:05:00.001-07:00

Blog #55: Jazz Musician Bio's

A friend and I have an ongoing joke about Jazz Musician Bio's, and the new trend for people to boast and exaggerate about their accomplishments, or mention irrelevant information to gain credibility. Several venues will even list the musician's bio on their website, as a way to hype the gig, or validate the performer. My friend found one recently that even used the phrase. "Near Genius IQ" to describe the musician in question. I read another bio that claimed "______ is the most promising new tenor saxophone player of her generation". (wow, pretty lofty statement until you realize, she wrote it in her own bio). I know another musician, (who happens to be a fantastic player), who has 'Degree in Physics and Mathematics' from an Ivy League School in his bio. This has nothing to do with music, other than to imply: 'He is probably a genius, so if you don't like his music, you're probably not smart enough to get it.' I understand the point of a Bio is to let people know a little bit about yourself and what makes you special but some of these exaggerations are just down right crazy to me(and perhaps crazier is that the public/industry people/venues believe this hype). To me, the Truth is in the music, the rest is Bullshit.

So to stay competitive in the JazzWorld, I've created a new bio. Maybe it will lead me to fame, fortune and commercial success too:

Genius, Jon Crowley is one of the most talented people who has ever walked the earth. While in elementary school, Jon realized he could cure aids and cancer if he focused his energies toward pursuing a career in medicine. Instead, Jon thought his amazing god given gifts would be better put to use by changing every person's life for the better who listened to his music. Have you ever heard of Mozart, Beethoven, John Coltrane or Miles Davis? Jon is better than all of them combined. Simply put, Jon is the Best musician who has ever been and ever will be.

I think I should probably make it a little longer.

**I want to say, the musician who mentions his degree in physics and mathematics, I understand he's just sharing information about himself, that will help people know him better. And why shouldn't he share it? I am only pointing out the fallacy of how other people may use this information to validate his music. coincidentally, I actually do like his music :)

Red Light Growler

2010-09-09T09:55:00.001-07:00

Blog #54: Red Light Growler

More FREE music!

Check out my new Post-Rock band: Red Light Growler

We're playing our first show next friday(Sept 17th) at The Local 269, in the Lower East Side(NYC).

8-9pm

These are our first recordings from a rehearsal, reading through some tunes of mine. I'm very exciting about this new project and hopefully we'll be playing some different venues and will be coming to a town near you soon!

Listen or Download here:

www.RedLightGrowler.bandcamp.com

-JCrow

Live at Chris' Jazz Cafe 8/26/10

2010-09-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Blog # 53: Live at Chris' Jazz Cafe 8/26/10

A week or so ago I took a band down to Philly to play at Chris' Jazz Cafe. None of us had played together in a few months because of summer tours, being out of town, work, vacations etc. We also didn't have a chance to rehearse before the gig, so I thought it might be a good chance to play some standards for a change and some easier(lead sheet-style) tunes of mine.

The gig (and the drive) were a blast, everyone played well and the audience was awesome. It was actually our biggest crowd yet at Chris' and a few friends that came out said it was their favorite show we've done. A few days before the gig I rediscovered my old Couesnon flugelhorn in my closet while I was cleaning my apartment. I hadn't really been playing flugelhorn for about a year now and I had totally forgotten about this magic instrument. It was like seeing an old friend; I played it on 'In the wee small hours of the morning', 'Wind Chimes' and 'Theresa'(written for my mother). I love playing ballads and I plan on playing it a lot in the future.

I was able hide my recorder under the piano, and got most of the show(a couple of tracks had some distortion and weren't usable). Just finished cutting it into tracks and uploaded it on my bandcamp website for FREE download (or you can listen from the site too). This recording is rare opportunity to hear my band play standards, we usually play all originals of mine.

Lastly, I wanna say Julian Pollack played an unbelievably gorgeous piano intro on 'In the Wee Small hours of the Morning'. This kid is so talented, keep an eye and ear out for him.

ENJOY SOME FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS:

www.JonCrowleyMusic.bandcamp.com

Jon Crowley- Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Julian Pollack- Piano

Peter Schwebs- Bass

Nick Anderson- Drums

('Wind Chimes', 'Theresa', 'Don't Vibe Me', and 'Mind Travel' are by Jon Crowley)

I hope to put up a lot more bootlegs in the future, include some of my new rock band 'Red Light Growler'.

Risk Taking VS Technical Perfection

2010-08-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

Chris Potter- Saxophone

Anderson Silva and (Forrest Griffin knocked out)

Blog # 52: Risk Taking VS Technical Perfection

Recently I've been listening to a lot of bootlegs; specifically live shows of Chris Potter, Dave Holland and Joe Henderson. As a result I've been thinking about technical perfection and its relationship to Jazz; both historically and currently.

Being a musician, I am constantly striving to clean up my playing, and work daily on the technical aspects of playing the trumpet. Its a weird thing to be a trumpet player today and to listen to all the greats: Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, Booker Little etc. All of them have their own shortcomings. For example, Kenny Dorham seemed to play a bit out of tune occasionally and frequently bended into pitches(and whether you like it or not, its not textbook precision). However, the beauty of all these performers was that sense of adventure. Each of them seem to be operating at the edge of their ability. This caused them to make mistakes, flub notes, occasionally play out of tune etc. But the positive thing that came out of this type of playing was a real sense of excitement. When these performers 'went big', there was a chance they'd mess up, and a chance that 'they'd actual pull it off'.

The problem today is there seems to such pressure to achieve technical proficiency on one's instrument. With the institutionalization of Jazz at the university level, teachers must grade their students. It would make sense to push your students hard to have perfection intonation, articulation, as well as to play within the changes at all times. I think the result is you have a huge number of musicians who leave schools being able to play 'a perfect solo'. The problem is that 'the perfect solo' just isn't very exciting. Its safe and what made Joe Henderson and his generation so exciting is that they never played safe. They made lots of mistakes. And to me, that's the best part about Jazz.

I mentioned Chris Potter earlier, who is arguably the most technical improvisor on saxophone living today. Chris has perfect articulation, intonation, and plays things every night that you thought were impossible. However, I believe that Chris still plays at the edge of his limit. He plays at that border between what he knows he can play and what he might mess up on; and that's what makes him so exciting. He's really exploring while he plays. Which is why people are so attracted to his playing. He is playing with the same spirit of adventure and exploration, just with a increased technical proficiency.(He too makes mistakes).

On a similar note, I am a big fan of MMA (mixed martial arts) and have followed the career of Anderson Silva for years now. Silva is largely considered the best fighter in the world. For years he not only easily beat his opponents, he made them look like they had no place even fighting him. He was way beyond all others in his field(much like Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzsky). However in the past year he has had some lackluster performances and seemed 'bored' during competition. He refused to take any chances and seemed content with 'a safe win'. However, last week he had a very exciting fight, where he lost the entire match, up until he finished his opponent in the last round. The consensus of the fans is that he is now exciting again, and people like him more because he struggled(for the first time of his career) and came back and won.

I think this same principle applies to music. People want to see that struggle, they want to see someone show their heart and risk what they have for success. The great musicians of the past were able to put it on the line for the adventure. They didn't care if they messed up, they were all about growing and testing themselves.

My advice to musicians today is: Its better to go big and fuck up, than play it safe.

At least that's how I feel.

More Reharmed Blues

2010-08-11T06:48:00.001-07:00

Last night I wanted to see if I could re-write a blues using Maj7#11 chords. This is what I came up with. There really are a million things you can do to a Blues, and an infinite number of substitutions. Check out 'Teeter Totter' from Joe Henderson's Album 'Our Thing'.

Re-writing The Blues

2010-08-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

Blog # 51 : Re-writing The Blues

First of all, I'm back! After a month of working and helping my parents move in Pennsylvania I'm back in NYC and ready to get this blog up and running again.

One thing jazz musicians have to do today is reconcile their style with the jazz idiom; IE how they're playing style can be adapted to playing standard repertoire. Some jazz musicians today choose to be traditionalists, learning classic bebop language and playing ONLY standards or tunes based off good 'ol ii-V harmony. Other Jazz musicians completely abandon the classic repertoire and play only original modern music.

While, I prefer playing original music, I have definitely found myself on numerous gigs with musicians I don't know well, without rehearsal and we have to rely on our common knowledge of standards to get through the gig. And while I enjoy playing standards, I don't think I would be satisfied playing ONLY standards for the rest of my life. I derive a lot of my musical identity from my writing, so I've made quick arrangements or reharms of standards and have composed a few of my own Blues to get through certain gigs(and feel artistically satisfied).

I could write a lengthy essay about 'THE BLUES', but it's unnecessary and I'm sure you could search the internet and find a lot better information than I have to say. When I talk about 'The Blues', I'm talking strictly about the 12 bar form used in Jazz. The most basic form being as follows:

Bb7 | Eb7 | Bb7 | |

Eb7 | | Bb7 | |

F7 | Eb7 | Bb7 | |

This form is usually the first thing a jazz musician learns and is relatively easy to play. The difficult part is saying something new on a form that has been around for SO long and that has been played SO much. This, coupled with the fact that I was sick of playing the same Blues' over and over, lead me to try to re-write the blues and add my own additional changes. This isn't a new concept whatsoever. Coltrane, Miles, Joe Henderson as well as countless others have all re-written the blues form to adapt to their style and I have also found that re-writing the blues has been a valuable compositional challenge.

In re-writting the blues, I think the most important thing to keep is the harmonic content which defines the blues. That is: starting on the tonic chord and going to the IV chord at the 5th bar. (I think it's relatively important to return to the tonic chord at bar 7, but there are ways around it). Both blues' I'll uploaded on this blog share these characteristics.

'Philly Nudge' was the first blues I ever wrote, which was about 4 years ago. I used two ascending dominant chords in bar 4 to chromatically move up to the IV chord in bar 5. Then bar 5 and 6 has the same 'up a minor 3rd' relation as bar 7 and 8 (notice I also returned to the tonic chord in bar 7). Normal V chord resolution in bars 9 and 10, and then a pretty standard jazz turnaround at the end of the tune. Melody-wise, you'll notice repeated rhythmic figures which gives the tune some cohesion.

Here is the chart:

Below is me playing the chord progression on Piano:

'Don't Vibe Me', I wrote recently and is a blues based of side-stepping. Here in bar 2 instead of going to the IV chord, I've gone chromatically up by a half-step. The E7#11 chord in bar 4 is a half-step above and leads into the IV chord at bar 5. Bar 5 and 6 have a 'down a minor 3rd' relation, which is also used in bars 7 and 8(still using the tonic chord in bar 7). And then instead of going to the V chord at bar 9, I've substituted dominant chords moving in whole-steps and arriving at A7#11, which is a half-step below the tonic chord, which it returns to at the top of the form.

Here is the Chart:

Here is the progression played on piano:

To my ears, both of these 'tunes' still sound and feel like a blues.

Just to sum up, re-writing a blues can be a really good exercise to start the process of reharmonizing tunes as well as a great way to play a tune on a gig that is fairly easy for everyone to read and feel comfortable on. If you really like the changes you've written and they make sense, there is also a good chance you can force them on a regular blues when playing at a jam session or gig.

ASCAP Jazz Awards

2010-06-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

They also gave me this medal

Blog # 50: ASCAP Awards

Monday I went to the ASCAP awards, I was invited because I was one of the people that won an 'ASCAP 2010 Young Jazz Composers Award' earlier this year. The event was held at ASCAP's main office in manhattan and there were a bunch of great performances along with the actual awards. Phil Woods and Donald Fagen were given the 'living legends' award and Dina Washington, Eddie Lang and Thelonious Monk were inducted into the ASCAP jazz hall of fame. There were also performances by Erica Von Kleist, Julian Lage, Phil Woods, John Hollenbeck and Claudia Quintet, Bill Charlap, Jay Leonhardt, Jaleel Shaw, Jonathan Blake, Donald Fagen, Adam Rogers and Fred Hersh.

I enjoyed the event, especially the performances(my favorite was Hollenbeck's), which made the whole thing worth the awkwardness I felt at the reception before(I'm not very good at small talk or striking up conversations with strangers, nor did I want to get into the 'name dropping fame game'): "Hi I'm Jon Crowley, I play with ____, ______, and _____ ". I'd much prefer to just like my trumpet playing do the talking.

Lastly, I'll share a funny moment I observed while playing 'Wall flower' at the reception. Another one of the 'Young jazz composer..' winners(who looked about 17 years old), approached one of the famous musicians listed above. Their interaction went as follows:

Kid: Hi, Its nice to meet you, i'm _____ . I really like your playing and am a big fan

Famous Jazz Guy: Oh, thanks [disinterested]

Kid: I study with ____, and _____, and _____ . I saw you play at the festival a few years ago. It was awesome

Famous Jazz Guy: [no verbal response or eye contact, looks around the room]

Kid: I also saw you play at the vangaurd last year with ____ .

Famous Jazz Guy: [no verbal response, walks away]

Thinking back, one thing that's very strange about jazz is that you listen to people on record for so long. You study them and you know them so well from their recordings and then you meet or play with them and find out about their personalities. Sometimes you might find out that your hero is an asshole. Its a funny thing. Other times people surprise you in a great way. I played with John Scofield when I was at NYU and he was the nicest, most down-to-earth guy you'd ever meet. I thought before meeting him that he would have a 'rockstar' attitude, but he was incredibly friendly, humble and even took the time to learn all of our names(I even bumped into him a year later and he still knew my name; great guy.) I could go one about other famous jazz guys that I've played with that are the friendliest people around, but I'm not playing the 'name dropping fame game'. It is a weird phenomenon to make friends with someone you listened to for years on CDs.

Pop Music Today

2010-06-10T09:25:00.001-07:00

Blog # 49: Pop Music Today:

Yesterday I was flipping around the TV and paused on the MTV Movie Awards. I was curious as to what music they were going to feature. I tend not to follow this sort of thing, but once again curiosity got the better of me. I caught Christina Aguilera's performance. WTF. I was left with only one question: Is this what popular music is now?

While I've never really been a huge fan of popular music(I'm speaking of the stuff you'd hear on TV or the Radio), I usually find what is popular today to be very interesting. For example, its interesting that GreenDay can write the same song about being a rebellious youth and market it to generation after generation of the same age kids. There will always be 12 year olds with skateboards who can relate to the music. But I found Chistina's new song to be interesting on a whole different level. Simply, it was the lowest common denominator i've ever seen in a pop song. The message: Christina enjoys receiving oral sex.

And though, there have been sexual driven songs in the past, I don't think they've ever been so direct. When I was in high school Britney Spears was at her peak of popularity, her message: 'she's not that innocent'. Okay, I get it: sexual suggestive, without going into the details. Makes the listener use his/her imagination. School girl uniform: cliche, obvious, but classic. Then, I remember a few years ago when there was a song out with the lyrics "I'll take you to the candy shop, let you lick the lolly pop". Clearly, this song was metaphorical, but Christina's song is pretty much just a description of how she enjoys oral sex. There was no innuendo or double entendre. The only loose analogy being 'her ___ tastes like cake'. (I know, isn't she classy?)

Then she tells us all about how she enjoys a good 'Licky lick' and encourages the women in the audience to cheer if they also enjoy oral. She strikes a pose, the lights go out in the theater and a light-up heart appears on her vagina. The Audience erupts in thunderous applause! And I'm left thinking: really? Is this what is considered 'good' music today?

(I'll take a second now to analyze the music(ignoring the lyrical content). Musically, the song was forgettable, and frankly, they could have played it at the 2001 MTV music awards and no one would have thought it weird at all(musically). Pop music really hasn't changed at all(musically speaking) in the past 10 years. Its the same beats, and the same chord progressions. It really feels like 1 person is writing all of the music for all of the artists today.)

Now back to the sexual content of the song. Its just plain sad that that is what it comes to. I don't know if the artists are thinking, 'I better make this song extremely sexual so people will buy my record' but that's what it seems like. It makes me wonder what's next. Songs about other basic bodily functions? Maybe songs about masturbation, songs about taking a good shit? The possibilities are endless!! I guess I'm okay with people talking about these things, but its the public nature of POP music that seems so wrong and awful. There are young kids watchin' this stuff on TV!

Finally, I went on Youtube and looked up people's responses to Christina's performance. Surprisingly, most people felt the same way i did! Maybe there is a limit to how much Slutty-ness the american public can take. God I hope so.

For now, I guess I'm just one of those 'shocked old people'.

You can check her performance out on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAPzAzaHcFA

Live at Fat Cat 6/2/10

2010-06-06T10:00:00.001-07:00

Blog #48: Live at Fat Cat

I just played a show this past week with some great musicians at 'Fat Cat' in the Village. A lot of my usual guys were out of town, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to play with some new people. Amongst them Aidan Carroll(bass), Ziv Ravitz(drums), David Bryant(piano, on Myron Walden's latest CD), and Mark Shim on Tenor. I was very excited to get Mark, who was signed to BlueNote Records back in the late 90's. He has such an original sound and approach, and I've been lucky enough to see him play a few times around NYC. To me he plays the Tenor the way it SHOULD sound.

We did one (very short) rehearsal, where we pretty much just ran the heads. This was also the first time I met any of the guys(everyone was pretty much a friend of a friend). So, there were some slight moments of confusion on some of the forms during the gig, but all and all I thought everyone played well. We also played a lot of new material on this gig that will probably end up on my next record.

I recorded the show and have made it available to listen to or for FREE download on:

www.JonCrowleyMusic.bandcamp.com

Enjoy!

JazzTimes review

2010-05-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Just got a nice review online by JazzTimes:

Review

By Brenton Plourde

Fortunate enough to be born in a suburb of Philadelphia and being able to be enriched by the “Philly jazz sound”, trumpeter Jon Crowley releases his debut album titled Connections.

While not copying the “Philly jazz sound,” Crowley and his Quintet with John Beaty on alto, Yayoi Ikawa on piano, Peter Schwebs on bass and Nick Anderson on drums do mold elements of it into their album and it works.

The title track “Connections” is a fine opener. This song allows everyone to show what they got. Crowley and Beaty, follow each other then Beaty takes off on his own flight. Up beat drumming by Anderson and piano by Ikawa hold the song together.

After an abrupt end, the quintet shifts into “Momentum.” A slower paced song, this allows Crowley to really speak. Great bass work by Peter Schwebs which leads into a one minute introduction for the song “Tabula Rasa” which is an up tempo, almost “New York” sounding song. As much as this is the Jon Crowley Quintet, altoist John Beaty gets to say his own thing throughout most of the songs.

Speaking of Philadelphia and New York, “City Mood” could capture the essence of big city life. The hustle and bustle of Nick Anderson and his drums really gives the song somewhat big cities feel. Partnered up with bassist Schwebs, “City Mood” could be the song that really connects people to the music and the Quintet.

The Jon Crowley Quintet has released an easy-going jazz album. One person does not dominate over the other. This is an example of how a quintet album could or should sound. The connections have been made.

Update

2010-05-18T09:26:00.001-07:00

Relaxing in Maryland: fishing, canoeing and hiking

Blog #47: Update

Its been a few weeks since my last entry. I've basically been getting reorganized. I've been trying to finish up some new music I've been writing so it'll be ready in time for a gig early next month. Playin' at Fat Cat(NYC) with a bunch of new people and guest Mark Shim(tenor). I also went to maryland to visit a friend this past weekend and go fishing. Now I'm back in NYC and feel like I've cleared my head and I'm refocused and ready to get back to work.

I'm also trying to set up some gigs for August. I've already schedule one in Philadelphia at Chris' Jazz Cafe and am hoping to schedule a few more around the east coast. When you stop and list all the Jazz clubs, they're really aren't that many. Since I don't have a booking agent or publicist, I just do it all myself. This can make things a bit tricky sometimes because of all the politics and payoffs of playing at certain places. But I try not to think too much about that stuff, and just focus on continuing to make the best music that I possibly can, and to keep improving.

I've been compiling a list of jazz labels too. I plan on recording an new album sometime next year and am thinking of trying to get it distributed on a label. Self-releasing my first album was cool(because I had total artistic control and all profits went directly to me), but its pretty hard to promote yourself and I'd like to see how the other side works. Right now I'm getting a list going of independent labels and mailing address, so I can see what kind of deal they each offer.

Lastly, I'd like to say I had a great conversation while I was in Maryland with a good friend of mine. My friend is good friends with the editor of one of the major jazz magazines. I was on a rant about how I was disappointed by what the Jazz Media chooses to cover (see my entry on 'Who Killed Jazz') . My friend made a great point, that those magazines are just desperately trying to stay afloat, and they need the advertising dollars they get from those pop acts just to keep putting out issues. A lot of those cover stories are because they are paid to interview someone to hype their new album. He explained that his friend(the editor) would rather cover more independent acts that he finds artistically interesting but he is stuck covering a lot of stuff he doesn't even like, just because it will keep the magazine in business for another month. So, I'm seeing it from their side a bit more now, and I kinda feel bad for some of the people behind the jazz media. With that said, I'm not reading anything until they cover something interesting to me.

Blog Responses

2010-04-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

UPDATED:

I received a few great email responses to my last blog that I wanted to share. Some great perspectives on the State of Jazz and reactions to my question 'Who Killed Jazz?':

Jon,

I read your blog; I would say it is a little dark and would caution to not fall into a normal hypothesis on who killed jazz, because the media is an easy target. I have every reason to be totally disillusioned when it comes to jazz and performing. This question you asked I have asked myself for many years. At this point I don't consider myself a jazz musician, nor do I care to label what I do, if people ever like it enough to make it possible for me to make a living doing it than great.

Sorry, I digress, to answer your question. I think the death of jazz was perpetrated and set into motion by the founders of bebop. They took the music out of dance halls and held it over peoples heads. This isn't bad, but no fan, no matter how much they love Charlie Parker, could grasp the genius he had, no writer, no critic, no booking agent, he was above them. So what happens, the mass populace embraces it because there is societal pressure to not be left behind by the new sound. I think it was easier for jazz fans at the time of charlie parker and eventually miles davis to embrace jazz because the evolution was happening so quickly and by such large strides that even the most ignorant jazz fan could tell something changed between duke ellington to charlie parker to miles davis. Add to that excitement, people still enjoyed jazz as a popular music during that time, so it would be like there was some not danceable hip hop, as if some hip hop artist would not want people to dance but listen to the words of their songs.

Finally, you have to analyze culture and it's progression. Since the 1960's, American culture has been one of speed and ignorance. We want things fast, easy, and unintelligent. Look at the progress of food in this country. How many fast food restaurants were around america in 1960? So I believe the bebop guys that forced the music into high art indeed got what they wanted, but at the price of demanding how fans interalize and enjoy their music.By this point, generally, the only 20 something year olds willing to learn all they can about jazz are students.

So that is my 2 cents, I am sure blaming Charlie Parker for the demise of jazz is a strange view point, but that is where I am at as of now.

peace,

john

In general, I agree with your point that the jazz media takes some responsibility in promoting a mentality that overly lionizes or annoints certain special musicians. It concocts PR-like stories that resemble not so much people as characters from a story book, or myths. A compelling personal narrative gets good press, but I wonder if the focus on the music doesn't get lost. Then again, to some extent you can't separate the music from the person.

Although I think the media plays a role in jazz's current state, there are any number of reasons why it is the way it is. These factors holistically influence each other, and none of them are independent; everything in the environment exists as one simultaneous whole. It's the audience, it's the media, it's the culture, and it's the musicians. The world is changing. The air we breath is different, the food we consume is different, the political environment is different, and the universe is in flux.

Although "great music" is hopefully universal and timeless, it also arises from a cultural milieu. In one sense, the general culture that birthed jazz has moved on. The classic "American popular standard" format that made jazz (and the jazz language) has changed. Since the 1960s (with certain exceptions, like the Beatles), pop tunes have become less harmonically rich, and they are driven more by lyrics than melodic content. They are engineered for a dance environment (which is not a negative thing). The social dynamics and context at the time of jazz's origins have certainly changed. The function of the radio in disseminating the music is quite different now, if it even still has a function.

Jazz emerges from a general worldview in the culture. In the USA, this is capitalism. The United States is dominated by an acquistive, materialistic outlook; we're a nation of consumers. Money is king. If there is a state religion, it is capitalism (not democracy). We are so conditioned to think in monetary terms and to have a financial outcome in mind for our actions and output.

(Incidentally, I credit Michael Moore in recent years for bringing a significant awareness of the consequences of capitalism, as well as an open critique of its practices, to a more mainstream audience. In recent years, the arch capitalists (the banks which control the government, etc) have racheted up their greed to such heretofore unprecedented levels that the masses finally couldn't ignore it any longer.)

This creates the environment that produces the music. The music industry AND the music is a reflection of our collective cultural values. The main intent of the pop music industry is to sell product. In the past, many artist types generally didn't think like business people; I would submit the music *business* is run merchants, not artists. The

industry people had their eyes on the prize early on, arguably starting with sheet music sales in the early 20th century, followed by "race records", then rhythm & blues, and rock (which it could be said was an attempt by the industry to market white musicians mimicking black artists). Perhaps what is happening today is simply business as usual, albeit on a bigger scale.

It's interesting to note that record companies used to put out albums by artists who, though they were records the company knew wouldn't sell well in the short term, were viewed as an artistic investment. The music world is fortunate that John Coltrane had Bob Thiele as a producer, because Thiele definitely went to bat for Trane in the hierarchy of ABC/Impulse. Can you imagine an album like "Meditations" being recorded and sold today

on a major label by a major jazz artist?

Jazz doesn't make money, but it *could*. Think about it: we have collectively been sold products which are outright dangerous and hazardous to our health (e.g. cigarettes) to enhance our image. The public has been hypnotized to believe they have a need for unnecessary consumer goods to feel complete or to feel secure in their sense of self.

The same people who sell you wars, politicians, or snack foods could most definitely sell you jazz.

Given the right budget, publicists, and media outlets, jazz would sell. It's not a huge stretch of the imagination. NBA basketball sells. If people were exposed to jazz and educated about its practices, it would sell.

So why doesn't jazz sell? Besides being misunderstood, it hasn't been marketed. The jazz media try their best with their resources, but they are selling to a very niche market. (But on the flip side, if one were to water jazz down to a mass market, would it the same thing anymore? Or worth doing at that point?) There have been a few efforts - most recently, Ken Burns' Jazz series on PBS.

Setting aside the show's ideological predisposition, one particular episode was instructive vis a vis the issue of audience exposure. The show quoted a Cecil Taylor remark that his audiences needed to prepare for his concerts before seeing him play, and then cut to Branford Marsalis criticizing that as "self-indulgent bullshit". I would contend, however, that there are concrete reasons that Cecil was grounded in fact, and these reasons are relevant to a discussion of why jazz does or doesn't sell.

Many, many activities and objects within our daily lives are learned or conditioned. They are acquired tastes. Drinking wine, for instance, is an acquired taste, as is generally abstract expressionist art. Cecil is merely saying that to understand his music, you have to understand what he is doing in the first place. (This means preparation.)

Take our example of team sports. In order to understand a baseball game, say, I need to understand what a pitcher is, or what a catcher is, or what a line drive is, or what a pop fly is, or what a homerun is. I need to understand the general rules and flow of the game, or meaning will be missing. Obviously this is a simple observation, but one must understand the terms by which the game is played, or otherwise there is no game. It is all perception. If I do not know the rules of baseball, if I have not done my homework, I cannot appreciate a baseball game on the level of an casual fan, let alone an astute afficionado.

The only reason why the rules of baseball or basketball or et al are so well known is because of their mass popularity. Everyone knows how these sports are played because they are deeply ingrained in the popular culture and psyche. Sports are also body-oriented (as opposed to intellectual) which makes them accessible to a huge audience. Most communities have organized sports teams, and most families probably have at least one sports fan who exposes the children to sports from an early age.

Jazz could be no different. Like team sports, most jazz has a discernable format which could be collectively understood. If the public could gain an appreciation of the head-solos-head format, or the concept of improvising off of a melody or a tune, or the concept of "trading 4s", etc, there's no reason why jazz cannot be appreciated. If people can understand and discuss ad nauseum NFL football plays, there's no reason they can't do the same with a 12 bar blues. Just like sports, the inherent physicality of jazz (the rhythm, groove, body movement, foot tapping) is easily appealing to a general audience.

How does one then encounter or learn to appreciate jazz? For me, it was in a music program in public school. It doesn't help that these programs have been under assault by certain (conservative) social forces for years.

I'll relate another anecdote I found instructive. A good friend of mine in college was from Pittsburgh. During the summers, he would go home and play sessions, hanging frequently with some of the elders or doyens of the community, including Roger Humphries, who used to play with Horace Silver.

My friend learned something from them that stuck with me. Many of the jazz musicians in Pittsburgh cited Ronald Reagan's administration as being responsible for drastic cuts in music education which all but terminated musical training for black people. Apparently they felt that opportunities for jazz or the scene were never the same after that.

This loss of education and exposure has an effect, particularly on the people who might stand to make the most difference. In general, black culture in the United States has been a huge driving force for music in the 20th and now 21st centuries. Truly, the music of the African diaspora has traveled the globe and enormously influenced musical

output. I think the deterioration of the original culture and social context that spawned jazz has had an effect, too.

Even though the case can and should be made that people of various ethnicities (i.e. white, Hispanic, Native American) have contributed to jazz in profound ways (jazz wouldn't exist without Western harmony - you don't find that in Africa), the vitality and vigor that black culture imbued jazz with has been greatly diminished or displaced.

The black community is the original environment from which jazz emerged. This is not to say jazz or its definition cannot evolve or change, even radically, or that people of other backgrounds cannot play as well, but merely that jazz has a historical point of origins that influenced the aesthetic and values of the music.

Since the 1960s, the social cohesion and family structure that existed within the black community in previous eras (and the white community, too...) has become fragmented. There are any number of causes for this, although employment issues (also connected with immigration), widespread social apathy, and dismantling of social institutions have changed the landscape of the black community at large.

So, I think the black community has largely largely moved on from jazz. Black youth, who might be in a position to carry on the music as a cultural heritage, don't receive the necessary equipment, exposure, or training, and so they move on to hip hop or other forms of expression. Nothing against hip hop, but the situation for the art of instrumental music might be very different today if the greed and reverse social engineering of the 80s hadn't happened. And is the majority of hip hop today really saying anything meaningful beyond "get rich or die trying" (i.e. marketplace values)?

What is the future of a culture that embraces these values? But to return to the original question: is jazz dead? Again, it always comes back to how we define dead. I'm not so sure jazz is dead. There may be no more innovators (this is an unknown) making seismic shifts, so in that sense one could say it has lost much of the creative vitality it once had. It's possible that in trying to define it and restrict it to particular definition, one may end up killing it. I favor a

definition of jazz that is as wide as possible.

But in another sense, schools churn out more players (albeit with fewer gigs, as you know) than ever. There is a definite booming market for jazz education (maybe as big as the market for recordings? or bigger?). Despite the fact that the market share is shrinking, and jazz album sales more miniscule than ever, people continue to devote great quantities of their lives and energy to the artform. Somebody, somewhere has to listen to this music. Something else must drive jazz musicians than purely financial motives.

-michael

Who Killed Jazz?

2010-04-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

Blog #45: Who killed Jazz?

For as long as I've played Jazz, I've heard phrases like "What can we do to save Jazz?", "How do we bring back Jazz and make it popular?", "Why is Jazz Dying?"

I pose a new question: Who Killed Jazz?

I've lived in New York City, Jazz Center of the World, for 5 years now. I've played at places like The Bluenote to large audiences and at dive bars to crickets. I've hung at Jam sessions, booked gigs, released a CD, talked with press, booking agents, club owners and Jazz Educators. This isn't to say "Been there done that", its just to point out what I'm drawing my conclusions from. So, Who Killed Jazz?

The Jazz Media Killed Jazz.

I know that may sound weird. Why would the Jazz Media(magazines, websites, etc) kill Jazz? Aren't they trying to get people interested in Jazz? Isn't that where they make their profits? How'd they do it? How'd they get away with it?

The Jazz Media killed Jazz by deciding what music they would cover and what music they would ignore. I am a HUGE Jazz fan, and I can tell you I haven't purchased a Jazz Magazine since 2002(with the exception of a few that printed my name or mentioned me). The reason I haven't been interested is that its all the same shit. If I'm killing time in a bookstore, I'll flip through and see its nothing but stories about 'New remastered versions of John Coltrane", or "Miles Davis: Kind of Blue Revisited". If it is artists that are still alive its "Roy Haynes plays the Music of Charlie Parker". It doesn't take a genius to realize the Jazz Media is resting on its laurels and dwelling in past glories. The twist about these tribute albums and stories is that they DO sell. Albums of standards usually sell better than albums of original music; which is why record companies pressure their artists to do them. And while these all may lead to selling a few CDs or Magazines its a short term solution because its not perpetuating NEW artists and NEW music that people will get into, buy CDs and see concerts from. If this continues in 40 years we'll still being seeing more "'So and so' plays the music of Thelonious Monk" as opposed to "'So and So' plays the music of David Binney."

What 'New' Music that the Jazz Media does decide to cover is also quite (un)interesting and usually falls into two catagories; Pop Jazz acts(usually attractive female singers doing the same old songbook) or Avant Garde Artists whose music is hard for the general population to 'get'.(I would also like to add if a Jazz Media member doesn't understand the music, he is most likely to assume its 'Deep and Profound'). Classic 'Emporor's New Clothes' syndrome at work here.

If the Jazz Media killed Jazz, how'd they get away with it?

The accomplices to the Murder: Jazz Fans. That's right, its also your fault. You let them get away with it, by jumping on board and saying, 'yeah, I guess you're right 'so and so' is pretty good', as opposed to making your own opinions or searching out more obscure musicians who were making great new original music that you actually might like more.

Jazz Educators are also responsible for killing Jazz(stop and think about how fucked up that is!). As a product of Jazz School, I can say there is a huge emphasis put on playing in a traditional style as opposed to striving to find what you like to play. Why develop your own voice when you can just copy Charlie Parker?! This conservative approach isn't helping the production of new original voices.

How do we fix it?

Jazz has always been a music that is about growth and changing. The Beboppers were definitely pushing the music when it was their time, and many people didn't think what they were playing was 'Jazz'. Putting 'Jazz' into a box is one thing that is doing great harm to it. Let it grow, embrace it, stop holding on to the past. I love Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Joe Henderson and we will always have those guys. Jazz as what WAS exists on records and there will always be traditionalists on the scene. Jazz as they define it may be dead, you just need to update your definition if you want it to live.

Next week I'll cover "How to Kill your Career with a few simple Blog Entries" :)

Trumpet Flexibilities - Octave Displacement

2010-04-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

Blog #44: Trumpet Flexibilities - Octave displacement

I've been trying to think of different things to put up on this blog, so I thought maybe I'd share some exercises I've written that I do.

I spent a lot of time working on playing lines with octave displacement, sometimes its as simple as taking something I've been playing and moving one note up or down an octave. This can make the phrase sound more interesting and different. I wrote these exercises to get comfortable and accurate with all this jumping around on the horn. I do them a few days a week as part of my 'short warm-up' session, and do them generally four times (once slow slurred, once fast slurred, once slow tongued, once fast tongued) two part A's and two part B's. By playing them this way it kills two birds with one stone; I get to work on articulation too.

Maybe, I'll write out some actual lines over changes out based on octave displacement and put them up later. These drills are based on the harmonic series of trumpet, but I'm sure they could be useful to most instruments.

(Also, a shout-out to Laurie Frink, she had me play similar exercises while I studied with her)

Miscellaneous

2010-04-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

Blog # 43: Miscellaneous

I'm back in NYC now after a week or so of Traveling. I went back to Philadelphia and spent some time at home, then back to NYC, and then back to Philly again to play a gig and now I'm back NYC. I recorded the show with Audio and I also got most of the first set on my FlipVideo.

Besides the gig, I've been laying pretty low. I was getting a bit burned out with scheduling rehearsals and sessions. Its a pretty big pain in the ass to have to call and organize everyone's schedules and find a day in common; especially when these things get cancelled last minute sometimes when gigs come up. Every musician's schedule is pretty random, so its hard to coordinate. So for the past month, I haven't played too many sessions, I've just been locked up in my apartment practicing hard, writing new music, fixing issues in my playing and developing new concepts. I could go into further detail, but I like to keep some surprises. Now I feel recharged, and will probably go into another phase of playing a lot of sessions and rehearsals. From my gig last week, I'm reminded how much is developed just from playing with people.

I've also found myself listening more and more to different types of music and seeing how they are all related. Living in New York City and hearing so many Jazz musicians play tons of notes has made me really appreciate simple, less-complicated music. I've been listening to some Steve Reich and Philip Glass and have been really digging the minimalist thing. My next album will probably combine Minimalism and Jazz; and I've been writing a lot of new music with this approach. I've also been listening a lot to some Indie rock bands. I just got a new album by David Bazan called 'Curse your Branches', which is pretty amazing. Bazan is an ex-evangelical christian and this album is all about the confusion he has in believing in God. Its nice to hear a rock musician dealing with something heavy like that and not just being heartbroken about a girl. I'm starting to hear how Minimalism, Gamelan music, Indie Rock, and Bach are all very related.

As far as my own music in the future, I don't really care what people label it. I have no urge to 'Save Jazz'(which is a frequently discussed topic, and funny thought to me). I don't feel much of a need personally to maintain the tradition, although I'm fine with other people doing it. I just want to keep making music that I like to listen to, whatever style it may be. To me there are only two types of music; good and bad.

Here are some video clips from the gig on 4/1/10, This is my arrangement of the Sam Rivers tune 'Beatrice'