Jazz has been used to bring people together at private events and public venues for almost 100 years in the United States. Venue owners love this because they can normally sell their clients drinks and food when there are plenty of people listening to Jazz. Private event hosts enjoy the way Jazz brings people together because it helps their guests appreciate each other by brightening up their days. This is great for the owners but the musician is left behind with little reciprocity.
Jazz During The “Great Recession”
I have found many of the great Jazz clubs have recently had a hard time covering their expenses with the “Great Recession” in the United States since December of 2007 so they have elected to have musicians play for free or at a very low cost. Many venues also force band members to charge their friends and associates a “cover” at the door when entering the venue.
The Great Depression which lasted for most of the 1930s created a hard time for many Jazz musicians so they took to the airwaves with many public broadcasts. I suggest an alternate approach that was used similarly during the “Great Depression” and still brings people together. Perform at your own location to save on fuel and time. Promote your own performance by bringing friends and other Jazz musicians to your own location. Then broadcast the performance on the Internet. Broadcast the performance live if possible and even consider charging for live viewers much like many of the video sites do now.
I have started doing this and it has been working great. It has saved plenty of energy, my friends always get in free, and there is no charge for drinks or food. The online listeners also enjoy it much like they would have during the Great Depression but they now have Video, chat, and can become a part of the show online!
If you are interested in attending or viewing one of the next performances by Gregory Hillman please email contact@gregoryhillman.com and request a direct link for the live video with sound. Performances normally happen on Sundays.
I hope it brightens up your day!
