Jazz Office Hours with Cory Weeds – Details, episodes & analysis

In this spontaneous 15-minute hang I talk about a unique weekend involving Jacob Chung, a wonderful young saxophonist who came out to play in BC for the first time. Jacob brought his band of Tyler Henderson on piano, Caleb Tobocman on bass, and Hank Allen-Barfield on drums. The quartet came through Frankie's Jazz Club for two unforgettable nights, among other shows. We also recorded the piano trio (featuring Jacob as guest) for Cellar Music. They just get it.

I also discuss Eric Reed, the great pianist who played the SOLO Sundays series at Pyatt Hall. Eric is such a real, thoughtful person and I'm proud to call him a friend. He has lived the life and is unapologetic about how he shares his experiences through his music and stories.

It's not all heavy though.. I also have some funny moments to share about how the young cats told me in no uncertain terms that I'm old now!

RIP Lou Donaldson.

This episode originally aired on Instagram @coryweeds on November 12, 2024.

Alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo is coming to town to play with a Vancouver quartet at Frankie's! Mike (who joins at 01:50) is a soft-spoken, phenomenal musician. The New Haven, Connecticut native studied at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, the school known for Jackie McLean's jazz program. He's now based in New York. I brought him to Vancouver in past years to play with Larry Willis, Harold Mabern, and Steve Davis.

We talk about his studies with JMac in a formative time, we continue to remember Jim Rotondi, and we enjoy a brief hang. Mike DiRubbo plays with Tilden Webb on piano, David Caballero on bass, and Jesse Cahill on drums this Friday, July 26th and Saturday, July 27th.

This is Frankie's Backstage: Tune in as Frankie's artistic director, Cory Weeds, sits down with upcoming performers to discuss their journeys & their music. Get to know some of the performers who will be gracing our stage at Vancouver, BC's premier jazz club.

This episode originally aired on Instagram @frankiesjazz on July 23, 2024.

Credits: Hosted and produced by Cory Weeds. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. Theme music: "Blues de Troye" from Day by Day by Cory Weeds.

Jazz Office Hours: the Cellar Music Group podcast, together with Chernoff Music.

Fear. It shows up throughout our musical lives as we book gigs and work to bring people out. But too often the attention drifts to numbers like, 'What's your draw?' while the meaning rests in the music's impact.

Maybe promoters aren't as cynical as you think. And it's not all about results from one show; you can always get the promoter excited for next time, too.

• First question: Fear of playing badly, and of not drawing enough people to your gig (2:24),
• Will breaks down how much easier it is to tour in this era than it was decades ago, but also how much harder it's gotten in the past few years (19:43),
• Playing too many local gigs in a short period of time (29:31),
• Best-of-2022 highlight: Comparing venues (31:23),
• Next question: Presenting workshops for students but getting low turnout (43:44),
• Getting past attendance numbers to focus on impact (54:06).

It's summer! We're on vacation, so please enjoy this top highlight clip from episode one.

In this answer, Will & Cory discuss the secret to connecting with local music venues and booking agents: know what you want to do!

It breaks down into three steps:

1. Clearly define what you think your band is.
2. Look at venues and figure out which ones you could potentially fit into.
3. Make your best demo, and make a statement of how you feel you should be treated by the venues.

After that, you can shift your focus to getting known for what you do, which is as simple as spending time at the venues you want in your musical life.

This clip originally appeared in episode 1: Making Albums, Expectations, Demo Recordings, Distribution.

Making a jazz album, from demo to distribution to performance, is a game of expectations. Whether artistic, financial, or personal, expectations keep you on track and help you remember why you're in the game.

Topics:

• First question: How to release a jazz album (01:17),
• What are realistic financial expectations for making an album? Taking entrepreneurial risk, investing up-front in production, and building a music career over time (11:44),
• Cory takes an honest look at the growth of Rhythm Changes and of his radio show, Condition Blue (17:41),
• Best-of-2022 highlight: establishing a level of care (24:44),
• Next question: How to get gigs by sending demo recordings to booking agents (25:54),
• Choosing the right live music venues for your band (29:45),
• Making a personal connection with venue booking agents (36:16),
• Storytime: the early-2000s distribution deals that established Cellar Music (39:47),
• New Cellar Music releases by Sheila Jordan & Brian Charette on July 15, 2022 (48:06).

Links:

• YouTube - All Things Must Pass (Tower Records documentary) - Cory said he enjoyed this movie about the famous record store business so much, he watched it three times.
• Bloomberg - CD sales in Japan (2020) - CD sales have still been a huge part (over 70%) of the recorded music market in Japan, even as recently as 2020.

Here we go! Stay tuned for Jazz Office Hours.

I'm talking New York With Weeds 2025 (March 16-23, 2025), the next edition of my annual trip to the Big Apple, because you can get $100 off registration for the trip until July 30th! Learn more about it here on my website coryweeds.com.

In this spontaneous 15-minute hang I got into some New York with Weeds stories from past years' trips, including: getting banned (sort of?) from the Village Vanguard, discovering amazing musicians I'd never heard of at the time, hearing Kurt Elling and Harold Mabern, having meet-and-greets with Wynton Marsalis, a moment with George Coleman at Bohemia, and more.

Held in March every year, New York With Weeds leaves no jazz stone unturned in NYC. We visit the hot spots, the lesser known spots, and the stellar spots in between. The tour includes private/exclusive recording sessions with New York’s top musicians, private/exclusive performances at some of the city’s most renowned clubs, and roundtable discussions with some of the international jazz scene’s biggest movers and shakers.

You can expect about 20-25 people on the trip, and you don't need to be a hardcore jazz fan. Nor do you need to fly out of Vancouver like me!

This episode originally aired on Instagram @coryweeds on July 18, 2024.

Intro: "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" from Reach Out! by Hank Mobley.

On this hot summer Sunday School: rest in peace Jim Rotondi - the instrumental teachers I had in my early years,and how Jim was part of the connections I started making (2:49), Has the ship sailed on making a living from just jazz gigs? (17:55), My NYC plans in fall 2024 (30:00), a preview spin of The Heavy Hitters' record made last December (31:12). Plus more topics like gigs with Hugh Fraser and Dr. Lonnie Smith, and favourite records by Cedar Walton and Sonny Stitt. We close on the nature of the commitment to get the most out of every note you play, do less when you need to, and avoid doing too much, inspired by the time I spent with Scott Hamilton during the jazz festival this year.

This is Sunday School: Cory Weeds opens up in a livestream format for Q&A about the business of jazz, artist career talk, and a chill hang. To catch the next one live and participate, follow Cory on Instagram.

This episode originally aired on Instagram @coryweeds on July 14, 2024.

Intro: "King of the Hill" from Jim's Bob by Jim Rotondi.

Credits: Hosted and produced by Cory Weeds. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. Theme music: "Blues de Troye" from Day by Day by Cory Weeds.

Jazz Office Hours: the Cellar Music Group podcast, together with Chernoff Music.

Life happened and I've missed doing it for months now, but Sunday School is back in session! We kick things off by talking about (among many things) the value of vinyl and the rich listening experience, plus some inside talk about manufacturing and selling vinyl records. Then, we get into the classic Jazz Office Hours topic of emailing venue bookers (32:10) with an emphasis on how important it is to be "cool to work with".

This is Sunday School: Cory Weeds opens up in a livestream format for Q&A about the business of jazz, artist career talk, and a chill hang. To catch the next one live and participate, follow Cory on Instagram.

This episode originally aired on Instagram @coryweeds on June 23, 2024.

Intro: "King of the Hill" from Jim's Bob by Jim Rotondi.

Credits: Hosted and produced by Cory Weeds. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. Theme music: "Blues de Troye" from Day by Day by Cory Weeds.

Jazz Office Hours: the Cellar Music Group podcast, together with Chernoff Music.

Alto saxophonist Nick Green will be performing as a guest with me for my Hank Mobley tribute at Frankie's and leading his own quintet at the club! Nick (who joins at 05:03) is Brooklyn-born and raised and made an album on Cellar called Green on the Scene. He has great stories and I talked to him about his journey in jazz.

Then, I talk about three of the finest pianists coming to Pyatt Hall in Vancouver this fall (32:30) and take a question (33:29) about how musicians like Nick and I went out to start getting our first gigs.

Find your tickets for my Frankie's shows on the Friday, July 5th or the Saturday, July 6th, as well as Nick's date on Sunday, July 7th through the links.

This is Frankie's Backstage: Tune in as Frankie's artistic director, Cory Weeds, sits down with upcoming performers to discuss their journeys & their music. Get to know some of the performers who will be gracing our stage at Vancouver, BC's premier jazz club.

This episode originally aired on Instagram @frankiesjazz on June 22, 2024.

Intro: "Red Cross" from Green on the Scene by Nick Green.

Credits: Hosted and produced by Cory Weeds. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. Theme music: "Blues de Troye" from Day by Day by Cory Weeds.

Jazz Office Hours: the Cellar Music Group podcast, together with Chernoff Music.