Jazz Office Hours: Recent Episodes
Cory Weeds & Will Chernoff
Business-focused Q&A for musicians and students, grounded in the world of jazz. Once a month, Cory Weeds and your host Will Chernoff take questions about working in music, from the career side right down to the personal. Skip the BS, find out how it all works, and avoid the mistakes we’ve already made.
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, Kurt Elling and Harold Mabern, meet-and-greets with Wynton Marsalis, 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.
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.
Credits: Hosted and produced by Cory Weeds. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. Intro: "Red Cross" from Green on the Scene by Nick Green. Theme music: "Blues de Troye" from Day by Day by Cory Weeds.
Jazz Office Hours: the Cellar Music Group podcast, together with Chernoff Music.
In this solo episode by Will, let's kick off the year in style and run down a highlight from every 2022 episode. Each highlight involves Cory teaching a lesson to, lighting a fire under, or provoking new thoughts from Will. We cover five episodes in under 20 minutes.
- From Ep. 1 - Establishing a level of care (1:18),
- Ep. 2 - Comparing venues (5:35),
- Ep. 3 - Cory didn't have any recording experience (10:20),
- Ep. 4 - Being in control vs. being picked (12:44),
- Ep. 5 - Does Oliver Gannon need to apply to the jazzfest? (15:45).
Jazz at the Bolt 2023 is coming up at the Shadbolt Centre in Burnaby, BC! Learn more here on Cory's website.
In this episode:
- Cory went to Pittsburgh, went on tour with Michael Weiss, and brought Jeremy Pelt out here for some big gigs (00:51),
- The venue incident (11:43),
- When people say "We can't make a living as full-time musicians in this city" (25:29),
- Not saying yes right away (0:32:04),
- The power of the checklist and setting up venue promotions (35:41),
- What you need to know when you apply to jazz festivals in Canada (43:21),
- Best-of-2022 highlight: Does Oliver Gannon need to apply to the jazzfest? (46:51)
- Getting nominated for the Grammys won't change your life, and no gig is career-changing (56:43).
In this episode:
- Cory doesn’t know half the people he introduces at Frankie’s, and interest in live gigs is up! (4:50),
- Is the Cellar Music label releasing too many albums? (9:00),
- Why monthly listeners is a bad statistic for comparing artists (22:35),
- The “keeping the lights on” view of social media (27:25),
- The danger of having multiple names for your projects / bands on streaming platforms (32:55),
- First question: Music grant organizations to follow as a Canadian musician in BC (38:15)
- What’s it like being on a grant jury? (44:05),
- When you get rejected, it’s so often circumstantial, and so rarely a judgment on you (49:35),
- Second question: Thoughts on being a brand and branding for musicians (58:42).
Shout-outs to James Danderfer’s Monday Mid-Day Instagram Live and Jamie Lee’s fall 2023 community mentorship round!
Links:
- FACTOR Artist Development grant: how I won it twice - Will's two applications to the program
- Juried Sound Recording program: FACTOR
- Explore and Create: Canada Council - Includes Research and Creation, as well as Concept to Realization, programs
- Amplify BC Career Development grant
- Music BC Travel Grants
- What is the Spotify monthly listener figure? - Will's breakdown of what the often-misunderstood stat means
- Legibility - Will's Rhythm Changes Update on what happens when you have many streaming profiles with slightly different names for your group
In this episode: Cory uploaded never-before-seen footage of Hank Mobley and Dexter Gordon to YouTube (0:49), First topic: "I once booked an amazing pianist at a club in the UK where the promoter told me 'I honestly don't think I can sell more than 30 tickets for him but I love it and I can book on that occasionally.' (4:28), Cory shared a pitch gone wrong and received over 150 comments back on Facebook (9:42), What do I need to know about how to present myself on stage? (15:09), I'm in jazz school, but I want to learn about audio production, recording, and mixing. How can I go about this, without having to go to audio school? (20:37), How do you learn to hear what makes a good mix or master recording? (25:00), The Fraser MacPherson Jazz Fund is offering scholarships now to instrumentalist students in BC (30:59).
Links: http://frasermacphersonjazzfund.ca/scholarship-info/ (Fraser MacPherson Jazz Fund) - Apply for scholarships if you're an instrumentalist student in BC https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOeAlPX1_wcVIrUnx3Gftyw/ (New Jazz Underground) - YouTube channel of three people just going for it and having fun recording themselves https://www.jazzofficehours.com/blog/approach-jazz-bar-club-owner-musician/ (How to approach a jazz bar or club owner as a musician) - written by Cory from our website https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DTJTjC0fpA (Hank Mobley video) - Cory's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO57l22DGVo (Dexter Gordon footage) - Cory's YouTube channel https://www.rhythmchanges.ca/110-words-gig-bookings/ (These 110 words just went 4-for-4 on local gig bookings) - Will's Rhythm Changes Update on his local gig pitches
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), Playing too many local gigs in a short period of time (29:31), Next question: Presenting workshops for students but getting low turnout (43:44), Getting past attendance numbers to focus on impact (54:06).
As the second would-be air date for the show falls here during the producer's vacation, 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: Clearly define what you think your band is. Look at venues and figure out which ones you could potentially fit into. 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 Season 1, 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), 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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxyon6mBXfU (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. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-11/amazon-really-wants-japanese-music-fans-to-stop-buying-cds (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.