Thanks for your ongoing interest in my musical journey.  My last letter was in December, and I like to write only when I have something truly newsworthy to say.  So I’m sure you’ll be interested to read about my several upcoming world premieres and other events.

UPCOMING APPEARANCES/ PERFORMANCES

April 29: 2pm at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts. Free. The West Point Jazz Knights (pictured) perform the world premiere of Cumberland Gap, the composition they commissioned me to write for them. It’s my foray into Bluegrass, rich with Americana, that I think dovetails with the diplomatic mission of this military band. Don’t expect anything like the Bluegrass you know, though! I’ll leave it at that. This smoking band is stacked full of alums of the top Jazz schools in the country.  MORE INFO

May 1: 1:30pm at Stony Brook University, Long Island, NY. Limited public lecture/recital. Violinist JongEun Lee performs the world premier of my Sanjo for Violin and Piano, which she commissioned for her doctoral recital. The three-movement work is based on four different Korean traditional songs and mimics the virtuosic instrumental genre called sanjo. Often the violin is employed as a geomungo (zither) or haegeum (fiddle), and the piano as janggu (barrel drum). The piece also incorporates Western contemporary classical and Jazz elements.  In a recent blog post I wrote in more detail about the experience of composing this.  MORE INFO

May 13: 2pm at New York Presbyterian Church, Long Island City, NY.  Free, open to public.  I’m organizing and leading a new brass band in a Gospel music concert for this date.  The band is trumpet (Jason Wiseman), sax (Mike Webster), sousaphone (James Rogers), drums (Vin Scialla), and of course, trombone (myself).  We’ll play timeless hymns in the energetic brass shout band tradition that I closely identify with.  I expect to write more about this exciting new band project as it develops.  MORE INFO

A DAY OF ‘JUDGEMENT’

I had the pleasure of serving as an adjudicator for the Brass soloist finals competition at the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) national conference here in NYC in late March. It was an honor to share the panel with brass giants Jeff Scott and Raymond Stewart. For two days we listened to the most talented brass players in the US at the high school and college levels. Some of them had memorized their entire programs, up to 40 minutes – a feat in itself. The musicality of the college level winner, a tubist, was astonishing.

REVIEWED BY THE BRITS

I finally obtained a copy of the Mulberry Street review in the British magazine JazzWise. Giving the record 3 out of 4 (normally) stars, the editor adds, “East Asian music is among the fascinations of this US-based trombonist, big band composer, and arranger. Here he, subtly yet persuasively, draws from Korean/Chinese music for his contemporary jazz large ensemble writing.”

MULBERRY STREET

Speaking of this album, for any newcomers who haven’t yet checked out my big band Project Hansori or its debut album, here are links both to hear/see them at our band website, and to purchase the full or partial album on iTunes.

SITE REDESIGN

While we’re at it, old comers and newcomers alike will appreciate the new design of my personal website.

PROJECT HANSORI/OTHER COLLABORATORS’ NEWS

Check out these brand new records by trombonist John Yao (“In the Now”), his debut on the Innova label; and by now top-demand bassist Linda Oh (“Initial Here”), her second, on Dave Douglas’ label, Greenleaf. More veteran records are in the works by Francesca Han, Mike Webster, and a coming debut disc by Ryan Pate.

BRIDGING THE GAP (pun alert):

Chew on this… Many months after my mouth and face injury (given lip-service in my Sept-Oct newsletter), my trombone chops feel like 100% and I’m happily chompin’ at the bit. It turns out all my initial worries and teeth-gnashing of not being able to play again were all bark and no bite. We’ve silenced all that chatter. To be sure, though, it’s not all giggles and grins. Some scar tissue remains on my lip, probably permanently (somewhat biting news), and it’s still strange to play the horn with a “flipper” denture in my mouth. However, the latter will change, since on my 5/20 dental appointment my implant procedure will finally be done, nipped in the bud. On this date my wonderful dentist, a bona fide surgeon to whom I feel most indentured, will place a permanent pearly white on the titanium implant screw (a newfangled technology) that’s now sticking out of my 1-toothless gum. I should then be able to play freely, without distraction. So it is not I, but fate, who has the glass jaw, who bit off more than it could chew. And lest I forget my musical roots, the Philippines may be where I fell and tickled my ivory, but NYC is where I truly cut my teeth. And that makes me all smiles.

Thanks for reading,

Jeff Fairbanks

My last post touched on my personal experiences dealing with venue owners offering losing financial deals to musicians.  For this discussion I’m focusing more on clubs, bars and restaurants than on other venues.  Here’s a well-written, creative response to this long-standing problem, from musician by Dave Goldberg in his open letter: Why Music Venues Are Totally Lost.  He cleverly challenges owners to try asking their chef, for instance, to bring his/her own friends and family to patronize the venue in order to justify their existence on the payroll, as if cooking the food doesn’t already do so.  As chefs are hired for one reason only (food), so musicians exist for music alone.  Sure, musicians need business skills and are forced to be entrepreneurs nowadays, and we’ll do our best to promote, but our “best” is not promotion, it’s music.  Since their business’s very survival depends on it, owners themselves must ensure their venue is adequately promoted, by either their effort or by hiring a specialist.  And that means that relying exclusively on musicians, who are not trained as promoters, is foolishness.  I don’t rely on my mailman for medical care, just as I don’t expect my doctor to deliver my mail.  When confronted with the tired question, “Why didn’t you bring people into my venue?”, Goldberg turns the table on the owner: “What did YOU do to bring people to YOUR venue?”

He wisely states that pros cannot expect their ‘following’ to attend every performance they do, especially when they’re playing almost every night.  Imagine asking that same chef to bring their ‘following’ every night, too.  Musicians need to travel to reach fresh audiences.  Wayne Shorter, with his large fan base, might fill a club or concert hall several nights in a row in Naples, FL, for example.  In theory, though, how well-attended would his show be in the same town on the fifteenth night in a row?  Or the thirtieth?  So it goes with musicians when playing locally.  We do cultivate our own fan bases, for our economic survival.  Isn’t this at least as crucial for venues to do, too?

Goldberg touches on the fact that some musicians unfortunately participate in the race to the bottom for wages, and that’s another discussion entirely.  Yet another discussion is the unfortunate cultural climate that now sees music as a hobby rather than a profession.  Here, though, he focuses on the business logic of operating a venue, which is a fresh approach.

One creative solution

As a pro it’s not in my interest (to say the least) to participate in a losing financial deal.  Most venues I’ve been in touch with offer such deals.  That’s why I look for creative ways around this problem.  Working to change venues themselves is one front.  Another is to open your own — for a night.  In my last post I mentioned thoughts of renting out a warehouse (or any non-traditional space) for a night to produce a concert.  I just came across this same idea among others, in this CD Baby article about unusual performance spaces: DIY Venues: Get Creative with Your Performance Spaces.  This piece is just a short primer for thought, but it’s right in line with the approach I’m looking into.

As to what I’ve been up to musically, check out this post about taking a completely new direction with my latest commissioned composition.  Of course there was my tooth and lip injury which I’ve mentioned in a past newsletter or two.

Regarding Project Hansori (the big band), though, of course I miss performing my music and am anxious to return it to the stage.   I’ve actually been working behind the scenes to do just that, sending press kits, chasing grants, etc. — or in bandleader talk, hustling.  In truth I’ve had responses from several venues offering deals that made no financial sense (for a trio gig, let alone 18 or more musicians), and were weak playing opportunities.  Rather than wasting time being surprised or complaining, I move on to other outlets and keep trying.  I’m seeking venues and presenters with opportunities that are worth taking.  I’m fully realistic about the economics, speaking from experience, but I know when it can be better.  ‘Less bad’ is more accurate.  Mainly, though, I’m looking for something exciting and fulfilling, for the performers and the audience.  Otherwise, why do it (when there’s no financial incentive)?  If I can’t find such opportunities through other presenters, I may just make my own venue for a night and rent out a dockside warehouse if need be.  With the right circumstances that would be genuinely exciting to me.  It seems to be going in that direction.

Speaking of hustling, I’ve been doing quite a bit of grant writing lately.  I’ve had tremendous success with this in the past, but it’s a very speculative, up-and-down business.  After recently missing the cut for a grant I thought I had in the bag, I’m trying to gather the motivation to write more upcoming applications.  It can be a little numbing when you spend so much time and creativity into hustling and paperwork, as opposed to creating music.

Something that has made me excited, though, is that I’ve been asked to join a new art project called Book of Changed.  Eight artists of all different disciplines will collaborate to create work informed by the classic Chinese text I-Ching, or Book of Changes (yes, the project’s title is “…Changed”, not “…Changes”).  This project was originally conceived to apply for a slot in the Asian American Arts Alliance’s Locating the Sacred Festival, but whether or not it’s selected for this event, it will most likely also be presented elsewhere.  The process of collaborating with these seven other artists will be just as enjoyable to me, though.

I look forward to eventually performing (again) with both of these projects, an continue to work for it.

JF

Ms. Lee asked me to write something based on the famous Korean song Arirang, but done in a contemporary context, using my own style, and theoretically weighty enough to analyze for a doctoral lecture.  Here’s what I came up with: three movements each feature their own traditional song (a Geomungo Sanjo, a Haegeum Sanjo, and Kangwando Arirang), with all three being set in a unique pentatonic scale (there are many variations beyond the black keys of the piano!).  I derived contemporary Western/Jazz harmonies from each song’s scale.  I also weaved the widely-known Arirang into each movement, often in disguise, until it appears more directly in the final section.  I also used the violin to occasionally mimic the geomungo (plucked zither) and haegeum (vertical fiddle) during their respective movements.  In the outer movements the piano and sometimes the violin use rhythms common to the janggu (two-sided drum).  The overall structure of three movements, each increasing in tempo, plus the piece’s function as an instrumental solo feature, both serve to fit this piece into the definition of the Korean musical form called Sanjo (hence the title).

For any Long Islanders (or particularly rabid Jeff Fairbanks or JongEun Lee fans) reading this, I’ll share the date of the performance/lecture when it’s announced.  Looking forward to it!

Rather than just complain about this situation though, I’m looking for a new meaningful role for the orchestra/Jazz band/musician/live music/art/etc. to fill. Even though live music is being rapidly replaced by DJs and pre-recorded music, it’s not time to melt down our musical instruments into scrap metal.  I believe there will always be a need for live music, even though the role of the music itself may change to parallel the changes in the world.  (…Think about sailing, which until a couple centuries ago used to be the fastest, most advanced  means of travel available.  The advent of much faster motorized ships did not signal the end of sailing; rather, many people now sail for sport, recreation, or to learn a skill, etc.).

Wakin writes that some orchestra executives believe  “fundamentally… that they must make their ensembles more relevant to the community”.  I think that’s a good start.  Emphasizing education “that has been draining out of school systems” is also smart, but I wouldn’t go as far as the Detroit Symphony may in changing their players’ job descriptions.  Other new practices like incorporating YouTube, social events, etc. show that boards of directors are willing to try new approaches.  Particularly the role of cultural/diplomatic ambassador, as the NY Phil played in recently touring North Korea, is something that should be a bigger part of artistic institutions.  I’ll keep researching and brainstorming to find more bold and creative contexts where using the (Jazz) orchestra is the best (or only) logical choice.

JF

The JFJO concert at the Tea Lounge was a blast on Monday night.  The band sounded outstanding, even with limited rehearsal time, some different personnel for this gig, and a couple folks basically sight-reading this difficult music.  Brooklyn saxophonist (and freelance photographer, it turns out) Bob Curtis came out and took a bunch of photos of us in action, which I’ll post when I get them.  Incidentally, he also won the free CD pre-order when his name was drawn from among the email list signees — congrats, Bob!

We also got 16 new email addresses to add to our growing mailing list.  Thanks to Ryan Pate for collecting them.  Nice to also see quite a few returning fans.

9/19 gig canceled

BTW, although it was announced in the last newsletter, I didn’t get a chance to blog about the fact that our 9/19 performance has been canceled.  Actually the entire event, the Gospel Jazz Festival at NY Presbyterian Church, was canceled (or hopefully postponed for a later date).

JF

Also, you may reserve tickets ($15) by calling the LPAC box office at 718-482-5151. Tickets will be available to purchase online at http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/lpac/contact_us.aspx, though it doesn’t look like that option is available yet.  Be on the look-out for that…

LaGuardia Performing Arts Center “Main Stage Theater”

31-10 Thomson Avenue
Long Island City, NY 1110

JF

Show details

JF

I am just getting to this blog now b/c, after several days of working on it,  I just sent in my application for the American Music Center’s new recording grant.  I just discovered it about a week ago and am so glad I did, since today is the deadline!  If awarded, it could cover a huge part of the cost of producing the album.  It’s extremely competitive (only 10 grants will be given globally) but I more than meet their criteria, and think I will stand out as a candidate.  So far I have a good track record for getting grants from the AMC (2 for 2), but they were relatively small ; with the album done and <gulp> paid for, this larger one would really count.  I find out in a couple months so stay tuned…

JF

JF