Starting a Jazz band

[DanOwens]

Hey guys,

I did a music degree (graduated 06) and played in a few Jazz groups. Did some Cuban/Brazillian stuff and the usual standards.

Of late all my bands are annoying me a tad and since I'm now a proper music teacher (start at my school Sept 6) I thought I'd resurrect one of my Jazz bands.

So far I have a Pianist/Rhodes, a very good drummer and I'm looking for a guitarist, sax/trumpet and a singer. My questions are thus:

[list=1]
[*]Do we need an agent/agency?
[*]How do I find a good agent/agency?
[*]What are the essentials for a website?
[*]What type of events book Jazz bands?
[*]Is it OK to do Jazz arrangements of Pop tunes (Kings of Leon, Killers, Gaga)?
[*]What are the top tips for doing functions/events?
[/list]

Thanks!

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='DanOwens' post='1337426' date='Aug 12 2011, 11:29 AM']Is it OK to do Jazz arrangements of Pop tunes (Kings of Leon, Killers, Gaga)?[/quote]

[DanOwens]

Happy Jack > perhaps not.

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='DanOwens' post='1337468' date='Aug 12 2011, 11:59 AM']Happy Jack > perhaps not.[/quote]

Then again.....

[DanOwens]

Yeah, I like the Nouvelle Vague sound a lot!

[DanOwens]

I would've thought a few of us played Live Jazz/ Function / Covers.

I've never done it before. I don't know whether you can sign to multiple agents/agencies or whether there are certain ones I should avoid. I was hoping to get some insight into this...

Dan

[Bilbo]

1.Do we need an agent/agency? No but it can't hurt (don't sign exclusively as they won't get you enoughwork)
2.How do I find a good agent/agency? Lift up any drain cover......
3.What are the essentials for a website? Soundclips and contact details. Make it look classy.
4.What type of events book Jazz bands? Weddings, birthday parties, retirement dos, corporate stuff..
5.Is it OK to do Jazz arrangements of Pop tunes (Kings of Leon, Killers, Gaga)? Yes, as long as you do it well.
6.What are the top tips for doing functions/events? Be on time and look clean and professional. Keep a clean band area (put cases in cars/out of sight). Always make sure the customer is getting what they want. Always discuss payment in advance (cheque or cash) so no uncomfortable silences on the day.

[Chris2112]

For me, the only issue is the jazz covers of pop songs. There are enough great jazz songs out there to cover, as well as loads of fusion stuff you could 'calm down' into a jazz setting. I appreciate these songs are usually for the audience, to give them something they know, but in my vast experience of seeing jazz bands when I worked at a hotel I never once thought a jazz cover of a pop song was worth anymore praise than simply being 'quirky'.

[urb]

Mmm, tricky one this - speaking from experience it's good to do the standards/covers stuff for a more commercial type of approach, and obviously there's nothing wrong with earning some decent money from going that route - all I can say is the standard of music and presentation is very high among more 'function' type bands these days and to get that right can take a lot of work - which will be duely rewarded but it's definitely not the approach of playing 'jazz' for serious musical kicks. This is almost certainly the way to go if you really want to explore the music and write and play your own material - but again from experience this isn't the road to regular or well paid gigs - even if you get extremely good and get the aproval of the real jazz fans out there. My advice is keep the two things separate - the function type stuff is fun but can get dull and irritating, especially if you're playing your umpteenth wedding and all they want to hear is 'Girl From Ipanema' and 'Fly Me To The Moon' etc etc - but on the other side only getting a handful of gigs with your cool nu-jazz outfit can equally frustrating. Essentially there's very little money in 'real jazz' though playing it can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your musical life - if you want a list of cool, current bands let me know and I'll add them here later - but going the slick corporate function band route can be lucrative and fun, but you really have to be super slick, look and sound the part and really sound the business to get those high-end bookings.

Hope that's helpful

Cheers

Mike

PS here's an example of a good high-end standards/covers band - check their 'Clients' list:

[url="http://www.jazzbomb.com/player/music.html"]http://www.jazzbomb.com/player/music.html[/url]

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='DanOwens' post='1337426' date='Aug 12 2011, 10:29 AM'][*]Is it OK to do Jazz arrangements of Pop tunes (Kings of Leon, Killers, Gaga)?[/quote]

I believe the answer is "hell yes", so long as you do it well:

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_4fiMIxO2E&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_4fiMIxO2E...feature=related[/url]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKllfSfgB4k&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKllfSfgB4k...feature=related[/url]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xqwSCMF23o"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xqwSCMF23o[/url]

[DanOwens]

Uncle Psychosis > They're 3 examples I've handed to the other players regarding the vibe I'd go for (except The Bad Plus are probably a bit dense for most audiences).

Bilbo > Is it really that simple, I google agencies and go with one I like the sound of?

Chris/Urb > We're discussing this 'integrity' thing at the mo. I want to get booked. Straight up. I want to play some jazz in an accessible way without it getting totally cheeseball, but throwing in familiar melodies is surely going to satisfy everyone. I don't want it to get too Jarrett or Bad Plus (both bands I love) but I'm thinking more Cannonball Adderley/Chet Baker in it's lyricism.

Thanks for the tips though everyone. I'm designing the website at the mo and have a 'grey suit pants, white shirt and black skinny tie' look for the band already.

Dan