L.A.?????

bassix67 · #1 09-24-2011, 12:03 AM

Janek, How does LA compare to NYC gigging and vibe wise? I'm in Miami now and lived in NJ/NYC for a number of years.
My wife and I visited LA in july and really realized how much we miss the big city vibe and we are thinking about making the jump. I went to Berklee for a few years and still study now to keep growing. I play R&B, hip-hop, jazz,fusion, rock etc!

Thanks

janekbass · #2 09-25-2011, 02:54 PM

Well I don't really play in LA at all. I literally have one show with my own band in LA this entire year.

For me it's a place to live. A really nice place to live with the weather! I do my thing, work on my playing, write music, work on the video lesson site in the office, hang with good friends that live out here, and generally decompress when I'm here.

I go to NYC almost every month to play, and I spend a good portion of the year on the road. So in terms of comparing the two cities just based on playing in town, I really think that's realistic for me.

I have the fortunate position of having the best of both worlds and commuting between the two cities anywhere from 12-20 times a year. And I have no desire to go after a sideman career in Los Angeles like a lot of people do here in town. I prefer to play my own music, make far more money than a sideman gig pays, and generally have a lot more fun doing it.

Janek

bassix67 · #3 09-25-2011, 06:44 PM

Thanks Janek, damn I really wanna be where u are. Miami isn't cutting it and I really realize now how much I need to be in a LA or NY where there's a positive music scene and gigs that lead to bigger
Gigs.

B.

Hou · #4 09-26-2011, 10:35 PM

Don't you miss New York?

Did you never play a Smalls, Fat cat and these clubs or is that for more straight ahead jazz?

bassix67 · #5 09-27-2011, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hou

Don't you miss New York?

Did you never play a Smalls, Fat cat and these clubs or is that for more straight ahead jazz?

I miss the miss the hustle, funkiness and culture of the city but not the everyday crazy, smelly, dirty, fighting for cabs etc hastle. NYC can wear on you after a while. I hung a those clubs but they are straight ahead and mostly and upright thing plus my bop skills weren't in the order they needed to be for spots like that.
My scene was more like the 55 bar, village underground, the bitter end, groove, and SOB's.

cire113 · #6 09-27-2011, 02:28 PM

Miami is rough for the music scene for sure!!!

janekbass · #7 09-27-2011, 04:43 PM

Well I don't really have to miss NYC at all as I'm there just about every month of the year working. I find myself in a very unique and fortunate position of having lived there for so long that I'm still called to work there on a regular basis. Sometimes just a small gig at the 55bar where I'll then book another two nights so I'm not just going for one $100 jazz gig. But quite often it's for recording sessions, writing sessions, or bigger gigs. I'm going next month for instance to work with Japanese guitarist Kazumi Watanabe for the first time. He lives in Japan, I live in LA, and the drummer lives in NYC. But it really doesn't matter at this point in our careers. Kazumi wanted me to play these shows in NYC so his manager emailed me and arrangements were made.

I would recommend this tactic when first starting out. I think it's only because I spent so long in the epicenter of the music scene in NYC that I'm granted this fortunate position now later in life.

Here's the real deal though. Or at least what I think it is...

If you want to work as a sideman then you're probably going to have to put yourself somewhere that there are opportunities such as NYC or LA. You're also going to have to figure out what kind of sideman work you want to do as well. Way more pop gigs leaving LA than NYC for instance.

But if you really want to make a mark, and be known for what you do, you have to be original. You have to have something to say that no one else can. And the best place for working on that starts wherever you are right now. Of course it's nice to be able to call top level musicians to work on music with you as you can in NYC, but it's not essential to you creating something innovative and unique. That's inside of you already, and you have to put yourself through a set of experiences to bring that out of you, and give you a reason to speak.

Janek

bassix67 · #8 09-28-2011, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cire113

Miami is rough for the music scene for sure!!!

Don't remind me

((

SLaPiNFuNK · #9 09-29-2011, 02:43 AM

FWIW... When I lived in Boston I would gig a lot between Boston and NYC...

Out here... not as much...

But maybe thats just me?

bassix67 · #10 09-29-2011, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLaPiNFuNK

FWIW... When I lived in Boston I would gig a lot between Boston and NYC...

Out here... not as much...

But maybe thats just me?

Please tell me more!! What kind of music do u play? Are you connected with any of the top cats out there? Are there not as many gigs as on the east coast?
I have some connections that could get me
Up and running if I play them right and have all my **** together.

SLaPiNFuNK · #11 09-29-2011, 04:40 PM

Well, If you have connections then you are probably all set.

When I moved out to LA about 10 years ago I was doing more electronic music and traveling for gigs DJing... So I kinda got out of the loop playing wise... I play Jazz Funk Blues Rock etc... anything really...

To be 100% honest, I havent really put my self out there much at all... A couple of years ago I was the house player at a blues jam. Little bit of studio work here and there.

15 years ago when I was in Miami florida I would run jazz combo's around town booking them while playing in my own jazz combo, not sure what that scene is like now either...

There are a ton of jam sessions out here though, I have been starting to go to more of those lately.

bassix67 · #12 09-30-2011, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLaPiNFuNK

Well, If you have connections then you are probably all set.

When I moved out to LA about 10 years ago I was doing more electronic music and traveling for gigs DJing... So I kinda got out of the loop playing wise... I play Jazz Funk Blues Rock etc... anything really...

To be 100% honest, I havent really put my self out there much at all... A couple of years ago I was the house player at a blues jam. Little bit of studio work here and there.

15 years ago when I was in Miami florida I would run jazz combo's around town booking them while playing in my own jazz combo, not sure what that scene is like now either...

There are a ton of jam sessions out here though, I have been starting to go to more of those lately.

I'm not relying on those connections and I'd be a fool to. They could work or be a dead end.
Miami has been taken over by DJ's and
There aren't to many places to play. I only
Know of two jam sessions in miami right now. So it's a little hard to get out there. I've spent the last 3 years studying with Nicky Orta so I can make a move and give myself better chances

SLaPiNFuNK · #13 09-30-2011, 10:16 AM

I am sure you can find something that will work for you and keep you busy.

**j-raj** · #14 10-04-2011, 09:13 AM

How is Andrew Gouche's jam session?