Viewer Mail 4: Where Should I Live?

This question comes from a young jazz guitar student from British Columbia. Actually, this question was asked on Facebook, but I thought it would go well as part of the blog:


Hey George, I am going to graduate with a B.mus. in Jazz next summer. Nowhere close to pro chops but working on it. Do you recommend moving to a city with a real scene right away, or bumming around somewhere cheaper while I woodshed a little longer?

- Alexis Deighton Harrison


Dear Alexis:


Interesting question. If you had a ton of money in the bank, or could work during the day as a hedge fund manager, I would say by all means move to New York City. (When you get to Wall Street, you might see a bunch of crazy protesters who hate freedom and so forth. Just ignore them.) But the fact that you used the phrase "bumming around" could imply that you are not independently wealthy. (Although some rich people might say something like, "I'm just going to bum around East Hampton for a year until my inheritance kicks in." Totally different use of the word "bumming.") So moving to New York can be tough, even for somewhat established musicians like myself.(That's why I don't live there anymore. HA!)

The New York Jazz scene is the best in the world in terms of number of musicians per square inch, being able to hear the best known and unknown players every night of the week, and getting your ass beaten musically(which could make you a better player...). I lived in New York from 1995 to 2009, and I believe that I would not have developed in the same way if I had stayed in D.C. or Baltimore. However, I DID wait for 4 years after I graduated college. I waited until I felt I was ready to move to New York. I could have moved sooner, but I also started late playing jazz piano, so I needed the time to play catch up. And I was also playing with some name cats when I moved there, so I had a bit of an in. Furthermore, New York was VERY DIFFERENT in the 90's. There was much more work in the city, and much more touring work. 

That all changed after 9/11. I found it impossible to make a living in the city, and I think that's still the case, unless you do Broadway shows, have a job with the Symphony, or teach 40 students a week(or have a full time teaching position, which is slim pickins in New York City.) Even in the 90's, most of my bread came from tours, and as I got older and touring became less and less fun, I was stuck between not touring and going broke, or touring all the time and being miserable, or not working in town AND not touring and REALLY going broke, or ....TA DA! Find a teaching job. So I pursued that for many years, first ending up in Winnipeg, and then being in Portland now.

I realize I'm going off on a tangent. Older people tend to do that.

Now it's interesting, I think, because I feel like there ARE scenes outside of New York, that should be cultivated, not only for their own sake, but just because New York doesn't need any more musicians moving there. I believe that the "Either you are in New York or you not, and New York is where it's at" philosophy has not always been universal, and that New York is actually becoming less and less relevant. For example, I know some very successful musicians in Europe who have only visited New York a handful of times. And when you start to look around, you notice how many musicians DON'T live in New York and never did.

OK, so what does ANY of that claptrap have to do with you? Well, I think unfortunately, you answered your own question at the beginning. And I don't really know your playing either, so if you could prove to me that you were the next Kurt Rosenwinkel, then maybe I would say run, don't walk, to New York. (BTW, Kurt doesn't even live in New York.He got a teaching gig in Berlin. HA!) But I'm guessing that being on a smaller scene would most likely benefit you more than being lost in the shuffle in New York.

I would try to sell you on doing your Master's at PSU( I'm supposed to be recruiting, after all...). Portland has, from what I can tell so far, a good scene. It's cheaper to live here than most of the other cities that you might have considered(Vancouver, Toronto, maybe even Montreal. And it's not as cold!).

I'm guessing that what you need to do is PLAY! And if you can find a place where you get to play on a regular basis, and not have to worry about rent and health insurance and all that, then go there. I played tons of gigs in Baltimore and Washington D.C., and that's really how I got my stuff together. I think If I had moved to New York right away, I might have been overwhelmed.

Maybe I would have quit.

You might also want to live somewhere cheap so that you can save your money and make regular "fact finding" excursions to New York. Spend a week every 3 to 6 months in New York. Take some lessons, go to gigs, try to meet some players.

What about a Canada Council Grant? In the 90's, it seemed like every other day I would run in to somebody who was living in New York on a Canada Council Grant.

But I would say smaller is better for now. Also, you might consider Europe. I hear great things about Berlin. It's cheap to live there and it's a great vibe. Not sure about the jazz scene. It all depends on who you talk to.

Anyway, good luck, and I hope the ramblings of a jaded jazz edumacator helped you. And feel free to ask any more questions.