Square One or:How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blog

Welcome to THE GIG. My intention here is to express ideas about music, principally (but not strictly) from a jazz perspective. My entrée to the jazz blogosphere -- something I've had my eye on for a while -- was long delayed, for what I took to be good reasons.

I started writing critically about jazz in 1995 for the Philadelphia City Paper, then my local alt-weekly; at first I harbored no hopes of making a career of it. That had changed a bit by 2001, when my editor asked me to start contributing a regular column. The Gig debuted that spring, and in its maiden voyage I attempted to explain the title.

A gig connotes not only an appointment but also a means of income and an outlet for expression. It’s the space in which a player reconciles commerce with art. The former quality is devilishly lampooned in The Gig, Frank Gilroy’s zany jazz movie of the mid-’80s; the latter pervades "The Gig," a complex mini-opus by the late pianist Herbie Nichols. It’s for these two very different items that this new bi-weekly column is named.

I churned out The Gig for the next few years, covering a lot of ground and learning much in the process. It ended around the time I began working on a book project with the impresario George Wein. Then in 2004 I was once again tapped to pen a column, this time for JazzTimes magazine. My fellow columnists were Gary Giddins and Nat Hentoff, both of whom I had read intently and voraciously.

This iteration of The Gig has covered topics ranging from women in jazz to the ups and downs of composer commissions, with an occasional goofy detour; I try to keep things serious but never stuffy. For years I maintained that it served more or less the same purpose as a blog, knowing full well that I was straining to make the point.

It lasted until the final issue JazzTimes furlough of June 2009. My final column at that point, No. 52, saw publication almost exactly five years after the first. In some ways the prospect of JT's demise spurred the creation of this blog. The loss of a regular outlet to a jazz readership was not something I was prepared to accept. I have every intention of keeping the same standard here as in my column. Only with a looser format, and more dialogue. And more pictures of my cat. 

Comments

[Anthony Guzzardo]

Dear Nate,

I am contacting you from Buckyball Records, an artist-run jazz label in New York City. We would like to introduce you to our catalogue.

Buckyball's 2010 releases are of exceptional quality, and our latest release, "Words Beyond" by Alon Nechushtan (piano trio) has received wide critical acclaim. Guitarist Jake Hertzog's "Evolution" (street date of August 16th 2011) creates an entirely new genre of jazz-rock.

You can view our catalog at: http://buckyballmusic.com

We defy conventional categorization, and our label name comes from the nickname for the third form of carbon, the buckminsterfullerine, as the idea of music being a science stemming back from the 1600's is not lost on this record label.

We would like to send you promotional copies of our latest releases. Please send us your mailing address to: [email protected]

Sorry to have to use your blog to contact you but it is the only way we have to reach you.

Sincerely,
Anthony Guzzardo
Buckyball Music, Inc.
phone: 212 333 5812
[email protected]

[Jonathan Simon]

Hey Nate,

First of all, you have a wonderful blog! I enjoyed reading about how this all became possible. I think you have the best of both worlds because you don't have to answer to anyone above about what and how you write. Your readership can only thrive more in this case because you're writing from the heart. Plus funny pictures of cats are always cool!

I'm approaching you because I'm putting on a special jazz event I'm calling The Rebirth of the Cool on Tuesday night at the Empire Hotel. It's a FREE event where I'll be bridging jazz music with modern genres that have been influenced by jazz. It is my desire to keep jazz relevant by sharing where it also exists today. I have a description for the event as well as a flyer I can email. Would you'd be interested in posting this on your blog? If you live in NYC and were interested in coming, I can throw some drinks your way for your help. Thanks and let me know.

Sincerely,
Jon Simon/DJ Gatsby

[Bill Lessard]

I saw you covering the Henry Threadgill gig at Roulette back in the spring. I was impressed that you were there, so big up to you, as they say, for looking beyond the usual roster of mainstream clubs (few though they be) for your reporting.

Sorry to bother you here. But there doesn't seem to be a proper email address anywhere to contact you. I work with a fellow who has just put out a new record featuring the disklavier, which, as I'm sure you're aware, is like the player piano on steroids (subsitute "acid" or whatever your favorite cliche.)

The last thing I ever want to be is that annoying publicist that calls you on deadline. I just want to make sure that the info about my friend's record finds its way to you.

Here's a private link where you can listen online: http://www.thecodeinternational.com/previews/stations/info.php

If you like what you hear, my contact info is on the site.

Keep swinging,

Bill

[Mike Wilson]

Was wondering when you'd finally have a blog, with your impeccable taste and all. Looking forward to reading it.

[Josh Jackson]

Welcome to the fray.

[Jason Gross]

Great to see this. Looking forward to see what you have to share.