Opinion: ‘San Diego Is The Smooth Jazz Capital of the World’
Jaz, who works at Batkave Studios, posted an interesting blog entry about the history of the San Diego music scene and how artists today should learn to capitalize off of that foundation. I can’t speak on it too hard but I wonder what everyone else thinks. Here’s what Jaz has to say (you can read the original post on his Facebook page here):
OK LET’S TALK ABOUT JAZZ,
WAIT …………….. Did I say Jazz? A lot of young people are already clicking off the page, but read on and you might learn something.
I’ve been here longer than most of you have been self aware about music and I’ve been watching you complain from a distance about not getting any support or radio play in this town. I haven’t really been saying anything because most of you think you know how to do things and still there are crickets chirping at your shows. The only people in the crowd are other artists who can’t wait for you to get off the stage so they can perform. And the rest of you blindly promote on the internet oblivious to what’s going on because you haven’t really met any of the real movers and shakers in this city face to face. So now I’m ready to talk because a lot of you have confidence but no knowledge about how this city runs. So listen up ……………………………..
Every city has a sound. And if that sound is supported by the wealthy, then that money creates venues, thus creates opportunities to be heard and supported:
New York: Hip Hop rules and started in the neighborhood burroughs and is woven into the very fabric of society there. The city saw much prosperity in the late 80′s and those moguls stayed in NY and created an industry. People are willing to sell out Madison Square Garden to see one of it’s own (Jay-Z) perform songs that are similar to the songs that many artists out there are trying to push. The rich people in that city are willing to accept Hip Hop as an art form and spend money supporting it and create venues that ensure the music continues.
ATLANTA: Is the only scene with young/new money rooted within Hip Hop and R&B. There was much money and prosperity made in the 90′s and most of those successful moguls decided to stay. Artists create, opportunities are present, Music money is made, and those same money makers stayed in the city and supported the up-and-coming new talent. Thus creating a never ending cycle of music, creativity, and business. The music moguls are a part of the local community and you can’t distinguish the successful from the up-and-coming.
DC: GO GO Music. Nuff said. lol
SAN DIEGO’S situation is a bit more complex than that. What is San Diego’s niche? Are you ready for this?
SAN DIEGO IS THE SMOOTH JAZZ CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
And whether you know it or not, this is where all the music money is going in our city. Thousands ………….. Millions ……….. In the late 70′s, Jazz was our HIP HOP. Young jazz musicians were graduating from San Diego schools and became world class players. I remember my mother taking me to Oceanview Park as a baby to see local groups like POWER (20 year olds) and other locals perform with Earth, Wind, & Fire, Maze, and other heavy hitters of that time. Clubs were booked with local acts and most had original music and made tons of money playing gigs and touring with big names.
But when the 90s came, a musical divide started between the old and the young. The younger generation gravitated toward LA’s rap explosion and we saw violence erupt in hip hop clubs around the city. The wealthy got uncomfortable dealing with the language and the rowdy shows and started to separate themselves from the local scene. They created venues specifically tailored for Jazz and Easy Listening music (Humphrey’s by the Bay; Anthologies), and never looked back. They decided to keep the major venues for the wealthy suspended in the 80′s and earlier forever ……………………………………. And it’s worked.
Today, if you want to perform Hip Hop or R&B and be successful it’s in two ways. First is in a corporate band singing cover tunes. There’s usually a keyboardist rapping popular lyrics from Tupac or some classic HipHop top 40 song from the 80′s or 90′s. Then there’s the alternative band with a dj and a rapper doing originals similar to Beastie Boys or Eminem. And that’s it. If there is not a live band included with your show, you’d better be part of a non-profit for troubled youth, or have an amazing bio story.
The older jazz musicians and radio personalities run this town. Most are over 40 and wouldn’t know the average local standalone artist even if they had been performing here for a decade. And unless you play in a band with older musicians (at Humphreys or Anthologies), you are out of the loop. If we continue to be stubborn or unwilling to do a little research and start meeting up with these people, urban music is going to continue to be considered underground in San Diego for years to come.
Every great city has a legacy. Smooth Jazz just happens to be ours. It’s time to start fusing our sound with the aging musical greats in this city. Start including them on new studio projects and pay them for their experience. Create futuristic style “Jook Joints” and start breaking new artists, all without relying on ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION or a corrupt promoter to keep venues afloat.
Let’s open up to the past so that the past can open up to us. This is what is going to create an industry for us here. That’s just my opinion…………………………
Sincerely,
Jaz
Reading be fun though:
