London Jazz Band Stories.
London Jazz Band Stories. Jeff Williams
I recently sent some information over to a booker of music at a major London venue and was pleasantly surprised, actually astonished, to get a positive reply back within the hour! Usually I prepare myself for a long, inevitable game of cat and mouse involving follow up emails, phone calls to answer machines and so on and so forth. Anyway, it inspired me to write this post which I am hoping will help some aspiring bandleaders and musicians. I refer to The Art Of Hustling !!
Starting with some background, it is fair to say that the era of being just a sideman is over. There are a disproportionate number of fine players for the jobs on offer and musicians have to be a bit more creative in getting work than just waiting to be picked up by bands. More and more players are creating their own work, finding platforms to perform and this is to be admired. Being a jazz band in London is not an enviable occupation if you want to feed yourself. Their are no shortage of fine players with fine bands chasing a finite number of gigs.
London Jazz Band Stories
Lets assume you have a great band, you have splashed out on a good video. Maybe spent £500 to a £1000. You have publicity pictures. Lets assume that what you do will be well received by the public, if you can only get a gig!! Lets also assume your jazz band has stories running on face book and twitter and that you are interacting with your potential audience. Never look down on your audience. I know some musicians who have no time for jazz club enthusiasts. It is a dangerous position to take. So the next thing to do is compile a list of who you are sending the promotion pack to. It could be bookers of music venues, it could be club owners, it could be music agents for wedding jazz bands. It doesn’t really matter. The important thing is to remember that they are getting hundreds of similar packs like yours every day, unsolicited. Start with a phone call explaining who you are what your band does and where you have been working. If you can get across the fact that you have a following or that you are active on social media, all to the good. Ask if you can send your promotional pack to them. Then tell them you will follow the call and email up with an email in two or three weeks time when, hopefully, they will have had chance to look through your wares.
London Jazz Band Stories
London Jazz Band Stories. Band leader Jeff Williams
This is where the game of cat and mouse starts! I have spent three years working on individual promotors/bookers to get into a venue. I hear stories from other jazz band leaders in London spending even longer. 1. Use your contacts. Has a friend worked at the venue you are trying to get in to? Get them to put in a good word. When you get in touch two or three weeks after the initial contact, do not be put off by the fact they will a. probably not take your call or b. Won’t have listened to your stuff. Remember, they are ploughing through hundreds of videos and cd’s. If you do get through on the phone, or even if you send an email, empathise with the booker. “I know you must get hundreds of such calls, I’m sorry to have to chase this, but there is no other way” Expect to have to make many calls and emails before getting a response. This means being organised and keeping a record of who you have hustled and how many times you have contacted them. Remember, as long as they have not said NO then you should assume they have yet to scrutinise your promo material. Being ignored is not a rejection. “No I don’t want to book you” is a rejection!!
London Jazz Band Stories.
A few final tips. When speaking to a booker, have an informal script ready in your head that you have practiced. Keep it simple, short and try and sell a package. My own band is described as “A tribute to the rich musical heritage of the Deep South.” I call our performance “A Night In The Deep South“. Try and use buying questions “Are you looking for bands that really get the crowd going” “Do you prefer booking bands with a following?” The answers to questions like this are always YES!
Then you can pounce!!
Want to discuss any of this with me? Why not visit our website homepage here for contact information. Jeff Williams is the bandleader of the very successful “Mississippi Swamp Dogs New Orleans Blues and Boogie Band: He plays trombone and sings.