Solo Jazz/Standards Gigs

[Nymuso]

What degree of success are you having doing this?

I’m thinking of this as a side project and separate from my acoustic trio, possibly for upper echelon restaurants or private clubs. I have always played Standards and some Jazz for my own enjoyment, but for public performance I always gravitated to the usual suspects of Pop, Rock, Country and Folk. But this morning while noodling with The Way You Look Tonight I figured, why not?

I envision just me, a mic and my electric going DI into my Bose L1C, small footprint, quick in/out. Might have to dress nice though . . .

[JKA]

I think the biggest difficulty will be getting an audience receptive to jazz guitar. I watched the Tube clip of Ted Greene playing jazz standards at a friends wedding. It was utterly amazing but nobody was listening and some of the best jazz guitar ever played went unnoticed and unappreciated.

There's a lot of truth in the joke that goes: What's the difference between a jazz guitarist and a rock guitarist?

Answer: A rock guitarist plays 3 chords in front of millions of people...

Not something I could do. Too many brain freezes with the pressure of an audience. Good luck with it though, I'd definitely attend and enjoy.

[Nymuso]

Originally Posted by JKA

I think the biggest difficulty will be getting an audience receptive to jazz guitar. I watched the Tube clip of Ted Greene playing jazz standards at a friends wedding. It was utterly amazing but nobody was listening and some of the best jazz guitar ever played went unnoticed and unappreciated.

That’s the beauty of restaurant vs bar gigs. Bars want you for entertainment and want you to keep people there. Restaurants want you for atmosphere and want people to leave so they can turn over the tables. That’s why they’re called potted plant gigs, a curse to many musicians but fine with me.

[tbeltrans]

I know of two guys who have long standing gigs, each at one specific restaurant. One, Jake Reichbart, has been playing at his for over 25 years. The other, Dave Roos, has been playing at his for a few years. Then, there is Robert Conti who had a gig at a hotel for 10 years or so around the time that I was in a trio playing on the road.

When I was on the road, these were called "sit down gigs" and were the most desirable because you didn't have to tour all the time and you could finally settle down and get a life. We never got that type of gig because they were always solo or maybe an occasional duo in a hotel lobby or restaurant. We were a trio, which at that time (late 1970s) was the best income per person on that circuit. Back then, it was a solid "blue collar" income, but I don't even know if those gigs even exist anymore. We played 6 nights a week at each gig and sometimes the gig might last another 2 or 3 weeks. We were booked solid for at least 6 months in advance and were never out of work for the two years or so that I was with the band. I left to get a life.

I don't know how many of these gigs there are, but if these three guys are any indication, it should be at least somewhat possible to get a long-standing gig.

Nymuso is spot on that these gigs are for atmosphere rather than drawing attention to themselves. This kind of gig is similar to being a cocktail pianist who is expected to play softly and not be too showy.

Conti, on his chord melody DVDs, talks frequently about this very thing - that to be a professional, you have to perform as expected for the venue you are playing in. He says that the type of gig Nymuso is talking about, you have to "lean heavily on the melody" and the "art" for you as a musician is in the harmony underneath the melody. He further says that most of the people in the room are not actively listening and don't want the performance to be intrusive. A very few (or none) will be actively listening and might even request a tune or two, or at least you will see them nodding in time to your playing, if not outright complimenting you.

When I was on the road in a trio, the main reason we got asked back was not because we were better than other bands, but that we controlled the volume appropriately and played the right types of music for the room and the situation.

We played supper clubs, resorts, and hotels like Conti did. During dinner, if people had to lean toward each other to talk, we turned it down and we never had the manager complain to us about volume. We built our repertoire around the kinds of requests we got, so the music was always appropriate. At that time, the Great American Songbook and more modern equivalents (called MOR) were popular. I don't know what those rooms would require today. Back then, these gigs were AF of M (American Federation of Musicians) union gigs. We all had to have union cards to play. You paid your local dues like any union, but also had to pay work dues when you played in other locals, which we always did since we were always on the road.

Until a person has done this kind of gig, s/he may not realize that it is the little things that matter. A person may be able to fly all over the fretboard with incredible prowess, but if that is not what the gig calls for, then that simply won't fly with the management.

It seems to me that there are few, if any, piano bar gigs around where I live anymore. There used to be those years ago, but they seem to have dried up years ago. I don't know if any of those rooms even survived, but if they did, it might be worth checking to see if you could get a gig at a rate they are able to afford (assuming the piano gig dried up due to lack of funds or interest).

Tony

[jersey]

I'm pretty introverted and I don't like to sing, so this type of gig is ideal for me. It's like getting paid to do what I do on the couch at home anyway, but with less noodling and more focus on playing complete songs. Generally you will be booked for one to two hours and you can make around 50 to 70 bucks an hour (maybe more, depends on area and venue).

As others have said, you are basically a potted plant, or a piece of wall art, lol. You are there to help provide a relaxed, harmonious atmosphere. Everyone will talk while you play - don't take it as an insult. Most people wont even consciously notice you. The advantage of that is it creates a low-pressure environment to play in.

My advice for this type of gig:

1) Appearance matters: Dress well! This makes a huge difference in how people (and the venue owners) perceive you. You can be a guitar virtuoso, but if you look sloppy it tanks your perceived credibility and professionalism. (relatedly, use a classy instrument. Probably not the time for a flying-V or red SG).

2) Less is more: Focus on relaxed tempo, simple chord-melody arrangements of tunes.

3) Ideally, try to play a lot of beloved classic tunes. This will endear you to the venue owners and public, and result in more referrals for more of these gigs.

4) Go for a "fat" and "warm" tone that doesn't intrude on people's conversations, but sort of lays under the conversational fray, frequency-wise, if that makes any sense.

A perfect example of how to play this type of gig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZENkj7C7Bw Of course, none of us can play like Ted, but what he is doing here is ideal.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by jersey

I'm pretty introverted and I don't like to sing, so this type of gig is ideal for me. It's like getting paid to do what I do on the couch at home anyway, but with less noodling and more focus on playing complete songs. Generally you will be booked for one to two hours and you can make around 50 to 70 bucks an hour.

As others have said, you are basically a potted plant, or a piece of wall art, lol. You are there to help provide a relaxed, harmonious atmosphere. Everyone will talk while you play - don't take it as an insult. Most people wont even consciously notice you. The advantage of that is it creates a low-pressure environment to play in.

My advice for this type of gig:

1) Appearance matters: Dress well! This makes a huge difference in how people (and the venue owners) perceive you. You can be a guitar virtuoso, but if you look sloppy it tanks your perceived credibility and professionalism. (relatedly, use a classy instrument. Probably not the time for a flying-V or red SG).

2) Less is more: Focus on relaxed tempo, simple chord-melody arrangements of tunes.

3) Ideally, try to play a lot of beloved classic tunes. This will endear you to the venue owners and public, and result in more referrals for more of these gigs.

4) Go for a "fat" and "warm" tone that doesn't intrude on people's conversations, but sort of lays under the conversational fray, frequency-wise, if that makes any sense.

A perfect example of how to play this type of gig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZENkj7C7Bw Of course, none of us can play like Ted, but what he is doing here is ideal.

Excellent advice. One point I forgot to mention that you brought up - dress well. We always had to wear decent clothes, and it was not uncommon to have to wear a suit or sometimes even a tuxedo on occasion.

I remember our band leader (when I was in my early 20s, anybody approaching middle age was "old") who was old (early 40s), telling us that we could either play occasional rock gigs for college kids or make a steady living playing in rooms frequented by people with money, but we would have to dress up and play "old people's music". While that was an oversimplification of the facts, he did have a point. That was how I learned to know and appreciate that music.

Tony

[Nymuso]

Interesting and informative responses. Thank you all.

[mr. beaumont]

Did many restaurant and wine bar/martini bar gigs pre covid...then they all went away. They're coming back though...slowly.

Look for places that either already have music, or that are trying to provide "atmosphere."

And always, always, always dress a step above your audience. That's professionalism 101.

[m_g]

I think there's always going to be public for such gigs. It's good music that doesn't need to be loud. I lived in the US in New York City many moons ago. I knew a number of places with such gigs. There was a place on the Lower East Side I would often go on Sundays for brunch or lunch. They had a trio of guitar, bass and female singer that was great. Good vibes all around, fantastic, friendly atmosphere. Everybody seemed to love it, jazz fan or not.

[leew3]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

When I was on the road in a trio, the main reason we got asked back was not because we were better than other bands, but that we controlled the volume appropriately and played the right types of music for the room and the situation.

Tony

Great insights in Tony's post, I would only highlight this ^^^^. We're just a couple of locals playing around home but this point is exactly right for us as well!

[eyesore]

I f there are wineries near you or breweries ; you may have better success with this. I did play two upper class restaurants for a few years ;but the same thing ;not many listening .

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by jersey

...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZENkj7C7Bw Of course, none of us can play like Ted, but what he is doing here is ideal.

Man, that is some great playing!

- Glenn