Jazz Leaves the Museum and enters the Old Age Home

Sad news continues to pour in for the music business in general, and jazz music in particular. I may be overly pessimistic, with the (temporary?) end of the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, but a recent article in the Wall Street Journal made me sad. It does seem like the glorious "Long Tail" of the internet may actually become, as the brilliant Hugh MacLeod said, a Short Tail with a large Pile of Dead Bodies next to it.

In an article on August 9, Terry Teachout quoted statistics from an NEA Survey of Public Participation completed in 2008. Here is a sampling:
- In 2002 (the last survey date) 10.8% of adult Americans attended at least one jazz performance. In 2008, that number fell to 7.8%, a 28% drop in attendance.
- The median age of adults that admitted to seeing jazz was 46. In 1982 (the first year the NEA did this study) the median age was 29.
- Even amongst college-educated adults, which would seem to be the main jazz audience, the attendance has shrunk from 19.4% in 1982 to 14.9% today, a 23% loss in attendance.

These numbers show that the jazz audience is both aging and shrinking, regardless of any attempts to blend hip hop or rap or trance music into "jazz". Or perhaps people are just afraid to admit that they went to a "jazz" concert when they went to see Chris Botti or (dare I call him jazz?) Kenny G.

And as the jazz audience ages, it puts us in the exact same demographics as the other "high art" forms of classical music, ballet, opera and theater: the average age of people attending these events in 2008 was from 46-49 years old. So in a way there is more competition for a shrinking and graying audience.

So what can we do today to change this? My experience over and over again is that we need to get people exposed to the music so that they can enjoy the groove, the excitement and the personality of great live jazz music (as was proven again the other week when I played for between 500 -700 enthusiastic people at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art). Allowing a jazz group open for Phish or Dave Matthews might help. We need to get out of the Jazz Ghetto before it turns into an Old Age Home, and then a graveyard.

August Update

1. The next two stops for the West Coast Jazz World Tour are at the Hip Kitty in Claremont, Ca. Two very different shows:
COURTNEY LEMMON with THE GEORGE KAHN TRIO will be performing at our new favorite jazz club, The Hip Kitty in Claremont, CA on Friday August 21, from 8:00 – Midnight. No cover charge, a great bar and fondue if you are hungry. It’s a very cool scene in the Inland Empire
http://www.hipkittyjazz.com/
Then, on September 12 The George Kahn Quartet featuring Pat Kelley will be at The Hip Kitty for a Swinging Saturday Night to kick off the new school year. Prepare for an audience filled with hip kats and kittens from the Claremont colleges. For more updated info, go to the calendar at
http://georgekahn.com

2. Somewhere between 500-700 people showed up at LACMA on July 24 to see the George Kahn West Coast Jazz Quintet. It was an amazing show, with Larry Klimas on sax, Gabe Johnson on trumpet, Eric Sittner on bass, Clayton Cameron on drums, and George on piano. Here are some photos to give you a sense of the excitement. Looking forward to being back at LACMA again in 2011!
http://hemetlive.shutterfly.com/

3. I am a member of ARC (Artists Recording Collective), and this group, led by my long time friend and sax player Chris Burnett, is launching the next level of their campaign to spread the word about independent jazz artists.

If you want to see what ARC is up to, or if you are interested in becoming a member, come check it out at
http://artistsrecordingcollective.info/

4. So many cool links to check out on the internet right now
1) Someone did me one better, and put together a Google calendar of all the FREE music events in Los Angeles for the month of August: 2009 SUMMER CONCERT CALENDAR

2) If you have not heard of Hugh MacLeod yet, you owe it to yourself to visit the cartoonist and bargain philosopher at
http://gapingvoid.com
3) Here are Regina Brett’s Life Lessons (by the way, she is NOT 90 years old...)

4) And of couse there is always the end of the internet
I just bumped into this again
Thought it was funny

Jazzy Things To Do This Summer in Los Angeles

The summer schedule has been set, and there are some great FREE shows this summer:
The GEORGE KAHN WEST COAST JAZZ QUINTET will be performing at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) on Friday, July 24. We’ll be performing songs from various albums, and introducing some new material from the new album, “2010”. The music starts at 6:00 PM. But make sure you get there early, the last time we played there it was PACKED!

COURTNEY LEMMON with THE GEORGE KAHN TRIO will be performing at our new favorite jazz club, The Hip Kitty in Claremont, CA on Friday August 21, from 8:00 – Midnight. No cover charge, a great bar and fondue if you are hungry. It’s a very cool scene in the Inland Empire

In keeping with my desire to keep “with it” on the internet, I have finally uploaded some photos from the LACMA concert in 2006, as well as photos from the “LIVE IN HEMET” recording session from January. (This session will be part of the upcoming album, “2010”) You will see great photos of Courtney, MB, Karl Vincent, Justo almario, Gabe Johnson, Andy Suzuki (who sends greetings from Berlin) and others.
Enjoy!

I LOVE SUMMER, and all the music that it brings to Los Angeles. Here are a few of the events I am planning to see over the next two months:
Luba Mason at Catalina Bar And Grill on July 8
Justo Almario at Grand Performances on 7/17
Ernie Watts at Hollywood and Highland on July 21 http://www.hollywoodandhighland.com/play_events.php
The Bad Plus at Grand performances on 7/24
Four Way Free at the House of Blues on 7/29
Pancho Sanchez at Hollywood and Highland August 25

Next Up: Los Angeles County Museum of Art

I have put together another all-star band to play at LACMA on July 24. I hope you can join me from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. The place always fills up, so plan to come early.
The band will have myself on piano, my main man Karl Vincent on bass, and the amazing Clayton Cameron on drums (Clayton played with Tony Bennett for about 15 years...). On horns will be John Fumo and Larry Klimas, both amazing players that happen to be in between gigs so they can join me. Larry and John work together in Neil Diamond's horn section, and John has been playing recently in the pit band for Dirty Dancing at The Pantages Theater. Larry also travels as a member of Chicago (remember the original rock big band?) This is going to be FUN - and its FREE - please mark your calendars and I will see you there.
LACMA
5905 WILSHIRE BLVD., LOS ANGELES 90036
BP Grand Entrance | Free, no reservations
FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009
6:00 – 8:00 PM

Grand Finale at the Jazz Bakery

The final performance at The Jazz Bakery was a smash. The concert, which was held as a benefit to raise money for the Santa Monica High School Jazz Band, was so well attended that additional seats had to be added. More jazz fans came during intermission and filled the balcony as well, organizers said.

Attendance for the concert not only raised $1,700 for the Jazz Band — helping them to buy new charts, keep their instruments in top shape and assist in covering costs for the band to attend competitions and festivals — it also was a great send off for The Jazz Bakery. The Jazz Bakery is continuing its search for a new location, after closing its doors with a 16-year-run in the Helms Bakery locale. Ruth Price has done an incredible job over the years, and she and the JB board are dedicated to making it continue in temporary locations at first, and in a new home in the future.

George's band consisted of George on Piano, Pat Kelley on guitar, Doug Webb on sax, Karl Vincent on bass and M. B. Gordy on drums. The SAMOHI Jazz Band is under the direction of Tom Whaley, Arts Coordinator for the Santa Monica School District.
See the article published in the Santa Monica Daily Press

Farewell To The Jazz Bakery

The Jazz Bakery, situated for 16 glorious years in the Historic Helms Bakery Complex, will be presenting its last performances in that location on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

Jazz Pianist, George Kahn, will be hosting a special Farewell Performance starting at
3:30 – 6:00 PM that afternoon. In addition to George’s West Coast Jazz Quartet,
this FINAL SHOW at The Jazz Bakery will feature the 18-piece
Santa Monica High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Tom Whaley.

Along with George on piano, the West Coast Jazz Quartet will feature Pat Kelley on guitar, Karl Vincent on bass, M. B. Gordy on drums, and some very special guests. George will be playing selections from his newest album “Cover Up!”, as well as song tributes to Shorty Rogers, Wayne Shorter and other jazz greats.

George Kahn, winner of last summer’s Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival, has released 6 CD’s. His “Cover Up!” has received glowing reviews and major radio play across the country. Selections on the CD include John Mayer’s “Waiting For The World To Change”; The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” and Roger and Hammerstein’s
“My Favorite Things” along with original jazz compositions.

Tickets are $25.00 each, or $15.00 for students with ID. All proceeds from the concert will be donated to the SAMOHI Jazz Band to help with the purchase of new instruments and music.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance by credit card by calling the Jazz Bakery.
The JAZZ BAKERY is located at 3233 HELMS AVE LA, CA 90034.
Phone: 310-271-9039.