Alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo is coming to town to play with a Vancouver quartet at Frankie's! Mike (who joins at 01:50) is a soft-spoken, phenomenal musician. The New Haven, Connecticut native studied at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, the school known for Jackie McLean's jazz program. He's now based in New York. I brought him to Vancouver in past years to play with Larry Willis, Harold Mabern, and Steve Davis.

We talk about his studies with JMac in a formative time, we continue to remember Jim Rotondi, and we enjoy a brief hang. Mike DiRubbo plays with Tilden Webb on piano, David Caballero on bass, and Jesse Cahill on drums this Friday, July 26th and Saturday, July 27th.

This is Frankie's Backstage: Tune in as Frankie's artistic director, Cory Weeds, sits down with upcoming performers to discuss their journeys & their music. Get to know some of the performers who will be gracing our stage at Vancouver, BC's premier jazz club.

This episode originally aired on Instagram @frankiesjazz on July 23, 2024.

Credits: Hosted and produced by Cory Weeds. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. Theme music: "Blues de Troye" from Day by Day by Cory Weeds.

Jazz Office Hours: the Cellar Music Group podcast, together with Chernoff Music.

I'm talking New York With Weeds 2025 (March 16-23, 2025), the next edition of my annual trip to the Big Apple, because you can get $100 off registration for the trip until July 30th! Learn more about it here on my website coryweeds.com.

In this spontaneous 15-minute hang I got into some New York with Weeds stories from past years' trips, including: getting banned (sort of?) from the Village Vanguard, discovering amazing musicians I'd never heard of at the time, hearing Kurt Elling and Harold Mabern, having meet-and-greets with Wynton Marsalis, a moment with George Coleman at Bohemia, and more.

Held in March every year, New York With Weeds leaves no jazz stone unturned in NYC. We visit the hot spots, the lesser known spots, and the stellar spots in between. The tour includes private/exclusive recording sessions with New York’s top musicians, private/exclusive performances at some of the city’s most renowned clubs, and roundtable discussions with some of the international jazz scene’s biggest movers and shakers.

You can expect about 20-25 people on the trip, and you don't need to be a hardcore jazz fan. Nor do you need to fly out of Vancouver like me!

This episode originally aired on Instagram @coryweeds on July 18, 2024.

Intro: "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" from Reach Out! by Hank Mobley.

On this hot summer Sunday School: rest in peace Jim Rotondi - the instrumental teachers I had in my early years,and how Jim was part of the connections I started making (2:49), Has the ship sailed on making a living from just jazz gigs? (17:55), My NYC plans in fall 2024 (30:00), a preview spin of The Heavy Hitters' record made last December (31:12). Plus more topics like gigs with Hugh Fraser and Dr. Lonnie Smith, and favourite records by Cedar Walton and Sonny Stitt. We close on the nature of the commitment to get the most out of every note you play, do less when you need to, and avoid doing too much, inspired by the time I spent with Scott Hamilton during the jazz festival this year.

This is Sunday School: Cory Weeds opens up in a livestream format for Q&A about the business of jazz, artist career talk, and a chill hang. To catch the next one live and participate, follow Cory on Instagram.

This episode originally aired on Instagram @coryweeds on July 14, 2024.

Intro: "King of the Hill" from Jim's Bob by Jim Rotondi.

Credits: Hosted and produced by Cory Weeds. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. Theme music: "Blues de Troye" from Day by Day by Cory Weeds.

Jazz Office Hours: the Cellar Music Group podcast, together with Chernoff Music.

Life happened and I've missed doing it for months now, but Sunday School is back in session! We kick things off by talking about (among many things) the value of vinyl and the rich listening experience, plus some inside talk about manufacturing and selling vinyl records. Then, we get into the classic Jazz Office Hours topic of emailing venue bookers (32:10) with an emphasis on how important it is to be "cool to work with".

This is Sunday School: Cory Weeds opens up in a livestream format for Q&A about the business of jazz, artist career talk, and a chill hang. To catch the next one live and participate, follow Cory on Instagram.

This episode originally aired on Instagram @coryweeds on June 23, 2024.

Intro: "King of the Hill" from Jim's Bob by Jim Rotondi.

Credits: Hosted and produced by Cory Weeds. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. Theme music: "Blues de Troye" from Day by Day by Cory Weeds.

Jazz Office Hours: the Cellar Music Group podcast, together with Chernoff Music.

Alto saxophonist Nick Green will be performing as a guest with me for my Hank Mobley tribute at Frankie's and leading his own quintet at the club! Nick (who joins at 05:03) is Brooklyn-born and raised and made an album on Cellar called Green on the Scene. He has great stories and I talked to him about his journey in jazz.

Then, I talk about three of the finest pianists coming to Pyatt Hall in Vancouver this fall (32:30) and take a question (33:29) about how musicians like Nick and I went out to start getting our first gigs.

Find your tickets for my Frankie's shows on the Friday, July 5th or the Saturday, July 6th, as well as Nick's date on Sunday, July 7th through the links.

This is Frankie's Backstage: Tune in as Frankie's artistic director, Cory Weeds, sits down with upcoming performers to discuss their journeys & their music. Get to know some of the performers who will be gracing our stage at Vancouver, BC's premier jazz club.

This episode originally aired on Instagram @frankiesjazz on June 22, 2024.

Intro: "Red Cross" from Green on the Scene by Nick Green.

Credits: Hosted and produced by Cory Weeds. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. Theme music: "Blues de Troye" from Day by Day by Cory Weeds.

Jazz Office Hours: the Cellar Music Group podcast, together with Chernoff Music.

In this solo episode by Will, let's kick off the year in style and run down a highlight from every 2022 episode. Each highlight involves Cory teaching a lesson to, lighting a fire under, or provoking new thoughts from Will. We cover five episodes in under 20 minutes.

• From Ep. 1 - Establishing a level of care (1:18),
• Ep. 2 - Comparing venues (5:35),
• Ep. 3 - Cory didn't have any recording experience (10:20),
• Ep. 4 - Being in control vs. being picked (12:44),
• Ep. 5 - Does Oliver Gannon need to apply to the jazzfest? (15:45).

In this episode:

• Cory went to Pittsburgh, went on tour with Michael Weiss, and brought Jeremy Pelt out here for some big gigs (00:51),
• The venue incident (11:43),
• When people say "We can't make a living as full-time musicians in this city" (25:29),
• Not saying yes right away (0:32:04),
• The power of the checklist and setting up venue promotions (35:41),
• What you need to know when you apply to jazz festivals in Canada (43:21),
• Best-of-2022 highlight: Does Oliver Gannon need to apply to the jazzfest? (46:51)
• Getting nominated for the Grammys won't change your life, and no gig is career-changing (56:43).

In this episode:

• Cory doesn’t know half the people in the house when he emcees Frankie’s, and interest in live gigs is up! (4:50),
• Is the Cellar Music label releasing too many albums? (9:00),
• Why monthly listeners is a bad statistic for comparing artists (22:35),
• The “keeping the lights on” view of social media (27:25),
• The danger of having multiple names for your projects / bands on streaming platforms (32:55),
• First question: Music grant organizations to follow as a Canadian musician in BC (38:15)
• What’s it like being on a grant jury? (44:05),
• Best-of-2022 highlight: Being in control vs. being picked (48:24),
• When you get rejected, it’s so often circumstantial, and so rarely a judgment on you (49:35),
• Second question: Thoughts on being a brand and branding for musicians (58:42).

Links:

• FACTOR Artist Development grant: how I won it twice - Will's two applications to the program
• Juried Sound Recording program: FACTOR
• Explore and Create: Canada Council - Includes Research and Creation, as well as Concept to Realization, programs
• Amplify BC Career Development grant
• Music BC Travel Grants
• What is the Spotify monthly listener figure? - Will's breakdown of what the often-misunderstood stat means
• Legibility - Will's Rhythm Changes Update on what happens when you have many streaming profiles with slightly different names for your group