Crossing my fingers…

And the fun continues….Stage two of my Canadian tour starts up again next week. I’m crossing my fingers for good driving conditions and for nice sized audiences at our shows. Alberta and Saskatchewan this time of year can be a bit unpredictable weather-wise because it can change from autumn to winter over night. Hopefully autumn will resist winter’s pull just a bit longer.

This stage of the tour could be somewhat energy draining only because it involves lots of driving and at times two performances in a day. We are appearing at universities and schools as part of the tour and that will definitely involve some very early mornings to ensure we get from one city to the next and be on time. I believe it will be worth it because my the “eye on the prize” keeps me thinking about this opportunity to share our music with audiences who might be interested in jazz.

“Interest in jazz” is a topic that has grown near and dear to my heart as of late. I am becoming more and more aware that jazz is still a very tough sell across the country. Yes, there are the jazz fans that exist out there but presenters are finding it increasingly difficult to attract larger audiences sizes to their shows since jazz is not truly the “popular” music. I also believe the struggling economy has something to do with people’s hesitation at buying tickets to events as often as they might have a few years ago. I have spoken to people who are of the mind that across the country there are those people who have already lost their jobs (and must therefore cling to their remaining money) and there are those people who worry that they might lose their jobs and therefore they don’t have the freedom in spending money on things that would be considered special or perhaps frivolous and perhaps a jazz concert is in that category. There is also the reality that I am not a “name” artist and therefore unless there is a really compelling reason for someone to take a chance and buy a ticket for one of our shows, it will be through word of mouth (if someone already knows me) or it will be by chance that they happen to come to our show.

I suppose my “mission” then is to attempt to share the music with the audiences and in whatever way possible ensure that they experience something special: the element of surprise that exists in jazz music, the intimacy that is available within the music when the musicians are completely focused on bringing a tune to life and allowing the listener to be completed enveloped in that experience, i.e. the “fly on the wall” concept whereby the audience is privy to the musical conversation if they are truly listening in an active way. Hopefully the shows will contain something for everyone: whimsy and humor, heart felt emotion, ability and artistry.

Hopefully we can deliver this so that regardless the size of the audience, the effect will be the same: satisfaction and pleasure at having decided to come and hear us play. Crossing my fingers for stage two of the “get out of town” tour…

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