Jazz Office Hours
Business-focused Q&A for musicians and students, with Cory Weeds and Will Chernoff.
Recent Episodes
Will’s Top Learning Highlights from Every 2022 Episode
Jan. 11, 2023
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. …
Anxiety, The Venue Incident, Jazz Festival Applications
Dec. 9, 2022
In this episode: Cory went to Pittsburgh, went on tour with Michael Weiss, and brought Jeremy Pelt out here for some big gigs (0:00:51), The venue incident (0:11:43), When people say "We can't make a living as full-time musi…
Too Many Albums & Names, BC Music Grants, Being a Brand
Nov. 9, 2022
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 s…
The Pitch Gone Wrong, Stage Presence, Listening to Mixes
Oct. 5, 2022
In this episode : Cory uploaded never-before-seen footage of Hank Mobley and Dexter Gordon to YouTube (0:49), First topic : "I once booked an amazing pianist at a club in the UK where the promoter told me 'I honestly don't t…
Fear in Gig Booking, Draw, Overplaying, Low Student Turnout
Sept. 1, 2022
Fear. It shows up throughout our musical lives as we book gigs and work to bring people out. But too often the attention drifts to numbers like, 'What's your draw ?' while the meaning rests in the music's impact. Maybe promo…
Getting Known for What You Do: Match Your Music to Venues
Aug. 4, 2022
It's summer! We're on vacation, so please enjoy this top highlight clip from episode one. In this answer, Will & Cory discuss the secret to connecting with local music venues and booking agents: know what you want to do! It …
Recent Blog Posts
Crossing over from the Vancouver jazz scene to New York
My whole thing is about building relationships. That's really what it's about. Go and meet people, and say hello to musicians you know.
How to approach a jazz bar or club owner as a musician
If you present yourself to a club owner in a professional, organized, concise way, they'll assume that you’ll come across well as a musician.
Negotiating musician fees in live jazz music
We had a pretty set standard during my first few years booking jazz at Frankie's, but there's a lot of stuff that goes into consideration.
