Jazz Office Hours

Jazz Office Hours

Business-focused Q&A for musicians and students, with Cory Weeds and Will Chernoff.

Recent Episodes

Jan. 11, 2023

Will’s Top Learning Highlights from Every 2022 Episode

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. …
Dec. 9, 2022

Anxiety, The Venue Incident, Jazz Festival Applications

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…
Nov. 9, 2022

Too Many Albums & Names, BC Music Grants, Being a Brand

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…
Oct. 5, 2022

The Pitch Gone Wrong, Stage Presence, Listening to Mixes

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…
Sept. 1, 2022

Fear in Gig Booking, Draw, Overplaying, Low Student Turnout

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…
Aug. 4, 2022

Getting Known for What You Do: Match Your Music to Venues

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

I made my first jazz record with Dr. Lonnie Smith as a special guest, and that was a bit of a fluke, but my whole thing is about building relationships. I also built a great relationship with Jim Rotondi, and he played on my second record as a leade…

How to approach a jazz bar or club owner as a musician

I work on multiple sides of the music business, so I'm giving you advice based on my experience; you don't have to agree, and I'm happy if you challenge me and want to get into a healthy discussion about anything. Let's talk about how people approac…

Negotiating musician fees in live jazz music

What goes into consideration when negotiating artist fees? It's not an exact science. Sometimes there's a flight from New York involved. Or maybe I want to get Oliver Gannon back to Frankie's Jazz Club: there's always an extra skip in my step when h…

About the Hosts

Cory WeedsProfile Photo

Cory Weeds

Jazz Impresario

Cory Weeds plays saxophone, is the founder of Cellar Music Group, and has been both a club owner and venue booker over the past 20+ years.

Will ChernoffProfile Photo

Will Chernoff

Host / Producer

Will Chernoff plays bass, works for the label Greenleaf Music, and does jazz and creative music journalism on his blog, Rhythm Changes.