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RE: Free at Last / What Next?
LOL Buzz...
... I'm not going to touch most of that but I ... well I understand the position you're in.
The bottom line is that I don't think Haley is going to be able to earn a living with the over 40 crowd of fans. I'm sure lots of uber talented, almost legendary Jazz artists can't make a living here .. I think they spend most of their time in Europe and Japan where I guess there are more paying Audiences.
Norah Jones was a cross over Jazz artist but she hit a nerve first with young people.. people in their 20's that spread her music.
While its nice to listen to these jazz show's Haley can't go Pointer Sister .. she's got to look groovy and alternative and keep bringing in the fusion of sounds we heard on the album.
I'm really afraid that while I love big band type Jazz, walking that walk can put off other swaths of young people like the Idol connection does.
Jazz can be cool enough.. Amy Winehouse was bringing sounds in. Ray Charles (not really a jazz musician per se, but maybe to the non educated probably ) was a cool guy from 30 to the day he died at 90(?).
Haley looked great at the Stage-it show , which had great music . I loved hearing "At Last" but I don't think that was off-putting to younger people as one of a set. A cover of an up beat older song like Santeria doesn't do much harm I don't think (not saying that is jazz, but its maybe an old peoples song lol(now that I'm 48 i guess i crossed the half way hurdle ).
Anyway, its tricky . Marketing is vital. Image is vital. Music is the End All but in terms of making a career I don't think can be the "be all" (whatever that means.. im on a roll)
I'm just thinking that keeping things looking hip always is important. The smokey New Orleans jazz club is cool.. .. not sure if Carnegie hall is cool (but of course she had to do it once)
Anyway.. this is outside my field of expertise but, to get kids listening to her album , which is really cool, they need to feel there is something cool about it until they listen enough to get their ear trained to the sounds we hear and appreciate.
How to get kids to start appreciating the jazz runs etc has a lot to do with the image of the artist....can't deny that or avoid it (Like I said, it doesn't need to be a sell out.. Norah Jones didn't sell out nor did Amy Winehouse...very different people and there isn't one route..but never look stodgy in the least bit I'd think.. and something that looks "nice" to a 48 year old is probably damn sure to be stodgy)
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