Jazz Music In Nashville

[jazzjelly]

Originally Posted by yank283

You would also be about 2 1/2 hrs from Chattanooga. Chattanooga is becoming quite the hip little town and you might be able to book a few gigs there.

Good to know! Thanks Yank!

[mblight]

The Nashville Jazz Workshop is the place. Plenty of classes and fellow musicians and networking there.

[jazzjelly]

Originally Posted by mblight

The Nashville Jazz Workshop is the place. Plenty of classes and fellow musicians and networking there.

Looks really awesome!

[DonCorleone]

Originally Posted by BayAreaDave

I also remembered there is a Jazz and Jokes place on 3rd avenue downtown. There is definitely some Jazz in this city.

I just walked by Jazz and Jokes and there are "for lease" signs up on the building.

[CountryGirl2b=]

Looks like they JUST closed this month and this leads me to believe they might be back in some form???

Jazz & Jokes | Look for Bigger Things in 2014!

[dngirard]

Seems to me like Jazz and Jokes' "big things coming" might be leaning more toward mass media than a physical location. Could mean a larger audience, but a remote one.

Regarding gigs around Nashville, it takes time to insert yourself into any local scene. I've been here about 3 1/2 years and have just started to build a more solid gigging schedule. I play piano/keyboards, and versatility has been key, as I've been able to take gigs in many genres, including jazz, classical, country and even progressive rock. The music scene is very tight-knit here, and while it's not hard to find places to play, it is extremely hard to make any money at it. The only reason I'm saying that is if you need an income right away, it's best to have either a backup plan or some serious connections.

It's also true that Louisville and Chattanooga are relatively close, but it's hard to land a gig from multiple hours away in most cases. Also keep in mind that both of those cities are in Eastern time while Nashville is Central. This can affect the "commute" as well.

I'm not trying to be discouraging, I love being a musician and I wouldn't trade it for anything; but Nashville is definitely one of those places that can take years to build a solid set of connections. If you love what you do, don't be afraid to dive in, but also don't be unwilling to take another job to pay the bills for a while. Most of us here had to do just that.