YES!!!! This isn't only something that needs to be discussed more with students in high school/college, but among musicians out of school as well. You hear people talking down about wedding/restaurant/whatever gigs, but then complain about their situation and make excuses. I'm so glad you made this video because like all your videos, it comes from not only an area of expertise but an area of caring as well. You actually care about other musicians, younger people, the music "scene"/business, etc. and you want to actually shine a light on things to make them better. Love it!!

We’ll miss you Patrick! Have a great time ❤

I liked when you talked about  how it's what the person hiring you is looking for as opposed to who you are as an artist. Reminded me of the time I was told by the drummer/band leader of this one band, that I was hired over the other sax player (more talented than me) he had in mind because I showed up on time, was quiet (not noodling) during rehearsals, and helped load/unload the rhythm section gear at gigs.

From a non-music perspective... I don't think I want all of my favorite musicians to take it this far, but the music world would be better off if at least some considered themselves "entertainers".  I think older musicians (mostly dead...) were more likely to say something funny here and there that they had planned in advance like a script/stage patter.  I laughed at least a couple of times when I saw Benny Golson at Birdland when he was in his 70s, but I can go find any number of musicians who may never even make eye contact with or speak to the audience.  I laughed at something James Carter said, something Marcus Roberts said... Certainly, the golden age of jazz featured a number of extremely entertaining personalities that were carefully crafted stage personas.  You don't have to be "yourself" on stage and the more empathy a performer has for his or her audience, the better a career they'll have.  If you never saw them live, you might think many of the jazz greats were deadly serious with a grave demeanor on stage (and of course some of them were), but a fair percentage of the true greats developed stage patter that was interesting/humorous etc., that worked and entertained.  They paid attention to the reaction of the audience and tweaked their shows for maximum audience enjoyment.

This is a hard truth that every music student needs to learn.

The music business is exactly that—a “business”.

I'm a working musician. I love arranging, performing and practicing music. I teach for a living (public School Gen gen music) which fuels my ability to do gigs. I am also an artist in the sense that I write in some groups, but my satisfaction comes from being the musician who can show up, play bass, guitar keyboards, mix/produce, arrange or whatever else artists need. I don't like promoting, so I pay people and work with people who handle promoting and other details.

Patrick, thank you for the video. I feel like my life has revolved around this very topic, so it’s nice to hear your thoughts. My parents are working musicians, and I grew up with a solid training to do that myself. Discovering Cannonball in high school led me to become a jazz major, but right after college I got hooked up with the touring Broadway scene, and stuck with that through my 20s. This seemed like a good fit for me because I could read and double well, but after a while I was very unhappy, starved for artistry, and dreaded going into the orchestra pit to play the exact same show night after night. I was the quintessential working musician, with zero opportunity for any artistic expression.

This all came to a head when I managed to audition and win one of the reed chairs for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in NYC. A great paying gig, but as the saying goes, money doesn’t make you happy. It sounds corny, but deep down I knew I just wanted to be an artist. Once that show ended, I took a deep inward look. I sold my doubles, moved back to the midwest, bought a house with the Bway dough, and made a vow to myself to only pursue artistic opportunities.

It’s been almost a decade since then, and I’m glad to say that things have worked out well. Because I played very little jazz in my 20s, I’ve felt a little behind, but through years of hard work I’ve managed to record and play regularly with all of the best players in my city (Indianapolis) and surrounding areas. I’ve started multiple groups of my own, including a big band, sextet, and trio that all perform my original music. I also play in a few other established groups as an (artistic) sideman. All of this has left me feeling incredibly fulfilled and grateful that I decided to follow my gut.

I also do some teaching at a couple of colleges, and I try to–as you say–be as real as I can with my students about this very topic. As far as the problem you mention of colleges solely training jazz majors to be artists, I think the opposite problem also exists at some schools. Sometimes jazz majors aren’t sharpening their artistic skills well enough to even be a working jazz musician once they’re out of school. Another thing I see a lot is that professors naturally guide students down the path that they themselves took, without thinking about or even asking the students what they want to become.

I think we all need to find the thing that makes us happy, and stay focused on it. It’s easy to look at someone else and think you should follow their path. Deep down we each know what is best for ourselves. To all the working warriors and artistic soldiers - keep doing your thing!

This is one of the most important discussions that schools dont have with students

I have a regular gig playing in a cover band for 4 months at a time. I'm able to save a lot of money during these contracts and then the income allows me to do artistic things that I was never able to do before like pay for studio time to record my original music, hire the specific cats I want to work with, buy the instruments I've always wanted. Seeking out 'money gigs' as 'working musician'' has actually contributed in huge ways to my personal artistic life and its something I'm really proud of.

I'm going to give a very different take on this. I have always wanted to be a musician and ahve a musical life. I liked hanging out with musicians and it's the main thing I thought about. I studied music and have a masters in performance but realized soon that the moajory of my musical life would involve a lot of remote, tough, underpaid jobs where I spend the majority of my time NOT performing the music I want. I was fortunate enough to be capable in other areas as well and was able to find a well paying job that doesn't require 100% of my time.  I found music to be a lot more fulfilling if I play what I want and compose what I want. However, I was always feeling guilty that I was no longer a 'proper' musician because I wasn't struggling in the trenched with the rest of my colleagues, this made me realize that I had a preference for the ARTISTIC side of music but not the reality of the working musican life, Thanks!

Small story about ‘artist’ vs ‘working musician’. I’m a weekend warrior now (semi-retired!) but used to gig a lot (UK) on Trumpet in lots of ‘working’ bands and played a few gigs with a fantastic guitar player who put together bands for functions etc. He booked a sax player who was a well known musician.

However, the day of the gig this guy phoned in (yes we used to phone back in the day!) to say he was in a different city and didn’t have a car but could get there by train - upshot was I drove to the train station to pick him up. He hadn’t learnt any of the material for the gig (although it was the usual function stuff) and basically the rest of the horn section had to help him with the changes etc.

When it came to soloing he was superb but I will never forget what the guitar player who called the gig said about him - “I don’t care if he’s Charlie Parker reincarnated I need someone who is professional”. He was never booked again with the band. Sometimes you just need a team player who works to make the whole better.

Artist: Actualizing your own ideas
Working Musician: Actualizing someone else’s ideas

Music is glamorous.  So you have to put your reason aside if you buy into the glamour of an artist.  If you are lucky you already have the money and people needed to be an artist.  Most students don't have that, but they have certainly bought into the dream.  Then they get out of music school and end up teaching (which is selling the dream they had initially bought into, to other people).  Reality falls short.  They blame the school, but the school has probably lied to them (For example, giving the statistic that 80% of the graduates will be working “in the industry.”  But not telling them that it means working the cash machine in a Music Store).  You have to have a monstrous ego to ward off depression, rejection, and bad feelings that come from being competitive in the music industry.  Usually, the small one-room flat the musician lives in is the inverse of the ego needed.  A massive ego is needed to sustain that lifestyle.  That's why many musicians are Buddhists – they have massive egos that need to be in check.  But the musician's dream of success, that airy bit of fluff and nothingness, will eventually crush the musician if he has to hold it up for a lifetime.  It will grind him down.  So there is a point in life where you have to give up on it for your mental health.  In fact, you have become real and see the truth.  The stark reality is that there are more million-dollar lottery winners every week (at least two a week in Canada) than there are the next Taylor Swifts, Elton Johns, Buddy Miles, Bill Evans, etc.  You have a better chance with the lottery than becoming these household names.  Whether a movie star, sports star, rock star, etc... it's all about star glamour, but the reality is that, like a shining mackerel lying on the beach, it starts to stink.  That's the first half of the grisly tale... wait to see what awaits once you do become an “artist.”

As a lifelong working musician, I agree 100% that these conversations should be had at formal institutions on day 1.  I went to music school and I don't regret it at all. But there's a world of knowledge I've learned out in the real world that never gets discussed in music school that I think, as do you, that doesnt get taught.  How to make a living in this modern landscape should be a mandatory class. Music schools are woefully fossilized in the past. But thats a separate topic. Thank you for discussing this topic.

Also, shoutout to musicians with a day job.

I think that this is a very important discussion to have in the schools.
It costs a lot of money to go to college. It’s imperative that students are taught how to monetize the material they learn in school.

That being said, all of the great jazz icons were working musicians. It was through playing almost every night that they were able to hone their skills and refine their concepts.

I understand your point about playing what  a particular gig calls for like a wedding or playing in a pit band. I think some of those skills are fundamental to being good musician PERIOD.

In a jazz context there may be times when the leader wants you to play something a particular way. That calls for you to make an adjustment to your personal playing style.

I think there’s a lot of overlap between being an “artist” and/or a “working musician”. I think that every musician should do both.

I should have been told this sixty years ago. One thing you might have added is the importance of being pleasant company if you want to get and keep work.

I prefer to take it one step further and use the term professional musician vs working musician. Professional "one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime". A working musician could be a guy that does his day gig and plays bass for a blues band on Friday nights for $75. I think most professional performing musicians are artists. I do agree that there are times when more proficiency, and not much artistry is required, but as a performing musician, it should be your goal to bring your artistry to the table every time you make music. What you desribe as an artist, to me, is really an innovator. Someone that takes music to a new place in their own unique way, at a very high level. Something that is exremely difficult to do, and as music progresses and evolves, becomes even more difficult.

I like going to work for my money and playing music when I get home to enjoy myself.

Great video and topic Patrick! Indeed overlooked by many schools, but a very real struggle for most musicians, even to the point that I know it's this incompatibility leading into depression and even taking own lives unfortunately...

I wonder, would you have some kind of sets of questions that people could answer for themselves to clear up the path they want to take? I think many people haven't thought his through to much, and wouldn't know how to decide on that. That would make a great next video, just a thought.

All the best and good luck with you move to Japan!