At some point, you may have heard some jazz educator rabbit on to a group of students with a speech like, “jazz is a group effort,” or “jazz is a democracy,” etc.
I know, it sounds like a great concept, but let me tell you: it’s a load of crap.
Here’s an important lesson for all you budding jazz musicians out there: the only job of the other cats in the band is to make you sound good.
Let me be clear: jazz is not a group effort. If you wanna be the star, this needs to be all about YOU. And I’m not just talking about singers here (who are already acutely aware of this fact), but even us instrumentalists!
Don’t believe me? Here’s a test: how many guys can you name in Count Basie’s band? Or how about naming who plays in Louis Armstrong’s All Stars? That’s right—even though the band is called the All Stars; you don’t know any of the other musicians, do you? (Shut your trap, Ricky Riccardi.)
So an aspiring jazz musician may ask: how can I, too, be a jazz star? There are many ways for an ambitious muso to step all over their bandmates. If you follow some simple steps, in no time you’ll be leaving your colleagues in the dust. (But don’t worry about them—this is all about you.) Just remember the Professor’s rule for jazz success: Anything that takes the attention away from the other people on the bandstand is a step forward for your career.
