Thoughts on the Combo/Big Band Subscription

First off, I want to thank all of you that participated in the survey that I sent out a couple days ago.  I literally got hundreds and hundreds of responses and I appreciate all of your input as well.

After reading all your comments I have really been thinking strongly about this whole monthly subscription concept for jazz music.  Part of my desire to do this has to do with some personal items that I have been working on recently.  Mainly, I have struggled with the fact that I sometimes feel that I have not reached any kind of potential whatsoever as far as writing and arranging music goes.  Hang with me for a minute and I'll explain.

Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about.  About two weeks ago or so, I got a call from a fellow writer/trumpet player from Chicago to do some writing for a Sinatra type of recording project.  I was asked to do 2 charts for big band and strings.  Sounds fine, except that the charts had to be done in ONE week.

Normally, my mind would have said that this was not possible, at least not for me. Not with a day job, 2 kids, and all the other stuff that takes up time during a typical day.  But, quite frankly, the gig paid so well I took it on and figured I would just have to make it work somehow.  I set out on the task and to be honest just took one measure at a time.  I didn't think about everything at once but only concentrated on small parts of the music and working on it without interruption until it was completed.  That was the key.  You see, I have a tendency to be distracted by things like e-mail, phone calls, and other time wasters.  I'm not what you would call ADD, but sometimes I'm borderline.

To make a long story short, I got the charts done in plenty of time and the recording went well.  Everyone was happy.  That experience, along with a couple others that were similar to that  recently,  got me thinking that perhaps I could write a lot MORE charts if I just altered my thinking somewhat and managed my time better and more efficiently.

During all of this, I stumbled across a couple of very interesting time management e-books and blogs, including an article from a guy who completed an entire undergraduate degree in only three semesters.  If you do nothing else today I would highly recommend reading this article called Do It Now.   All of this got me thinking about setting goals, especially for what I want to accomplish in 2007.  That is where the idea of the monthly jazz chart subscription idea came into my head.

Without getting too "Oprah" on you, I believe that everyone has a certain purpose while they are living.  I remember an interesting conversation I had with Frank Mantooth once when we were talking about this whole idea of arranging music and writing charts.  He told me that he felt like THAT was his purpose on earth.  He felt that he was “supposed” to be an arranger.  As I remember, he told me this at a time when things were pretty slim, and the economy really sucked. This was probably around 1991 I think.   That comment really stuck with me.  Maybe I remember it so well because now, 15 years later, that's exactly how I feel.  I feel like I should be pushing myself to simply write more quality charts.

After reading all of your comments from the survey, I believe I will pursue some sort of monthly subscription and that will have tremendous value for those of you who have big bands and combos.  I am leaning towards combining a subscription that will include BOTH big band and combo charts.  I am still considering everything that is involved, and in the near future I will let you know more details.   Based on your comments from the survey, I think most of you will find it very attractive and unlike anything you will probably ever see on the Internet with regards to big band and combo charts.  Hopefully, you will like what I come up with and it will be a win/win situation.  I will be encouraged to produce more quality charts, and subscribers will get fresh stuff every month at prices that almost any band will be able to afford.

Thanks again, and I will be in touch very soon with more details.