When you are just starting out as a young musician, you are probably under an false impression that your ability to play a.k.a. Killingness is the thing that will help you succeed. Well, if you are Mark Turner/Eric Harland/Chris Potter special, yes. That applies. For 98% of the jazz school graduates, that won’t be the case.

Most of the gigs you will be doing, you will do as a side-person. You should be proficient in your craft and your game should be tight and you should continue to evolve and expand, of course. But there are other basic common sense stuff that helps you create your place in music.

I have been in NYC for almost 30 years and I have seen many many many cats come and go, not because they can’t play but because they didn’t have people pulling their coattail to the fact that jazz is a long game and you should approach it as such; the fact that you are playing with and for people. Having good working relationships with (most) everyone is really important. It’s not so much who know but how you know them is what counts.

So here are my two-cents to create and sustain your place in music: