Tall Jazz 1989 - 2001
During 2001, I completed a 12 year gig as the co-founder and co-leader of the band Tall Jazz; a trio of Vibes, Bass and Drums. The group averaged 150 performances a year throughout the Pacific Northwest of the USA. Tall Jazz released six critically acclaimed recordings and received endorsements from The Oregon Arts Commission, The Metropolitan Arts Commission, The Jazz Society of Oregon, and Young Audiences. The band was also inducted into the Jazz Society of Oregon’s Jazz Hall of Fame during 2010; albeit without me. This picture shows Tall Jazz standing in front of a hand-painted billboard featuring the group in an ad for the Oregonian newspaper’s Arts & Entertainment (A&E) Guide.
I was responsible for advocating that the band include a business model where an equal amount of time and effort would be put into weekly rehearsals as would the business side of managing the company. I created the band’s brand name and spearheaded the group’s original Winter Jazz concerts, which led to three recordings and a popular annual concert series that ran for over 24 years. I handled the group’s national radio marketing in dozens of public radio markets around the US. As the band’s publicist, I produced monthly newsletters, brochures, and made strategic advertising buys. I also set up and managed much of the distribution of the group’s recordings and inventory.