AFM, Local 802/Council for Living Music, in partnership with the Music Department of CCCNY, Shaugn O’Donnell, Chair

Presents:

Jazz Mentors 11: “Do I Really Need a Manager?”

Booking Agents, Managers, and How to Navigate the Business of Making Music

This event is free and open to the public.

Click here to RSVP your attendance.

It’s called the music business for a reason. The business components of a career in music are frequently under-appreciated and often misunderstood by young and emerging musicians. The Jazz Mentors series connects up-and-coming performers with some of New York City’s premier artists to discuss the business of jazz. Each forum features a discussion led by preeminent members and leaders of the jazz community about how to build and maintain a successful music career.

To address this, Jazz Mentors audiences are guided through some of the most vital aspects of launching a career, including representation, touring, protecting your recordings in digital format, the impact of streaming services, and building a secure financial future, among others.

Located at Local 802 and other locations across New York City, the informal setting allows for relaxed communication and a free-flowing exchange of ideas between the audience and the artists, encouraging full participation and interaction. The events are free and open to the public.

This panel discussion will address some of the most daunting questions facing younger performers: How do I deal with the issue of personal management? When do I need a booking agent? What does a manager actually do? Panelists Steve Wilson, Lakecia Benjamin and Laura Hartmann will talk about their relationship to their careers and to personal management, the role that a booking agent plays, and when a DIY approach is the best way to go. Informative and fun, Jazz Mentors 11 be an excellent examination of this issue for students and established professionals alike.

Panelists:

Acclaimed by Downbeat Magazine as a singer with “soulful inflection and remarkable, Fitzgerald-esque scat prowess” and hailed by All About Jazz as a “first class saxophonist that blows the proverbial roof of the place,” Camille Thurman has been amazing audiences throughout the world with her impeccable tenor sound, remarkable vocal virtuosity and captivating artistry. Many have compared her vocal abilities to the likeness of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter. Her lush, rich& warm sound on the tenor saxophone has led others to compare her to tenor greats Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon. An accomplished performer and composer, Camille has worked with notable Jazz and R&B icons George Coleman, Dianne Reeves, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Hendricks, Pattie LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Louis Hayes, Russell Malone, Nicholas Payton, Jacky Terrasson, Alicia Keys, Lalah Hathaway, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu among others.

Steve Wilson has attained ubiquitous status in the studio and on the stage with the greatest names in jazz, as well as critical acclaim as a bandleader in his own right. A musician’s musician, Wilson has brought his distinctive sound to more than 100 recordings led by such celebrated and wide-ranging artists as Chick Corea, George Duke, Michael Brecker, Dave Holland, Dianne Reeves, Bill Bruford, Gerald Wilson, Maria Schneider, Joe Henderson, Charlie Byrd, Billy Childs, Karrin Allyson, Don Byron, Bill Stewart, James Williams, and Mulgrew Miller among many others. Wilson has eight recordings under his own name, leading and collaborating with such stellar musicians as Lewis Nash, Carl Allen, Steve Nelson, Cyrus Chestnut, Greg Hutchinson, Dennis Irwin, James Genus, Larry Grenadier, Ray Drummond, Ben Riley, Nicholas Payton, Orrin Evans, Ugonna Okegwo and Bill Stewart.

Laura Hartmann discovered arts administration when she took a job with the Aspen Music Festival and School after completing a master’s degree in flute performance at the Brooklyn Conservatory (CCNY). In 1990, she became Operations Director at Herbert Barrett Management, where she worked with Dr. Billy Taylor and other jazz artists. In 1997 she founded LVanHart Artist Productions, with her first client, Steve Wilson. In addition to managing a roster of fine jazz artists (currently Wilson, Mike Stern, Diane Monroe and Steve Wilson/Lewis Nash Duo), Hartmann has produced recordings and many live concerts. She is also currently adjunct faculty at the College of St Rose in Albany, NY, and gives workshops in schools across the country, as well as being a consultant to a variety of artists.

This event is free and open to the public.

Click here to RSVP your attendance.