By Michèle De Meglio
Brooklyn’s best jazz artists are benefiting from an exciting new fusion of business and music. Ten of the borough’s top talents have joined forces to create the Brooklyn Jazz Underground, a unique collective working to bring the performers to a larger audience. “Our experience was that if we put our resources together and worked together to promote our music, we could have a bigger impact,” explained Red Hook-based bassist and composer Anne Mette Iversen. “We’re just a stronger force.” Nearly one year ago, the musicians got together and decided the collective was the way to go to get their names and music out in the public eye. “Presenting all of us together makes us a lot more appealing in front of people,” explained Alexis Cuadrado, a bass player and composer residing in Ditmas Park. Members of the collective say audiences are better at remembering a unit, such as the Brooklyn Jazz Underground, rather than names of individual artists who they may see perform just once. “To stick in people’s memory can be difficult because there’s so much competition on the scene,” Iversen said. But with the collective, “people will hear Brooklyn Jazz Underground so many more times and that will stick in their minds. Publicity is about constantly repeating whatever you want to brand. We believe that we can brand ourselves through this entity.” Members of the collective – they are all leaders of their own bands – will showcase their groups during a four-day festival in Greenwich Village from January 11-14. It marks the first performance under the Brooklyn Jazz Underground title. “The group has been meeting for a year and within this year, we’ve done a lot. We put together our CD sampler, website, the festival,” Cuadrado said. The record, dubbed “Brooklyn Jazz Underground: Volume One,” features 10 songs – one from each of the member’s bands – and will be handed out for free during the festival. A new volume will be released each year. To keep momentum going after the festival, which will be hosted twice a year, a deal is being finalized with a Park Slope music venue to have one evening each week dedicated to allowing the collective’s members and their bands to perform. Although the business benefits of the collective are obvious, members say working closely with other artists has inspired their music. “We benefit from the support we get from each other – feeding off each other’s energy and experiences on the scene,” Iversen explained. “I feel really inspired by the music of the other members. It’s a great opportunity for us to feed ourselves with each other’s creativity and ideas,” Cuadrado agreed. Some of the collective’s members will share the stage during the festival in an improvisational jam session. “It’s a great way to interact because it keeps people on their toes and it keeps the musicians on their toes,” Iversen said. So does living in Brooklyn instead of Manhattan. “I’ve always been in Brooklyn. If I had the money I would not want to go to Manhattan,” Cuadrado said. “In a lot of spots in Brooklyn, it feels like you’re in a town and I think that gives a lot of energy and peace of mind.” “A lot of artists move to Brooklyn, move away from Manhattan,” Iversen said. “I think there’s a bigger artist community in Brooklyn than Manhattan. I made the move five years ago – I was in the East Village. It seems to be more of a jazz, art community out here.” The collective plans on expanding its reach from the stage to local schools by hosting benefit concerts to support music in schools projects. “There can be shows at the schools, we can do clinics, we can do workshops, we can have a festival at a school or a week at a school where we work with the students,” Iversen said. “We all live in Brooklyn, we love being in Brooklyn. We want to try and reach out,” Cuadrado said. “We want to have an impact on the community somehow.” But in the meantime, the Brooklyn Jazz Underground is focused on getting a packed crowd for its four-night festival. “If they’re interested in creative jazz music,” Cuadrado said of Brooklynites, “they’re going to see some of the best that they can find in New York City.” All shows will be held at Smalls, located in Manhattan at 183 West 10th Street. There’s a $10 cover charge. To remain posted on upcoming performances by members of the collective or to listen to samples of their music, log onto www.brooklynjazz.org.
