Keeping it Jazzy in a COVID World with ALEX HITCHCOCK

First in a series of advice and tidbits from musicians everywhere: how to keep your music and your brand on track.

Today’s inspiration comes from saxman Alex Hitchcock.

How are you getting gigs, whether performing or teaching?

I’ve put the immediate search for gigs on hold just for the moment while I adjust to my new routine, but that won’t be for long as I want to have some work to get back to when things get back to normal! The hard thing is not knowing when clubs/festivals are going to be able to book for as the situation internationally is uncertain, making scheduling difficult.

How are you keeping your brand alive?

I’ve been using social media to support and keep in touch with friends and family first and foremost, but it’s been heartening to see how the wider jazz community has come up with inventive responses to the crisis to help people maintain some level of profile. I have an idea to do a duo project with some musician friends around the world who I’d like to play more with (a kind of pre- apocalyptic hat tip to Ben Wendel’s “Seasons” duo series) but haven’t got the technology working yet. I have an album out on Edition Records at the end of May so there’s been a fair bit of social media coming out of that and the single we just released.

What other tips do you have for your fellow musicians in these challenging times?

To be honest, I’ve spent most of the first two weeks just enjoying getting back to practicing the instrument for its own sake – not with a particular gig or recording in mind – and making the most of having much more time than normal to spend on practice.

Of course I’m missing playing with and for other people, but I think there’s a danger that in the midst of a busy career you become detached from the fulfillment of playing the instrument for its own sake. I know that’s a cliché  but I think it’s true! So I’d encourage others to spend some of this time rediscovering it.

For more information, visit www.alexhitchcock.co.uk.

Photos courtesy of and with permission of Alex Hitchcock

(c) Debbie Burke 2020