Marty Khan, while not a Jazz Guitarist, is included on JGL because he has written an honest and inspirational book that explores the nature of what it is to be a working Jazz musician. A must read!

JazzGuitarLife.com Interview with Marty Khan: This interview was conducted via email October, 2004. Check out his website at www.outwardvisions.com

[JGL note: Marty Khan, while not a Jazz Guitarist, is included on JGL because he has written an honest and inspirational book that explores the nature of what it is to be a working Jazz musician. It is a narrative that needs to be read by all who are seeking a professional life as a Jazz musician as well as those who are already involved in the day to day activities as such. His words, wisdom and experiences are definitely worth checking out as they may be able to lessen the struggle in becoming a Jazz musician. Please read on.]

JGL: Would you please talk about Outward Visions and the three mission statements:

MK: Outward Visions is committed to the intensity of the human spirit and the Artist's desire and need to expand the potential and awareness of the audience as well as the Artist. The main purposes of this organization are threefold:

1) to increase creative, educational and performance opportunities for innovative Artists who share this spirit; with a particular focus on those who express themselves in the profound art of jazz;

2) to increase public awareness and recognition of these Artists;

3) to document and collect works that represent these ideals.

I think those statements speak for themselves. “Intensity of the human spirit” may need a little definition though. Outward Visions is dedicated to artistic expression that is powerful, uncompromising and intensely committed to delivering its message. This can include the music of Coltrane, George Russell, P-Funk, Otis Redding, Fela Kuti, Hendrix or Ali Akbar Khan; films of Kubrick, Kurosawa, Welles or Fellini; the dance theater of Alwin Nikolais, Sankai Juku or Butoh in general; spoken words of Malcolm X or Lenny Bruce; paintings of Pollack, Miró or Bosch; photography of Avedon, Van der Zee or Witkin and so forth. But focus is essential to any real commitment and our primary commitment is to jazz. In that area, more information about what we do and have done can be found at our website, www.outwardvisions.com.

JGL: Reading your bio, you seem to have done it all, both in front of the music as an artist and player and behind the scenes as a management consultant and musical advisor. How have you come to wear so many hats in one, and still going strong I might add, lifetime?

MK: Let me correct one item there. I would certainly not characterize my activities as an artist or player as being very meaningful, other than to include myself as one of the vast majority of business people to have failed as a musician. There’s only a line or two in my bio that refers to my studies. As for my other activities, you do what needs to be done, when and where it’s needed. If the artist needs career help, you become a manager. If no agent is interested, you learn to book. If no gigs are available, you learn to promote. If there is a gig, but the promoter doesn't publicize it, you learn to do publicity. If the artist has a record date and there’s no money to pay a producer, you learn how to produce. And so on. If you apply yourself according to the examples of the great masters, you bring all of your abilities to every job, whether it’s agent, manager, road manager, soundman, producer, or even roadie. Apply what you know; ask questions about what you don’t know of those who do.

JGL: This may seem like a simple question but...who needs to read your book?

MK: Anybody who’s interested in making a living in the jazz business, especially those to whom the music is most important – and wish for it to remain so. That includes working musicians, committed professionals and hopeful musicians, from whom our next generations of professionals will emerge.

JGL: Are you concerned that the "nasty" or negative portions of the book will deter or alienate some from pursuing their vision?

MK: The negative portions are not there for self-indulgence, or for entertainment or provocative reasons. What may seem “nasty” is really just unflinching truth, in my perspective. I feel that the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” content of far too many guides to success is an irresponsible approach, and quite unfair to the reader. That’s why we have legions of new musicians spilling out of our institutional jazz programs without enough work to support them. If this discourages some folks, maybe that’s a good thing. Better sooner than later. For many it will just be like learning to make the changes on "Confirmation" after getting down a simple blues. If they think playing the music is a challenge, wait til they see what it’s like making a living from it.

JGL: Do you think it is still possible to dream about becoming a successful Jazz musician and having that dream become a reality? Or is the business side of Jazz too far gone for such idealizing?

MK: That depends on how you define success. I often quote the line from "Citizen Kane" – “It’s no big thing to make a lot of money, if all you want to do is make a lot of money.” – although I don’t know why anyone would pursue jazz purely as a means of making a lot of money. But if success means earning a good income while achieving the personal satisfaction of fulfilling your aesthetic goals without any serious compromise or undignified actions, it’s getting tougher and tougher in today’s environment. I really believe that for those who are striving for that elusive goal, the methods in the book provide the only means – outside of pure luck, that is. As for the “business side (being) too far gone,” the business side of jazz has always been terribly exploitative and difficult. The difference today is that there are far fewer of the traditional opportunities to express the jazz art than ever before.

JGL: Your book takes an altruistic approach in providing insight into the workings of the total package of being a Jazz musician that I am sure will benefit all who read it in one way or another. What was your motivation for writing this book?

MK: Two main reasons. One is to help restore the continuum of the oral traditions and spiritual truths that are so central to the essence of jazz, and which I – and many others – feel has been slipping away over the past 20 years or so. The other is to repay all of those who reached out to me as a young fan, student and emerging professional, as well as all of those profoundly inspiring artists whose contributions have been so utterly essential to my own life and experience.

JGL: John Coltrane as an artist and, if I can say this, as a philosophy, seems to have been woven throughout the many facets of your life. Can you talk about his influence on your life as an individual and an artist?

MK: Speaking about Coltrane to me is like talking about one’s religious beliefs. In some ways it’s uncomfortable, but in others it’s the ultimate representation of all that you try to be in life. Trane’s music embodies the Ultimate Truth, all that is ideal in Creation. He is the perfect messenger of Creation. The essence of Love, Spirituality, Peace, Commitment, Hope, Brotherhood, Humanity and every other refined substance to which we are supposed to strive as human beings and children of creation. On a more mundane level, he represents all that jazz can be – the search for truth, unwavering commitment, unity of purpose, pursuit of new ideas, unselfish self-expression, transcendence of spirit, absolute joy, all wrapped up in sublime melody and heartbeat rhythm. To offer a variation on something Carlos Santana recently said, if where I end up when I die, I don’t hear "A Love Supreme", I’ll know I screwed up somewhere.

JGL: When you were a young man and getting involved in Jazz, did you expect to be doing what you are doing now or was there a dramatic turning point that brought you to this path of realization? What were your thoughts as a youngster towards Jazz and being a life long musician?

MK: I often make the point – as I did a little earlier here – that virtually all of us on the business side of jazz are failed musicians. It’s one of the first issues I confront in "Straight Ahead". This may be utterly unique to jazz. Consider it; how many businesses exist where nearly every business person found their positions by default rather than aspiration? For me, I discovered the music at 13, and was totally consumed by it at 14. At that point I decided to become a musician and began studying at 16, but didn’t get truly serious about it until 20 when I quit school to pursue it. About three years later I knew that I lacked the combination of talent and the discipline to commit the time to reach the ideal to which I aspired. So I decided to commit myself to assisting those who embodied that ideal. I began representing people like Sam Rivers, George Russell, Sonny Fortune, Oliver Lake, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago shortly thereafter. I realized that what stood in the way of my ability to express myself musically were the very attributes that would make me a good manager and business person.

JGL: Do you find it easy to make people understand where you are coming from, or do you find that there is resistance in hearing what you have to say?

MK: There is enormous resistance, but that’s the path of anyone who’s dedicated to Truth, whether it be artistic, social, political or philosophical. If you believe in the Bible, Jesus Christ was crucified over Truth. If you believe your own powers of deductive reason and recognition, so were Malcolm X, Reverend King and Lenny Bruce. Everybody claims that they want truth and straightforward interaction, but I find it’s just not the case. While hundreds of jazz professionals and musicians have been invited to participate in the major national jazz funding initiatives and organizational structures over the past 20 years, nobody has ever come to us. Even though we were consistently touring the most progressive jazz artists all over the country, had been instrumental in establishing many promoters all over the U.S, had initiated major performance programs, produced large-scale festivals and so forth, somehow our input wasn’t considered valuable. I don’t take this personally. Maybe it’s because those involved did not want to confront the hard truths that they knew I would put on the table, or the harder work that would be involved in properly addressing them. Maybe they felt that the funders involved would be scared off by the scope of the job at hand. Maybe they felt that my ideas would put a greater share of the money into the hands of musicians rather than to institutions, researchers and consultants who actually have been receiving the greatest benefits of these initiatives. Or maybe it’s just that real solutions require real work instead of endless yapping and postulating. As I understand it, I’m considered highly controversial and my reputation seems to have a diverse variety of opinion. Yet I’ve never been directly confronted by anyone about any of it at any time in my 35 years on the scene. Everything I ever hear comes second-hand from something that somebody or other has said to someone else. One big-time jazz lawyer followed me around at the IAJE Conference back in 2002, attending every panel and workshop at which I spoke, never asking me a question or seeking clarification. Afterward, I understand he called up a lot of folks saying that never in the history of the Conference had any one man put forth so much misinformation. When somebody asked him for a specific example he wasn’t able to cite a single one. I guess he felt threatened by what I said. But you have to remember, most of the music’s greatest visionaries have suffered incredible critical attack, disdain, contempt and accusations when they were making their contributions. I consider it something of an honor to be in their company in this way.

JGL: Apart from "buy my book", what advice would you give young people today seeking a life as a professional Jazz musician?

MK: Be honest with yourself. Understand what is at stake and how committed you’re willing to be. Look back at those who came before you, but only so you can apply it to the future. Remember that innovation and a unique voice are key to jazz expression at its finest. Don’t fall into the okey-dokey syndrome of complacency and wishing for success in place of active pursuit of it. And don’t be a shortsighted knucklehead.

JGL: In a nutshell, why should I buy your book?

MK: For knowledge and understanding.

JGL: Thank you Marty Khan and Helene Cann for participating on www.jazzguitarlife.com and I wish you all the best in getting your word out to those who need it.

MK: Thank you.