I was motivated by a post by RayBoogie to start a new discussion topic. I think that there are a lot of people who, like Ray and I, have really had a lot of trouble getting into the Latin Jazz scene where we live. Can anyone else offer experiences or suggestions that might help?
My own experience: I am a classically trained percussionist who spent many years playing in all kinds of bands from Rock to Jazz to Scottish Bagpipe bands. I fell in love with Latin jazz and latin percussion in college, but never really spent the time an money it took to learn it.
Finally, two years ago, I realized that I was a "jack of all trades but master of none." I decided to really study latin percussion and make it my focus for a while. I found an excellent teacher and really started practicing and learning.
Now I'm ready to play. I've found that from my experiences in rock, blues and other more "poppy" styles I can find those opportunities pretty easily. However, finding Latin jazz opportunities has been much harder.
I've been lucky in that my teacher lets me sit in with his band, Rumba Club, on occasion. However, I've been really struggling to work my way in to the scene. Sam (my teacher) says, "Keep practicing, keep sitting in, visit some clubs, ask to sit in, etc." This is a tough road. I'm frustrated
but I haven't lost hope
.
Any suggestions?
Zach