Larry Marshall: Osaka Jazz Beat

By Sam Zipursky

Larry Marshall is a drummer from the Philadelphia area of the US, which, as he quickly reminds me, is "Home to John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, 'Philly' Joe Jones, Jaco Pastorious and far too many others to name." Larry is now located in Kansai, and while he's only been based here for a couple of years, he first played on Japanese soil back in 2005.

"My good friend Phillip Strange, himself a wonderful musician, arranged for a short tour here in 2005," Larry recalls. "Through that I got to see first-hand how jazz musicians are treated with a little more respect here, and how there are more opportunities [in Japan] for playing and growing as an artist. I still wasn’t  convinced that moving here was the best thing, but I went on another tour in 2006, and at that time I met my now fiancée!"

Impressively, Larry manages to keep things going purely from the rewards of his musical activities. I ask him for a little advice: how can a musician make ends meet in Japan?

"As a full-time musician," Larry explains, "I think the single-most important aspect of my career has been flexibility. Growing up in the Philadelphia area, I was exposed to so much great music. I grew up playing funk, rock, gospel, as well as jazz. Consequently, I can get a call to play a wide variety of styles. In my later years, I have chosen to primarily play jazz, but the influences and comfort level of playing many styles of music has, at times, given me a bit of an edge. Touring still remains the most lucrative way of making money. Many musicians still find that teaching in between live performances is a way to supplement their income and, more importantly, pass on their knowledge to the younger generation."

Time was, of course, when releasing a CD could also be pretty lucrative. I ask Larry how that side of the game is playing out in the age of iTunes, MP3 and BitTorrent. Are musicians like Larry still making much money from recording? 

"I've had no shortage of recording sessions for other artists," he tells me. "Actually, I haven't had time to record my own CD! In the past, marketing, especially for independent projects, has been an uphill battle - at least now, with the proliferation of online marketing via places such as CD Baby and iTunes, the 'little guy' has a chance. Also, sites like Myspace and Facebook have almost reinvented the way that marketing is done."  

Even though Facebook/iTunes/Myspace are global entities, anyone who's been to a jazz club in Japan or spoken with Japanese music enthusiasts will recognize that there are some differences in the 'scenes' over here. For Larry, most of the differences are positive ones - because Japan loves its jazz. 

"Because I have chosen to be primarily a jazz musician, Japan was and is an excellent choice," he reckons. "The Japanese jazz fan is committed to going to hear and support live jazz. They seem to know all there is to know about a musician. I’ve had people come up to me and tell me things that I don’t even know about myself! [Laughs] If they like what you do, they make it a point to know your schedule, what recordings you have done and look forward to your next recording. It’s great! 

"Jazz is very much alive in Kansai. This area is growing and becoming known more and more. In the past, if you said 'jazz' and 'Japan' in the same sentence, it was automatically assumed that you were speaking of Tokyo. But I don’t think that is the case anymore. I think that the situation is much like that of New York: there are many great musicians, but there are only so many jazz clubs! As a consequence, those musicians tend to either travel to neighboring cities or try to find touring gigs. So, the idea that the 'great' musicians must live in New York or Tokyo, in my opinion, is a fading notion."  
This is (jazz) music to my ears - I'm based in Osaka myself, and I'm always down to check out some mad jazz but have no clue where to go in such a big city. To that end, I ask Larry for his recommended venue - somewhere that we can check jazz shows at a reasonable price...

"There are so many jazz clubs in the Osaka/Kansai area! I have to say though, for great food, great prices and - most importantly - great musicians, Azul is a fine place. But let me emphasize that any jazz club in Osaka has something great to offer. It’s important to keep them all in business and thriving! I always say, 'Keep peace in your heart and jazz in your soul!'"

 
Larry Marshall, jazz drummer
drummerlarry.blogspot.com / email

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