I had productive introductory conversations with the two big publishers at NAMM and I look forward to pursuing those opportunities. It seems like there is an appetite for jazz learning materials that are not the same old dots-on-the-page stuff. Stay tuned for that.

I also had the chance to attend a couple of panel talks with recent college grads. One of the talks was specifically about life in the real world after college and what they were experiencing. These were bright and ambitious guys and gals who had some very interesting things to say about the real world and some of the skills they didn’t learn in college.

Richie Beirach and I are soon to publish a book on jazz education, and we want to add a bit from what I heard at NAMM which we think will contribute even more to the book’s value for students.

One disappointment for me was the absence of jazz from the conference except for the Preservation Hall Jazz band and some dixieland street performers. I intend to offer NAMM some feedback that they should solicit performers of contemporary jazz for concerts and performances throughout the show. I’d like to believe that NAMM attendees want to hear more than just folk, rock, and pop.

WHAT, jazz isn’t super popular? Well, maybe more people might start to get into it if we’re not afraid to highlight it at a major music conference!

Last but not at all least, I want to give a shout-out to the guys keeping us safe at NAMM. There were many of them very visible throughout the entire campus. It’s an unfortunate state of the world that armed guards are necessary at a music trade show, but since they are, I thank these brave guys for keeping us safe!