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Interview with Akira Tana (3 of 3)
On gaining recognition
Q: It's a common thing for musicians to complain about the music industry and I'm wondering -- do you think you have things figured out in terms of the industry? ...how to do things, or produce things, who to work with, dealing with publishers, record companies...?
Tana: It's a learning experience every time you try to do something. But I don't think you'll ever be able to figure everything out. Otherwise we'd all be millionaires. Not to say that if you're a millionaire you've figured it all out! But it's really difficult because you're dealing with an industry that -- just like in other kinds of industries, especially nowadays -- it's about numbers, it's about selling, it's about product, it's about marketing... And it's about youth. And it's about being really old.
Let's take for example Joe Henderson. He's won Grammies, recently, and he's put out some recordings. But to me they don't measure up to the records he made in the 70s, 60s, on Blue Note. And that was some serious music. But he's lasted and he's getting recognition. Unfortunately he's very ill now, I hear, but he's making some really good money, which he deserves, and he's Joe Henderson.
Jimmy Heath -- he's a saxophonist who's always been in the background. He's talked about with Sammy Rollins, he's talked about with John Coltrane... But Jimmy's always been there, and now he's 72 years old. And now he's getting all this recognition...
Ruth Brown, always jokes on stage, "I'm working a lot now because
there's nobody else left. Everyone else is either sick or dying off and
there's no one else of my generation, so they're calling me now. And
I'm getting nominated for this and that, and getting all this recognition.
It's our time."
It's unfortunate that you have to wait so long and struggle such a long time
to get that kind of recognition. Then on the other hand, there are all these
young guys who have no experience, but the record companies see these marketable
objects and their music is okay, but they don't have the experience.
For example, someone like Kenny Barron. He's in his late 50s now...
but he's always been there, over the years. Now it's his time, and he's
got his Verve recording contract, commanding fees that are cognizant
of his abilities and his experience. So it's almost like he paid his
dues, and... He paid his dues and hopefully one day...
You keep investing, and you wait for this payoff someday, but you don't do
it for that purpose. You do it because you love the music and you have this
creative spirit, and you keep plugging away...
But it's difficult. It's a difficult thing... It's important to evolve and
to learn about different ways of being creative, not just be one way all the
time.
sian
