We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Greg Capozzi . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Greg below.
Hi Greg, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I started learning the clarinet in elementary school 4th grade. Learned how to read music and played in the concert band. In Jr High, I picked up the sax, self taught, and got into the jazz band so I was playing classical clarinet in the orchestra and jazz sax in the big band. Continued private lessons on the clarinet through high school, but learned all the jazz theory and technique on sax on my own. Then I went on to perform in cover bands and original bands in college and beyond to present day. Performing at the Montreal Jazz Fest, Club Med, Epcot Center, Disney, Margaritaville and more.
I taught myself how to DJ in the early 2000s. Bought some turntables on ebay and wanted to add this craft to my musical arsenal. Goal being to DJ in the clubs in Boston and play my sax at the same time which nobody was doing. I learned on real vinyl records, didn’t even own a laptop at that time. After countless hours of learning to beat mix, it took me about 6 months before I had a good demo ready and then I scored my first residency in Boston by knocking on doors and giving them a free DJ/Sax demo. That lead to over 7 years full time in the club and nightlife scene.
Greg, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a musician, DJ and entrepreneur. Got into the industry due to my love and passion for music. Played classical clarinet through elementary school and high school. Taught myself sax in the 8th grade and started playing professionally in 1988 in various cover bands, I was just a kid. In my early 20s I auditioned for Carnival Cruise Lines and earned a spot in the pit orchestra playing clarinet, tenor sax, flute and baritone sax. Did that for 2.5 years and really got my chops together studying with my fellow colleagues, all who had performance degrees from prestigious universities like Berklee and U of N Texas.
After Carnival, in the late 90s I taught myself how to DJ on turntables and vinyl, in an effort to expand my musical skill set, since it’s really hard to make a sole living just playing sax. I soon earned residencies at some of the finest venues in Boston’s nightlife scene as I DJ’ed on the turntables and played my sax at the same time. Nobody else was doing that, and I eventually incorporated a trumpet player and a conga player too, So it was the coolest mix of live music and DJ beats.
People started asking us to do corporate events or weddings. I kept saying no, but one day someone offered 2k to do their wedding, back in 2001. I was amazed and said yes. From there the referrals started rolling in. I soon was booked every weekend and needed to hire more DJs to fulfill demand.
The genesis of C-Zone Entertainment was literally January 1, 2003. It was me, my drummer and my guitarist. We pitched clients that we would play live jazz for the first hour and then I’d DJ the rest of the party. The empire soon began to grow as we slowly brought on more DJs. then we added live string ensembles for wedding ceremonies and cocktail hour. Then we added wireless uplighting, and then we added photo booths.
Currently we have about 125 classical musicians, about 30 jazz players, 4 photo booths, 2 light techs, 3 administrative staff and 12 DJs including myself. We book about 400 events per year and we have earned 2,000 5 star reviews, ranking us top 3% in the country. It’s been a wild ride and nothing I had envisioned but we are so grateful to have such a thriving business.
To this day I still play real turntables at every event. I still have to practice all the time to keep my chops up. The journey never ends. It takes so much discipline to be a high level DJ, and to also be a sax player performing with top level musicians, and also run and manage such a large business. It’s not for the faint of heart and takes energy and effort 7 days per week.
I’m most proud of the fact that this business was started from ground zero and has been built on hard work, talent, passion, dedication, morals and integrity. We are so grateful to have earned such a stellar rep in New England and to be referred by many of the finest venues in the Greater Boston area. We have built a team of the most professional, talented and dedicated performers who work tirelessly at their craft.
Our philosophy is that it’s now our show, it’s your event. So it’s all about the music here. No gimmicks, no games, no props, no egos. Let the music do the talking and that’s what creates the buzz and generates word of mouth referrals, which are our bread and butter.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect is making meaningful connections with people at every event, or even online when they hear our music. Music unites people of all ages, demographics and cultures. When someone is moved by our work, or when our music creates emotion within them, that’s what it’s all about. We want people to feel our passion and our soul come through the performance, like it’s the last gig we’ll ever play. Often guests will come up when we’re done and express how much they loved it, or how much one particular song meant to them. Those are the moments that fuel our fire and creative juices. All it takes is one connection at a gig and it’s all worthwhile.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I was a laborer in construction for years, while I would hustle for gigs at night. It was brutal working the nightlife and then getting up at 5am to do heavy labor. But those construction skills came back to help when Covid hit. Our business went from thriving to a screeching halt. Not only were we not making any money at all, but despite our contract terms, everyone was demanding their deposit back. Rather than dealing with so much negativity and anger, I often crumbled and gave their money back. So I needed to generate some cash flow.
I went back into construction and renovating houses for 2 years while the events and hospitality industry was under water. I was putting in about 60 hours per week doing floors, drywall, electrical and carpentry. I was very relieved in May 2021 when things opened back up a bit and I could back off the hard labor and get into my craft again. Since then it’s been busier than ever and we are still booming thankfully.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.czonemusic.com
- Instagram: @czonemusic or https://www.instagram.com/czonemusic/
- Facebook: @czonemu or facebook.com/czonemusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-capozzi-1652785/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/djczone1
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/c-zone-entertainment-beverly
- Other: Link to a playlist of video promos, showcasing me as a DJ and musician. One is about 4 minutes and the rest are one minute clips that are based on specific topics. Please keep in mind the musical content may have been requested by the client. We will build your soundtrack around your taste as we collaborate and plan your party. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6A4QlnincdmEAKZtwLuAtPZLZgUUG_p0 Article featuring me in Boston Voyager magazine: http://bostonvoyager.com/interview/meet-greg-capozzi/ Blog feature: https://happilyeverexpo.com/5-minutes-with-c-zone-entertainment/?fbclid=IwAR1CHyDgSIaisGkz71uW_DlbFttuZ_gQRji0dawE6HPbI23rp7kLhDnPPm4 Salem Community Feature: 30 minute in depth interview: https://parkbench.com/blog/c-zone-entertainment-event-planning-downtown-salem-salem-greg-capozzi 5 minute highlight reel of services: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGrcjVnSvNPRfCgXLPpHZVgZHpl?projector=1
Image Credits
Dan Aguirre Photography for the image of the harpist. Otherwise we took all the other pictures Benoit McCarthy photography for the sax image of me. But their logo is on there already