We were lucky to catch up with Michael Harris recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
The best investment I made for my business as a musician and artistic director was to invest in a high quality edited video of a pivotal concert I did at Creative Alliance in 2014. I decided to take a big risk for me at the time which was to gamble all of my money on myself and my ability to not only perform very difficult music that I had composed but also to do so with top musicians I hired in front of two cameras. I was not even sure if there would be an audience when I made plans to record this live concert. Fortunately tickets started selling and it was sold out by the time we hit the stage because of about 40 walk ins that night. Any money that I would have made for myself was already ear-marked for the camera person, his expertise as an editor, and his assistant who operated the other camera. I went into it knowing that I could end up having to pay the musicians out of my pocket. In retrospect this turned out to be the best investment I could have made. My initial reason for doing it was to document what I considered to be a major turning point in my music. What I did not realize was that this video would allow me to get hired by some top jazz festivals and to also convince venues all over the world to host my band on tour. It was the single reason for my early success. The video got 40,000 views in just a few weeks and showed the world I could perform at a high level with a variety of musicians in front of a packed audience and the cameras. The entire experience created great momentum forward and built my confidence for all of my future projects.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’ve been a professional guitarist since getting out of high school in 1985. Starting doing gigs with my directors wedding band as early as age 15 and kept learning various styles landing on jazz as my favorite style to play. Of course jazz has many iterations from traditional swing music of the 30’s to be-bop, hard bop, cool jazz, straight ahead, world music, folk, Jazz Manouche, and various kinds of acoustic instrumental music. I like it all. Now I am 57 years old and I continue to learn and get inspired. I have never seen age or even time as a factor. I still think the music of 1930 is some of the best and it feels as alive for me now as it did for those who lived back then. 1920 is like yesterday and the future is bright. Before 2012 I was doing original music inspired by Latin and Brazilian artists but all of the sudden I switched directions completely and started composing music inspired by Django Reinhardt and also playing the vintage 1930’s and 40’s swing repertoire all over Baltimore. I am most known for my Django inspired music now and as Artistic Director and founder of Charm City Django Jazz Fest, currently in its 10th year. The fire that ignited my heart in 2012 quickly led to many tours taking me to France, UK and other parts of Europe as well as all over the U.S being featured at all of the top Django Jazz festivals. I have also performed on tour with the Django Festival All Stars from France led by the great Samson Schmitt on multiple occasions. I recorded 8 albums in 10 years with over 35 original compositions and built a local community around traditional jazz by hosting a weekly jam session here in Baltimore. I also started the YouTube channel @GypsyJazzFest which specializes in long-form concert videos. One of the videos is about to reach 1 million views. I started DjangoJazzFest.com and GypsyJazzFest.com for my Django-themed jazz festivals in the United States which feature many U.S.-based musicians including bluegrass and classical musicians who share my love for Gypsy Jazz and Django. I have a natural ability to not see boundaries around what I do artistically and in business and I am not afraid to put myself out there and play with the best players in the world. I also like inspiring and encouraging folks new to the style who are just starting out. I enjoy working with a wide variety of people and believe anything is possible. I expect a large amount of rejection in the music business but it’s all about timing and you have to remain steadfast and determined without taking it personally. Eventually you find others who really appreciate what you are doing artistically and then things flow nicely. It’s worth it when you find the right people to work with in this life. There is great momentum when artists align and we create an amazing concert together.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
My first tour I put together to perform my original music was a process of encountering obstacles and facing a lot of resistance as I tried to convince venues to host my band. I did not realize who many rejections I would get from my emails and phone calls. The process was difficult, humbling and illuminating. If I got one “win” out of ten tries then I was doing very well. I realized that I would need to contact people more than once and more ways than one. An email would be followed up by another and another, then a phone call, and another. Perseverance, patience and an upbeat personality were essential to getting these tasks done. Sometimes you get the wrong person on the phone but sometimes you get the right one. It’s all a gamble and you have to kind of enjoy the randomness of it all. I found that having one big anchor show to start the conversation was the best way to establish credibility. So I always started organizing a tour with one paid show that was decent. It was all trial and error from there every time. I kept tweaking and drafting new emails settling on one with very little text that led with the video link of a great concert I had produced. Simple, to the point, upbeat, confident and brief with an example to click on and see exactly what I do. They say an image is worth a thousand words or something like that…well a quality video helps a TON and spares you having to describe what you do which most people don’t really have the patience to hear anyway. Most want a video they can watch for a minute or so and they know right away. A good video shows the presenter or venue owner what I can do and how the audience responds which helps so much to seal the deal. It is still difficult but it’s easier than it was in the beginning.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My goal is the bring top musicians together in quality listening concert halls in order give audiences an inspiring and memorable experience hearing and seeing acoustic music performed at a very high level. It’s also to show that these traditional forms and styles of music are still thriving, viable and alive. I think there is a tendency for folks to think the music of the old days is somehow gone but it still exists even though it has evolved and includes many other stylistic components. The roots and the authenticity are strong even if the compositions are modern or if styles have merged. For example, when a bluegrass virtuoso banjo player performs a Django Reinhardt song or an old musette waltz and then performs a Willie Nelson song in the style of swing. Or if a classical violinist arranges a famous jazz standard for string quartet. Or we perform a modern pop song in the style of Gypsy jazz. It all brings the audience into the music and allows it to transcend time and place. It is also important to offer authentic renditions of the old way it used to be done using the exact techniques. A good example is the clarinetist who is able to play with the mastery of Artie Shaw or Benny Goodman. These musicians exist and they should be celebrated more. The worldwide community surrounding trad jazz and Django Reinhardt is incredible and I am grateful to be in the position to bring many of these musicians together for concerts both here in Baltimore and across the United States. I am thankful that I have been able to visit Europe on a few occasions and learned guitar from the very best in the world. I’ve performed twice at the Festival Django Reinhardt in France and they were both pivotal experiences for me but so were all of the other Django festivals I have done here in the states because they put me in touch with this vast community of amazing musicians.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michaeljosephharris.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaeljosephharris/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotClubBaltimore
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-joseph-harris-3480b1326
- Twitter: https://x.com/MJHDjangoJazz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gypsyjazzfest
Image Credits
Shane Gardner