The Gig (is now officially a gig)

Some important changes to this newsletter, and what's ahead

Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket

What Henry Threadgill said 40 years ago feels like an even more useful prompt today. So here goes: The Gig is converting to a paid subscription. I’d like to explain what that means going forward — but first, a little about what brought me here.

In downtown Knoxville, for the 2022 Big Ears Festival.

First things first. I’m Nate Chinen, a music critic and commentator, and the author of Playing Changes: Jazz For the New Century. I’m the editorial director at WRTI, a terrific classical and jazz station in Philadelphia, as well as a steady contributor to NPR. For more than a decade, I wrote incessantly about music for the New York Times.

The Gig, as in this Substack, has been an active concern for nearly a year now. But as you may know, there have been previous iterations of The Gig, beginning with my first column, at the Philadelphia City Paper. It ran biweekly from 2001 to 2004, and then found a second life in JazzTimes, where the other columnists were Nat Hentoff and Gary Giddins. That monthly iteration of The Gig ran for more than a dozen years, in 125 consecutive installments, before I decided it had run its course. But I couldn’t bring myself to let go of the name, repurposing it for a Typepad blog, then a Tumblr.

My Back Pages: The Gig debuted in the March 22-29, 2001 issue of the City Paper.

And now this: a newsletter on a platform that has supported many voices I admire, across a range of disciplines. If you’ve already been following my musings here, I want to thank you sincerely for reading, subscribing and sharing.

The Gig, in all of its guises, has always been about exploring tangents and drawing connections, in a casual yet conscientious style. As I’ve settled into a rhythm on Substack, it has begun to feel more like a home — and also like something I want to take a little more seriously, as both self expression and a form of service. There’s so much energy on the scene right now, so many reasons to keep an ear to the ground.

The axe fell for the City Paper in 2015. Over the last few weeks, folks have been openly puzzling over a crazy situation at JazzTimes. Fine jazz criticism still appears in the NYT, but at irregular intervals, without an anchoring presence. The live review, once a key part of the cultural discourse, has almost categorically disappeared. These and other developments are bad for everybody — the artists, the audiences, those who document and cover the music, all the souls who make up this sensitive ecology.

The Gig isn’t going to fix that mess. But I’ve seen how it can fill some of the gaps, produce meaningful conversation, clear welcome space for digression. In a totally organic fashion, it already broke some news about Brad Mehldau, paid tribute to Wayne Shorter, and covered the angles of a Grammy coup by Samara Joy.

I’d love to keep this momentum going, and you can help.

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Makin’ a Move

So here’s how it will work. The Gig will publish several times a month, as a mix of timely commentary, critical reflection and original reporting. Paid subscribers will receive every post and be able to comment, joining a community of readers. You’ll also get additional content — “Bonus Features” like interview audio, archival materials, and other glimpses behind the scenes. For Founding Members, there’ll be exclusive access, updates as I work on larger projects, and a signed copy of Playing Changes.

Pricing:

• Subscribe monthly at $7

• Or save with an annual rate of $70

• Become a Founding Member at $150

Whatever you can manage, I appreciate your support! And I look forward to hearing from you as The Gig swings into this next phase.

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Footnotes:

• The inimitable Henry Threadgill recorded Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket 40 years ago next week. He made Makin’ a Move in ‘95. His forthcoming memoir, which he wrote with Brent Hayes Edwards, borrows another wry title from his catalog. Stay tuned for more about the book, and Threadgill’s newest music.

• When outlets founder, editors endure: Brian Howard, who set up my column at the City Paper, is now editor at Philadelphia Magazine. Evan Haga, who edited the bulk of my columns at JazzTimes, manages editorial at TIDAL. Props!

• Among other, nobler distinctions, The Gig (JazzTimes edition) introduced the notion of the jazzbro. That piece, now behind a paywall, is due for a follow-up...

• Last fall in this space, I bade farewell to Twitter, a decision I haven’t regretted. But I kept my account active, and I’m going to begin syncing posts to the feed.

Thanks again for reading. More, much more, to come.