New Jivemind Music Labs features Glendale Jazz Jam, outlets and opportunities for musicians

By Matt Marn

Also published by AZCulture.com

The organizers behind one of Glendale’s best kept secrets are ready to share.

People from all over the valley, musicians and supporters alike, gather in the performance lounge of Jivemind Music Labs to enjoy the Downtown Glendale Jazz Jam.  Performers of all ages and skill levels, from seasoned professionals to a grade-school student with a ukulele, take to the stage with their guitars, drumsticks, and voices every Thursday night to share their talents and have fun in a friendly, supportive atmosphere.

But there is more at work in this building than the Jazz Jam, and whether you are a passionate musician, or you just want to try a new hobby, Jivemind Music Labs may become your second home.


Getting the Jazz Jam started

The Downtown Glendale Jazz Jam, which meets at 7:30 every Thursday evening, got its big break when the organizer, Elizabeth Doré, was offered a booth at Glendale’s annual Jazz and Blues Festival.

“We have been after a space to perform for 2 years,” Doré said. “I was working with Glendale, and they gave Jazz in AZ a booth 3 years ago. I met Gabriel Bey, the founder of AZ Culture, and told him we were looking for a venue. When he heard about Jivemind this year, he told them about us.

As Doré met with Jeff Rose and Dustin Chaffin, the two founders of Jivemind, they got along instantly, and she liked what they were working on opening the facility. Rose and Chaffin thought Doré wanted to hold the Jazz Jam once a month, but she insisted the jam be held weekly, to “keep it fresh and popular.”

Doré said so far, the Jazz Jam is getting a great reception.

“I’ve met a lot of my goals,” she said. “The word’s getting around, and we’ve hired a lot of good musicians. But right now, we are working on the financials. I’d love to see it pay for itself, through increased support, as well as sponsorships.

“This Jazz Jam is out of pocket for me and my husband,” Doré said. “It’s a hardship, paying out of pocket, but if we can keep money coming in, that would be great.”

Doré said the Jazz Jam hires a new professional jazz band every month to facilitate the jam, and people from all over the community are welcome to play. She said the arrangement with Jivemind is great, since the Jazz Jam satisfies Jivemind’s needs through the city, and it also gives Glendale nightlife business, as well as helping Jazz in AZ recruit new members.

“It’s a good opportunity for them,” she said. “We also have music promoters that come in, and they have hired people who perform there.  What I’m trying to do is establish relationships with people who are doing these things in the community.”

Doré said it is a dream come true holding a jazz performance in downtown Glendale.

“There are millions of people on the west side, and they don’t have anywhere to go. And the new performers get to play with professionals. Everybody wins; that’s how we roll.”

Doré wants to use the Jazz Jam to share the west side’s musical talent, and hopes to become a satellite for Jazz in AZ live music.

“We now have a west side center for live music on a regular basis. With this low cost and high-quality entertainment, we strive to bring young students out to play with seasoned professionals. It is such a wonderful outlet… there are so many well-educated musicians here.”


Jivemind Music Labs: A place to call home

Jivemind Music Labs, the home of the Jazz Jam, is also starting its own rise through the valley’s music scene. On the corner of 58th Avenue and Glenn Drive in downtown Glendale, the founders describe Jivemind on their website as “a community workshop where musicians, producers and hobbyists realize their projects, practice their art, and connect with others.”

Jivemind offers rehearsal space and a growing collection of accessible instruments, recording studio space, as well as regular clinics, workshops and performances, including the Jazz Jam. With nearly a dozen varieties and levels of membership plans at Jivemind, Rose and Chaffin believe everyone interested in music should be able find a comfortable environment to enjoy and practice music, and meet others who enjoy doing the same.
“I’d like Jivemind to continue to gain momentum, said Rose. “It’s going to be the happening spot, with lots of events, lots of really awesome equipment. We’ve gotten to funnel performance opportunities to younger performers. I’d like to see musicians playing, learning and networking.”

Jivemind, now open, held an open house the weekend leading up to when Rose and Chaffin opened the doors. They got overwhelmingly positive feedback, and a news network affiliate also came by to help spread the word. They are excited about the publicity, but they remain most excited about the good it will do for music enthusiasts in the area.

“Dawell, a drummer and regular here, said it best: ‘Everyone has a voice, however developed, and everyone should have a right to develop it,’” Rose said. “And we’re trying to do that. We want to foster a culture that is growing. We’re not in it to make money; we want to help by doing what we love to do.”


Different roads to the same song

Rose said he and cofounder Chaffin arrived at the need for a place like Jivemind separately, knocking on doors, making contact with musicians and organizers in the area.

For Rose, it started when he played his drum set at home, and with the paper-thin walls of his apartment complex, that didn’t go over well.

“It was not a healthy environment to play and practice,” he said. “I got my drums out of home, and I took them to another sketchy place, and soon they were trashed. I just wanted to play my drums…”

Rose said he wanted to also go out and meet musicians, and have a good, safe place to play.

“There ought to be a place in town that can provide you with contacts, instruments, and a place to play, a central location in Phoenix that provides that,” he said.

Rose said when he asked around for who he should talk to in the area to get started in the music industry, Kimber Lanning’s name kept coming up.

“She’s a player, well-connected and approachable,” said Rose. He said Lanning put him in contact with other active members of the music community, including Nate Anderson.

Meanwhile, Chaffin grew up an hour north of Austin, Texas.

 “Any day of the week, you can just walk down the street, and see a show,” Chaffin said. “The music scene is incredible. Here, there’s less places to just drive to and see what’s happening. Plus, I’ve been writing and recording music since I was able to read at all. Anything I did in music, I was very encouraged, coming from a musical family.”

Chaffin said when he looked into the issue; he found most recording studios in the traditional sense weren’t making money. So he formulated the idea for a “lean and mean” studio. He, too, approached Kimber Lanning, who also led him to Nate Anderson.

This was when Rose and Chaffin were introduced to each other.

“Together, we came up with a holistic concept,” Chaffin said. “Venues, recording, and gear usually get expensive, and can stifle you. We provide these resources, and a great chance to meet other musicians.”

Chaffin added with a smile, Jivemind is “like a gym for musicians,” and advised enthusiasts not to buy an expensive elliptical, but to go to the gym.

“And there are people there with you, with a shared interest, a like mindset you can’t get at home,” Rose added. “However serious or recreational it is, there ought to be a place like this.”


Taking it from the top

Now that Jivemind has opened and the facility is prepared, Rose and Chaffin are astonished, seeing their dreams for what the local music scene deserves turned into a reality.

“It’s amazing, seeing this come together,” Rose said. “I don’t know about Dustin, but it’s better than I had imagined. We’re happy with where we’re at now, but we know what we have to do to keep improving. It will grow so much greater from here.”

As part of that list of ways to grow, the duo is working more heavily on spreading the word through outreach to the community.

“We have great press and a lot of marketing,” Rose said. “But selling this building and getting people on board is only possible with the finished product. We have spent months developing, finishing our product, and now we are really pushing our promotional efforts. It’s just a matter of building word of mouth.”

Rose said the pair is working now on workshops and activities based around various musicians’ topics. Many are still conceptual ideas, and would-be facilitators are still expressing ideas, or are being approached by Rose and Chaffin themselves, but Rose mentioned a possible drum lab as an example, facilitated by a teacher, where music lovers can jam, practice and socialize.



“For sure, we want to expand our membership base, and the continued growth of what we have to offer musicians, from instruments and performance space to fun, interesting programs,” Rose said. “That’s the kind of stuff we like to do.”


The Start of Something Great

Now Thursday evening’s Jazz Jam wraps up at Jivemind Music Labs, and everyone in the crowd who wanted to take the stage has gotten the chance to jam with professionals in the valley music scene. The crowd is clapping for great performances, and tapping toes and bopping heads can’t help keeping the rhythm that fills Glendale’s newest spot for live music and music lovers. And off to the side, Jivemind cofounder Jeff Rose works the sound console, and in the back of the room, Rose’s cofounder Dustin Chaffin stands with Jazz Jam organizer Elizabeth Doré, all three nodding and tapping along with the rest of the crowd.

Their smiles, however, may be just a bit larger.


Downtown Glendale Jazz Jam
Every Thursday, 7:30-10:00 pm

Jivemind Music Labs
5754 West Glenn Drive
Glendale, AZ 85301
 (408) 475-5483
http://jivemindmusic.com/
http://www.facebook.com/JivemindMusic