A jazz musician is a musical performer who specializes in jazz and plays it for a living. The particular profession of a jazz musician has a rather short history compared to the practitioners of some other musical styles, but it’s still highly regarded and treated as a very renowned choice of lifestyle in some communities. Jazz musicians can choose to play various instruments, such as the saxophone, trumpet and even the bass guitar and piano. Some specialize in more than one instrument, while others throw in some vocal talent as well. Regardless, the diversity of jazz allows for quite a lot of freedom in defining one’s own style.
Becoming a jazz musician is similar to the process other musicians go through – it’s usually very beneficial to start playing instruments from an early age, even if they’re not related to jazz in any way. It’s important to build up a solid foundation of a music sense in the person, in order to be able to perform good, high-quality jazz and become renowned in the community. Most jazz players are usually in a band, so it can pay to have good social connections as well.
It’s hard to determine a specific annual salary for a jazz musician due to the specific nature of a musician’s job in general. Some play for small local bands and earn just enough to get by, while others see incredible success and are easily able to secure their future through their performances alone. The job can, in general, pay $20,000 – $60,000 for smaller bands and greater sums, in terms of millions, for the most successful ones.