James Morehand:  

...a very long story, short: After Rome Free Acadamy, I moved to Buffalo, NY, got my GED, moved to various cities around NY state, settled in Syracuse for 6 yrs (81-87), moved to Rochester, NY to begin collage (MCC'87-'90); transferred to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn (BFA - '90 -'93);worked as an interior designer for 7 yrs, Interior design sales for another 8 yrs ('99-'080; attended the Swedish Institute (Massage Therapy)('05-'08) and about to take the state board exam for NYS licensure. I am currently unofficially retired, married to David Polazzo, property manager, collecting rent, finally out of NYC and am grateful to be able to enjoy life. :-) Concurrently, from '02-present, I co-founded (and now incorporated as a not-for-profit org.) PARLORJAZZ! INC. That story is below: ParlorJazz came about as a reaction to the typical live-music venues. Fed up with the blattant disrespect they witnessed musicians enduring while frequenting various Jazz venues around the city. ..ParlorJazz was born. "The minute you consider hiring a musician, the focus should naturally be on how to highlight THEM. Musicians - artists who work constantly on their craft - are not background 'ambiance' where they must compete with every distraction a restaurant/bar can muster up: wide screen TVs, poorly thought out wait-staff traffic patterns, cappuccino machines, the constant chatter of those who aren't even there for the music..and that's just scratching the surface! These types of venues may be satisfactory training grounds for those just "cutting their teeth," but this also happens to those who've played with all the headliners - aka PROFESSIONALS who should be "headliners" themselves...let's show some respect for those keeping our musical culture alive!" - Jim Morehand, co-founder/Director/Booking Mgr - ParlorJazz! On February 23,...Expand for more