What are they worth

[BeBop]

I made a lot of money on my tenor...when I sold it to buy ramen.

I assume Benny Goodman did pretty well. And the studio guys shoulda done well.

Edited November 17, 2013 by BeBop

[robertoart]

Gerald Wilson told me he has seven homes across the planet. Who are/were the richest jazz musicians. Miles must have made a ton of money. Benny Golson says you need "lots of money" I think Lionel Hampton had lots of green stuff. From the 40's to the 00's, who made the most money??????

Hampton made 6 figure donations to Republican political causes.

Nice.

Obviously George Benson.

Pat Metheny must be rolling in it.

Jamey Aebersold

Lot's of other people that didn't do drugs or were White.

Michael Brecker?

John McLaughlin?

Edited November 17, 2013 by freelancer

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

You don't have to make all that much of a whole lot of money to invest it wisely over the years and then end up with a whole lot of money.

Or make a shit load from royalties on compositions. Horace Silver's home in Santa Monica over looked the Pacific ocean. That has to be worth some money. In his autobiography, Horace mentions making money from his publishing company. He learnt this from JJ Johnson and Gigi Gryce.

horace has an autobiography?

[Cyril]

The richest? I think it was Ellington and second Lionel Hampton. He has built a neighborhood for the poor.

He had no children only a half-brother, Sammy Davis, Jr.

http://www.wysk.com/index/california/studio-city/peedvb4/the-lionel-and-gladys-hampton-jazz-history-education-foundation/profile

Edited November 17, 2013 by Cyril

[Д.Д.]

Keith Jarrett must be doing fine.

[BeBop]

Can't help but wonder...even though I don't really care: Wynton? He's certainly built something of an empire, or at least name recognition. That Burns TV series and JALC...

Edited November 17, 2013 by BeBop

[GA Russell]

Can't help but wonder...even though I don't really care: Wynton? He's certainly built something of an empire, or at least name recognition. That Burns TV series and JALC...

Yes! I read not long ago that Wynton's salary from JALC is $1 million per year.

[Cyril]

Can't help but wonder...even though I don't really care: Wynton? He's certainly built something of an empire, or at least name recognition. That Burns TV series and JALC...

Yes! I read not long ago that Wynton's salary from JALC is $1 million per year.

Not bad...

What about Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Keith Jarrett?

[BeBop]

Thanks for the tibit on Wynton's JALC salary. As I read it, I found myself focusing less on the "$1 million" than on the "salary". Some of the guys who do well ultimately seem to be salaried or ar working for someone else. Gerald Wilson and Quincy Jones, for examples.

[Milestones]

I don't think too much about jazz and money--jazz being divorced, in theory, from such materialism, or so we would like to think!

But it is kind of interesting.

Put me in there with those stunned by Wilson having 7 houses. Gerald Wilson was pretty much nothing but a name to me until maybe 10 years ago, and I think I still have only 3 or 4 records by him. Yes, he may have made a bundle working in other capacities, often in non-jazz music (in the strictest sense), but enough to afford 7 houses???

Yes, I'm sure some modern guys have a bundle: Hancock, Jarrett, Metheny, the late Michael Brecker. I would think Horace Silver would be pretty well up there, mainly for the extraordinary number of compositions (and the interest taken in them by others). Monk? I mean, Monk is either the first or second greatest jazz composer (I'd personally put Ellington first), so that ought to be worth big bucks. But maybe he wasn't surrounded by useful and honest people.

Looking over posts, the mention of Coltrane is intersting. I doubt he was way up there while alive, but had he lived another 20 or 30 years I'm sure he would have raked in a lot.

[JSngry]

What you make from your work is not nearly as important as what you do with it after you make it.

[Brad]

Not sure why we care.

[Mark Stryker]

Wynton's base compensation at Jazz at Lincoln Center was $1.4 million in fiscal year 2011 according to the institution's tax forms. That's on a budget of roughly $34 million.

[Mark Stryker]

Kevin Eubanks made ridiculous amounts of money as the leader of the Tonight Show Band -- multiple millions per year and would it not surprise me if it reached perhaps $5 million annually, though I'm just guessing on the latter. Pretty sure Branford was in the $2 million range for the years he was leading the band -- he walked away from that ...

Edited November 18, 2013 by Mark Stryker

[Milestones]

Yep, quite true...I'm sure Kevin is very comfortable.

[Big Beat Steve]

What you make from your work is not nearly as important as what you do with it after you make it.

... and what you are ABLE to do with it after you make it.

(e.g. Michael Brecker who has been named twice here)

[BillF]

You don't have to make all that much of a whole lot of money to invest it wisely over the years and then end up with a whole lot of money.

Or make a shit load from royalties on compositions. Horace Silver's home in Santa Monica over looked the Pacific ocean. That has to be worth some money. In his autobiography, Horace mentions making money from his publishing company. He learnt this from JJ Johnson and Gigi Gryce.

horace has an autobiography?

Yes, it's a wonderful read:

[mrjazzman]

Gonna count Kenny G?

MG

I'm referring to jazz musicians

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Gonna count Kenny G?

MG

I'm referring to jazz musicians

Well, I hear he was once...

MG

[mrjazzman]

Gerald Wilson told me he has seven homes across the planet. Who are/were the richest jazz musicians. Miles must have made a ton of money. Benny Golson says you need "lots of money" I think Lionel Hampton had lots of green stuff. From the 40's to the 00's, who made the most money??????

I'm sorry, but this can't be true. That is, I don't believe he owns seven homes. It makes no sense. I've spent a lot of time researching his life and career and speaking with him and there has never been a hint of anything like this or that level of wealth. However, he has said to me that he considers a lot of cities "home," including Los Angeles where he's been based since landing there with Lunceford in 1940; Detroit, where he came of age as musician, attending high school at Cass Tech; Chicago, where he was stationed during the navy; etc. In what context did he say he has seven homes across the planet? FWIW, he made a comfortable living as an arranger-composer for hire and had his hand in lots of musical activities but that doesn't get you to Brubeck or Quincy money.

context schmontext, the man said to me face to face after the set at Yoshi's in oakland quote I own 7 homes, so was he lying or confused, or am I lying or confused?????????, did u ask, did he tell u how many homes he owned at the time you spoke with him? When did he tell u these things. He and my Dad were band mates in diz's band. My mom, sis and I visited him in LA when I was a boy. You have a lot of nerve saying you know what a man doesn't have

[Mark Stryker]

Gerald Wilson told me he has seven homes across the planet. Who are/were the richest jazz musicians. Miles must have made a ton of money. Benny Golson says you need "lots of money" I think Lionel Hampton had lots of green stuff. From the 40's to the 00's, who made the most money??????

I'm sorry, but this can't be true. That is, I don't believe he owns seven homes. It makes no sense. I've spent a lot of time researching his life and career and speaking with him and there has never been a hint of anything like this or that level of wealth. However, he has said to me that he considers a lot of cities "home," including Los Angeles where he's been based since landing there with Lunceford in 1940; Detroit, where he came of age as musician, attending high school at Cass Tech; Chicago, where he was stationed during the navy; etc. In what context did he say he has seven homes across the planet? FWIW, he made a comfortable living as an arranger-composer for hire and had his hand in lots of musical activities but that doesn't get you to Brubeck or Quincy money.

context schmontext, the man said to me face to face after the set at Yoshi's in oakland quote I own 7 homes, so was he lying or confused, or am I lying or confused?????????, did u ask, did he tell u how many homes he owned at the time you spoke with him? When did he tell u these things. He and my Dad were band mates in diz's band. My mom, sis and I visited him in LA when I was a boy. You have a lot of nerve saying you know what a man doesn't have

I apologize for offending you. I should not have written, "This cannot be true," when if fact it could be. However, I am questioning whether he does (or has) owned 7 homes simultaneously because this is inconsistent with my own research and knowledge, and in searching for a plausible explanation I was speculating on a conversation that I was not privy too. Obviously, I cannot dispute what he told you. I'm presently trying to track down the actual facts on this matter.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Mark Stryker

[Mark Stryker]

Coda: According to his son, Gerald Wilson has never owned 7 homes. At one point there was a second house that remained in the family that he used as a rental, but that appears to be sold now.

Edited November 23, 2013 by Mark Stryker

[BeBop]

I suppose once-jazzer and occasional returnee George Benson has done pretty well.

[Leeway]

It is interesting to speculate on which jazz musicians have made serious money int he business, but I find it even more interesting to think about the many more who somehow seem to scrape along, seemingly living hand to mouth for years. I've gone to plenty of free jazz shows where there might be 10 people in the audience, often less, and I think, "How can anyone live on this kind of money?" Especially in a place like NYC, which is dearly expensive. Maybe supportive families or spouses? One thing the "business" seems to provide though is extensive travel. The same musician playing to 10 people in Brooklyn next week might be playing to 10 people in Latvia. The economics of all this are not very transparent.

[JSngry]

I hope Herbie Mann died rich. If he didn't, there's have to be a good reason.