Meet Aaron Jacobs: Executive Producer, Owner, Singer, Performer, Pianist, Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aaron Jacobs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In my early 20s I began producing events for Outfest Film Festival while also singing at a piano bar called The Other Side in Silverlake and I thought, “well I could produce my own cabaret show.” I had peers who had produced their own shows and figured it was a walk in the park.

From there, this snowballed into my former company Swing Dames which focused primarily on being an Andrews Sisters Tribute group. Swing Dames enjoyed some successes however after a while our audience had begun to expire and it was time for some big changes structurally. Swing Dames and my former partnership at that point dissolved and I turned my focus onto officially forming Aaron Jacobs Productions (AJP).

I began AJP with one big and main focus, keeping swing relevant to modern times, while including high quality, multi-part vocal harmonics, matched to our big band, 7-instrument, sound, while offering a fair and livable salary to my company, as much as I can.

And to add to that, so many groups have turned towards using canned music and it simply does not replace the electricity of live sound.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
How did I get to where I am today business wise and was it easy?…No, not at all. A lot of elbow grease and hard work really. I can comment on this between so many aspects. Firstly, you have to maintain a day-job and my first profession is teaching piano and voice. Without having a steady income, financial anxiety will wreak havoc!

Then becoming a performer and a producer full time, on top of keeping a private clientele list, is its own mission. Working on your vocal craft is a daily mission. Warming up, as my friend Darci says, like a champ, everyday is a huge part of that mission. Without good vocal hygiene there is no performance.

Then building a repertoire from scratch, based on older tunes and then on newer tunes an then working on “swingifying” everything through original arrangements is another long term project. From conceiving set lists, to collaborating with song writers and arrangers to rehearsing and setting new music to performance are all many steps within themselves.

Then casting! And securing funding for projects and many sleepless nights wondering if ticket sales will cover the show or if you’ll have to take up prostitution just to stay in the black! I gest, but…still, things can get tricky on every level.

And then, I think what really sets everything apart is we are not just The Swing Tones (a vocal-harmonic jazz group doing covers), waiting for gigs to come our way, we are Aaron Jacobs Productions and producing our own over-the-top series called Summer Swing Nights, which began as a ballroom swing dancing night inside the antique Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo and has now expanded, due to COVID, to a fundraiser for the museum and a huge, drive-in concert series in a parking lot at El Camino College in Torrance. Encompassing our band, a film crew, a projection screen, a sound crew, parking attendants, a live stream broadcast along with our live concert that hosts 500 cars, vendors & food booths…I could go on. My company builds the entire company and production from the ground up, and we are looking to tour soon. Which by-the-way you can get tickets for our June 12, Aug 7 and Sep 4 show at http://ssn2021.com.

You take all of these elements and we still haven’t discussed the one thing that me as a producer does most…peacekeeping! Finding the right group of singers and musicians, with the right energy, after the main goal and the prize of having a successful company, while keeping everyone afloat, managing temperaments, egos, feelings and happiness (which as I type that realizing is something none of us can control but ourselves).

And the challenges still and continue present themselves on a daily basis. The one largest challenge I face is “inventing my job on a daily basis.” Ideas and concepts are easy to conceive, but coordinating all the elements and staying on top of them all while holding down a full time job…well that is a whole other story. Sometimes you just have to sit and take a breath…and then when you think you can’t go on any further, that energy inspires us to move forward more.

The largest lesson I’ve learned is – none of this comes in a day, or even a week. You invest a lot of money and time and patience and eventually, if you hit one of your projects well, you get the return you are hoping for. If you can have fun along the way then you’re doing it right!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
That is a loaded question. The beach is always a top priority on the list of my friends traveling back to California (where I originate from). However, I would take them up to Paso Robles and Santa Maria…go wine tasting. Then come back here and cook amazing dinners and drink wine and relax with them. Sometimes we get crazy and have a musical theatre showdown or some classical nights. Our lives are all so busy that when we get to have quality time with each other, it really is just that, it down and connect.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh man, there are so many people who deserve credit in my journey. So many friends and patrons have been encouraging along the way. My folks, my closest friends…I would mostly give a shoutout to all of my company member old and new who have been with me for a portion of this journey. Though it has not always equaled a lifetime, each composer, arranger, singer and performer have brought their own unique offering to the growth of myself and my company. The people around me continue to inspire me to be a better performer and a better human.

Website: http://ssn2021.com

Instagram: @summerswingnights

Linkedin: @theaaronjacobs

Twitter: @nights_swing

Facebook: @summerswingnights

Yelp: @aaronjacobsproductions

Youtube: @aaronjacobsproductions

Other: Vimeo @aaronjacobsproductions Tumblr @summerswingnights Pinterest @aaronjacobsprod