If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere? Well, Portland-area musician Nicole Glover has been giving it a shot. She lives in the Queens borough of New York City, and doing everything she can to sustain a career as a jazz saxophone player and educator.
Suffice to say, it’s a bit competitive in the jazz world in New York City.
“It certainly takes some time, when you move out there,” said Glover, who returned home to play with her trio as a headliner at the Montavilla Jazz Festival , 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1 at Alberta Rose Theatre. “There’s an understanding that things might not happen immediately for you, you have to be patient and consistent. Being present always.
“I took whatever opportunity to play that I could, any gig opportunity. I just did what I could to stay there and stay afloat and be around as much as I possibly could. It takes some time. It takes time to build a reputation. I was in it for the long haul; I knew that I wasn’t going to take the Big Apple by storm.”
Glover grew up in the Portland area, graduating from Tigard High School in 2009 and playing with Metropolitan Youth Symphony and American Music Program in her youth. In her time living in the Portland area, Glover has played with the likes of Alan Jones and George Colligan.
She left for the East Coast to attend William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, but moved back home to finish her degree at Portland State University. It was back to the East Coast after that, and Glover has been making music ever since, and turned her sights on education. She’s on the faculty at Manhattan School of Music as an adjunct music teacher and has taught master classes and private lessons to aspiring musicians all over the globe.
“I’ve always wanted to teach. I’ve been teaching for a good chunk of the past decade,” said Glover, 33. “Manhattan School of Music in particular feels like a good spot — the students are great, the faculty is incredible. It’s the place I want to be.
“Teaching is very important to me. But obviously the reason you move to New York is to play great music with great people in various parts of the world. That’s been my primary goal. That said, I do take my teaching very seriously.”
She plays with the group Artemis, including on albums. She’s also been a member of Christian McBride’s touring group Ursa Major.
Glover has also toured with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra under the direction of Wynton Marsalis. They played at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Before that, she toured with singer Buika.
She brought her trio to Portland, including bassist Tyrone Allen and drummer Kayvon Gordon. They put out the album “Plays” in recent years. It marks the first time Glover plays in Portland with her trio.
“It’s exciting for me to be bringing this group from New York,” Glover said recently. “I’m looking forward to bringing that sound to my hometown and showing everyone what we’ve been working on and have the opportunity for people to hear us. I’ve been looking forward to it for quite some time.”
The album “Plays,” which includes some original music, was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio — the late audio engineer Van Gelder worked with the likes of Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
“The intention was to get it recorded so we could move on to new things, too. We’ve started working on new repertoire,” Glover said.
Glover still has family and friends in Tigard and Portland. But her life and career remain in New York.
“I definitely still have a lot of roots in Portland,” she said. “I love it in New York. It’s been great for me.
“New York has its challenges, but everywhere has its challenges. There are certain things gained by being there, and some sacrifice. What are you willing to gain and sacrifice? I hear that rhetoric about how tough it is to live in New York; for me I’ve made it work. That’s what’s most worthwhile and wonderful about it — the people, opportunities, the music made here. Beyond that, I love living here for non-musical reasons. I love the diversity, attitude, pace, momentum. It feels good, I enjoy it a lot.”
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