Please fill out the following forms and submit
your material using the submit button at the bottom of the submission page. All
submitted material must be edited (proper grammar, punctuation, capitalization
and spelling) prior to submitting. Neglecting editing guidelines can be grounds
for refusal of submission.
Thank you for your interest and commitment in writing for jazzreview.com. Here are some guidelines to help you in writing the reviews and articles for the site.
In return for the CDs that we send, you agree to submit a review of that CD
within a reasonable amount of time after receiving
it (usually 30 - 60 days). The review will be
approved and published at jazzreview.com within
five days of its submission. There is no compensation
for the review other than you keeping the CD.
However, writing for jazzreview.com is a great
way to gain exposure for your writing.
USE OF THE FORMS
On the submission forms there are certain fields
that are required to be filled in, in order
for your submission to properly go through to
the database. Please fill in as much information
as you can about the CD. Adding the track listing,
musicians and links to the artist's website,
adds to the readers experience.
LENGTH
A credible review should be between 250 to 500
words. However, writers who want to expand on
this and write more, are more than welcome to.
This is not a hard and fast rule, just a guideline
to give you an idea of length. Remember, reviews
of 6 or 7 sentences do not really count as a
review, they are more of a preview than a review.
Our readers are looking for a bit more to chew
on.
FORMAT
Don't use ALL capitalized words in the title
or body, unless you are doing so for emphasis.
The only html formatting this is necessary is
for you to put in the paragraph markers in between
each paragraph, by placing the html code, <P>
in between each paragraph. However, there is
no need to put a paragraph mark at the beginning
of the review or article. Please see the formatting
guidelines above for further details on html
formatting.
EDITING
Be very sure to proof your reviews for spelling,
punctuation, usage, accuracy and readability.
You should use a word processor such as Microsoft
Word to write your reviews, which will allow
you to, not only check the spelling but the
word count, punctuation and grammar.
CONTENT
Please give your very best effort in describing your feelings and the musicians' direction on the CD to the reader so they can in theory almost hear the music through your writing. Try to be as descriptive of the CD and its content as you can. For example, what is the style of jazz,? Is their playing style similar to anyone else the reader may know? Who might this CD appeal to? Did it include covers or original songs by the artist? How was the musicianship? Does one instrument dominate the recording or song? What particular qualities of the CD or its production did you like or dislike? Is there anything special about the cover art, liner notes or booklet? If appropriate, you might want to consider including some background or biographical information on the artist or recording session.
If we didn't send you enough background information on the CD or artist, please try a search of the web or check out their website or the record label's website.
The above comments are just suggestions to help you think about what to include in the review, please use them as guidelines only and write in your own style.
If you just don't like the CD we sent you, please let us know by dropping
us an email. We would rather you didn't write
a "completely" negative review just to write
a review. There are enough good jazz CDs that
we can review without wasting time on the bad
ones. This does not mean you cannot be critical
or true to your feelings, it just means don't
bother writing a review of a CD you absolutely
did not like, unless you can be fairly objective
about it.
Interview Guidelines
Helpful
Interview Guidelines and Tips - Conducting an
Interview
by Interview Editor - Suzi Price
JazzReview is organizing the way we handle requests from publicists and record labels in conducting interviews for their artists. While we cannot compensate you, we are hoping you will enjoy the benefit of personal contact, the artist's CD and guest passes to performances. Thank you for helping to promote jazz and for making JazzReview something to be proud of. We ask that you read the following tips and guidelines to assist you with your assigned interview.
You will be sent a list of artists available for interview via email and may opt for your favorites. Assignment of interviews is based on your interest and knowledge of a particular jazz genre. Fairness in assigning the "biggies" is always a consideration. You will be given equal opportunity to interview some of the best know artists in the business. Once you have been assigned an interview, you will be accredited to the label or publicist to verify your legitimacy. Your contact information will be given, allowing you to directly correspond with the label via email to set up a convenient date and time to conduct the interview. Remember to remind the label or publicist the time zone you will be calling from so no interviews are missed due to miscommunication.
When conducting an interview, be prepared. Maximizing the time you spend with an artist is very important. The artist may not have a lot of time, so utilize the opportunity to its fullest.
Before the Interview
You will be sent a press kit of the artist you have been assigned to interview. Press kits include a bio, photo, CD and other relevant information. If you are a bit unfamiliar with the artist and their work, please do some preliminary investigation on your own through the Internet.
Even the best-known artist can sometimes present a problem in giving you all the information you may want. You can well imagine how many interviews they have done over their lifetime. In such cases you may want to use the narrative in writing your interview, capturing the quotes you do have. New and up & coming artists are an open slate. You won't find much information beyond their press kit, but they will be happy to tell you their life story and hopes for the future.Try to limit your interview to 30-45 minutes. You will know when an artist is becoming tired of answering questions. That amount of time will give you enough information to write an interesting, informative interview. Readers will appreciate it also.
Personal, Telephone, and Email Interviews
Personal Interview: When possible, JazzReview will try to obtain a personal interview for you with the artist. A personal interview is accomplished when the artist is playing or residing in close proximity to where you live. A guest pass can be obtained for you to see the artist and obtain the interview. Bring a hand-held mini tape recorder with you.
Telephone Interview: Most interviews are handled via telephone. Long distance calls to the artist can be accomplished with an inexpensive telephone calling card. Your cost for a 45-minute interview is usually less than $3.00, a small price weighed against the free CD you received in the press kit.
It is suggested you purchase a tiny telephone-recording device from Radio Shack for less than $20, which hooks between your telephone and recorder. It's far easier to conduct an interview. Transcribing from a cassette or other format ensures you have all the essential information. Please be sure to ask the artist's permission to tape the interview before you begin recording.
Email Interview: Some artists prefer an email interview. Prepare a series of questions and wait for their response. Because we've all experienced what computers can do, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, save a copy of the artist's email response to your questions on floppy disk or CD.
Interview Dos and Don'ts
Use common sense and courtesy when conducting an interview.
Artist's telephone numbers should be held in strictest confidence and never called other than during your pre-arranged interview. Doing so will create serious results.
Always arrive early when meeting with an artist in person. Don't allow them to wait for you to arrive. The same holds true when arranging a telephone interview. Call at the pre-arranged time.
Always be professional. Remember your conduct represents all of us at JazzReview. And please remember to thank the artist for their time in conducting the interview.
During the interview
- Never use profanity or make sexual remarks.
- Never express negative remarks about other artists
or comment negatively about other artists and
their performances.
- Never be under the influence of alcohol or drugs
when performing an interview.
- Never use questionable information the artist
tells you, rather ask if you may quote them. If
in doubt regarding questionable answers, ask if
you may quote them before using it.
Writing and Submitting Your Interview
Most interviews are arranged through the label
or publicist to coincide with the artist’s
new release. You will be given amply time to receive
your press kit, conduct the interview, and write
and submit it for publishing. Interviews may be
written in Q&A or narrative format. ALL INTERVIEWS
SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO SUZI PRICE, INTERVIEW EDITOR
AT STAPLEFORD03@YAHOO.COM,
AND NOT THROUGH THE STAFF SUBMISSION PAGE.
Since we have arranged the interview for you on behalf of JazzReview, your commitment is to provide the written interview to JazzReview for publishing. You retain your copyright for the written interview and after submission, are free to do anything else you want with your written article.
Important HTML Hints
Inserting html symbols to format your article gets easier and easier the more you use them. While it is not essential, we encourage you to use html symbols to lessen editing time of your written feature. Do not bold, underline or italicize a word or sentence while working in your word processing software, rather use the html symbol commands to tell the database how it should appear. (see below)
Punctuation marks should NOT be included inside your html codes. Punctuation marks are NEVER in bold, italics or underlined.
HTML Example:
B = bold, I = Italics, and U = underline, when
used with the < > symbol. The backslash symbol
( \ ) tells the database to stop making the rest
of your words bold, italics or underlined.
<B>JazzReview</B>:
Her new album is entitled <I>Wish on a Star</I>.
Her new album, <I>Wish on a Star</I>,
is number one.
This may look a little crazy, but the html command
will only italicize the album name and NOT italicize
the punctuation mark.
Use <P> after each paragraph, or question
and answer, to tell the database to insert a paragraph
break (extra line).
Q&A Format:
Always use <b>JazzReview</b>: when
prefacing your question to the artist in your
written interview.
Please do not use your name or initials. Preface
the artist's response to your question with his
full name i.e., <b>Michael Brecker</b>:
Please do not use their initials.
Most Common Grammatical Errors
Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks. For example: Her new album is "Wish on a Star." Or,Her new album, "Wish on a Star," is outstanding.
If a question is in quotation marks, the question
mark should also be placed inside the quote.
She asked, "What is the name of that CD?" Exception:
Here the question is outside the quote: Do you
agree with the saying, "All's fair in love and
war"?
Only use the word "it's" when you are contracting the words "it is" or "it has" - For example: It's in the bag, or It's been raining.
Use the word "'its" when not contracting such as: Its purpose is to bring jazz to the forefront.
Photo Gallery Submission
Guidelines
The jazz photography presented
at JazzReview.com is becoming one of the most popular areas of our site.
Recently increasing the amount of photos on the site and adding new photography
staff, we have found the need to develop consistency in the submission of
photos. In order to simplify and expedite the submission of photos to
JazzReview.com, we have developed a set of formatting guidelines for our
photographers to follow. Please bookmark this page and review the formatting
guidelines below.
1. Scanning Photos: We have found that
the clarity of color or B&W photos is best when initially scanned at a dpi
(dots per inch) of 300 or greater.
2. Web-ready dpi:
Next, your photos should be reduced down to 72 dpi in a graphics program such
as Adobe PhotoShop. This is the highest dpi that today's web browsers can
handle.
3. Cropping: Photos should be cropped to your
desired framing.
4. Sizing Photos: Photos should
then be sized down to a size no greater than
400 pixels x 400 pixels. If they are larger,
our system will resize them according to our
guidelines. If the photos are too large, they
will take too long to download and a visitor
may opt to leave the page rather than wait for
the download.
5. Adding Borders: In order to
have the photos stand out, we ask that a 1 or
2 pixel white border be added to each side of
the photo. This is very easily done via PhotoShop
by selecting white as your background color,
selecting the canvas size option, and adding
4 pixels to both the height and width of the
photo. This will create a nice 2 pixel border
around the photo.
6. File Format: The photo should now be converted into a
JPG format (60%) or an interlaced GIF format. JPGs are the preferred
format. (Interlace allows the photo to be gradually shown as it is being
downloaded.)
7. Submitting Your Photo Galley:
In order to submit your photos, please use our
our Photo Gallery submission form at:
http://www.jazzreview.com/staff/add_photo_form.html
Please fill out the form completely and correctly.
Notice that the last name and first name go
in separate boxes with the last name going in
the first box.
9. Number of Photos: Try to select your top six to
eight photos from any one particular show. If you are covering a festival with
multiple shows and artists, try to select your top one or two photos of each
artist or submit separate galleries for each artist.
Formatting Guidelines
These formatting guidelines should be used for
all CD reviews, interviews, book reviews, viewpoints, jazz news, and concert
reviews.
PARAGRAPH: To indicate a new
paragraph, use the html code, <P> at the start of a new paragraph.
This code is not needed before the article's first paragraph.
LINE BREAK: To indicate a line
break or single carriage return, use the html code, <BR> at start
a new line.
BOLD: To bold a word place
the code <B>before the word, and </B> after the word,
without spaces any additional spaces. (For example:
<B>word</B>)
ITALICS: To italics a word
place the code <I>before the word, and </I> after the
word, without spaces any additional spaces. (For example:
<I>word</I>)
UNDERLINE: To underline a
word place the code <U>before the word, and </U>
after the word, without spaces any additional spaces. (For example:
<U>word<U>)
LINK: To indicate a link, use html
code, <A HREF = "http://www.whateversite.com"> Next write the text
that you want displayed. And then place </A> after the text you
want displayed. (For example to add a link to JazzReview.com the code would be:
<A HREF = "http://www.jazzreview.com">JazzReview.com</A> )
EMAIL ADDRESS: To indicate an
email address, use html code, <A HREF =
"mailto:name@whateversite.com"> Next write the text that you want
displayed for the email address. And then place </A> after the
text you want displayed. (For example to add an email link to Morrice Blackwell
the code would be: <A HREF = "http://www.jazzreview.com/contact/contacts_us-admin.html">Morrice
Blackwell</A> )
Questions
For any questions regarding the use of any the
submission forms or the above mentioned guidelines, please email your questions
to: info@jazzreview.com
JazzReview.com
