@john-e Listening and asking. I started my career in NYC in 1979. It may have been a different time, but here is how it worked for me.
A coworker had a friend that played piano and was getting a group together. I started rehearsing with the group (only horn player, piano, bass, drum, female vocalist). Bought my first Real Book from the Piano Player, from which we played. Played a few charity gigs with that band, up to that point. So started improving on listening and playing with that ensemble. The singer had a friend however, name was Claudio Roditti. Just so happened at the time, Claudio (and Arturo Sandoval) was at the time playing with Dizzy Gillespie.
I called Claudio, he scheduled me for lessons, and the rest as they say was history. He taught me though having me write out solo transcriptions from well known artists, to learn them in every key, and through this, Claudio said, I would develop my jazz voice. So to assist in the process, I chose to transcribe ONLY sax solos, as I didn't want to sound like just another trumpet player. It paid off well. I had a fresh sound by using sax phrasing on trumpet.
All the while, I went back to my original quartet (actually became a sextet with an added alto and vibraphonist) and became the house band for weekends at a club called Carol's Town Pub on the corner of 53rd and Lexington. That is how I broke into the music scene in NYC.
So my recommendation is go out, actively listen to local bands, talk to performers ask them for lessons or leads. and let serendipity take you to where you can go, as if it can do it anywhere, it can truly do it in NYC.
