[Dixielandjazz] The China Syndrome

[Stephen Barbone]

List mates:

For those of you who may be interested in going to China. Suggest you be
very wary of the "Canadians opening up a jazz club in Shanghai, who
wrote and asked the DJML for help in locating a band., for an 8 week
stint"

Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

1) Who opens a jazz club without knowing how to book jazz bands?
2) Who asks for e-mails and then doesn't answer them?
3) Why ask the DJML?

If by some lucky stroke, you should be tempted to do 8 weeks in Shanghai
by a bunch of neophyte jazz club owners and would be impresarios I
suggest that you get from these chaps:

1) Half your 8 weeks pay in advance, in the currency of your country, in
your bank.
2) Your round trip air tickets in advance.
3) Conformation from your hotel there that 8 weeks have been paid for
including meals.
4) The second half of your pay at the beginning of the 5th week,
deposited in your bank in your country in your currency, or you get on
the plane home.

Now, the market is probably great for a good jazz band there, but you
should protect yourselves. Better to get set up with a reliable booking
agent, both on their end if they are legit and yours if you want to
avoid being stranded in a foreign country and find yourself owing room
and board money etc., and/or not able to take any currency out of the
country.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone