[Dixielandjazz] Million dollar question

[Bill Gunter]

Listmates,

Regarding the discussion about festivals and issues surrounding them, Jim 
Beebe writes:

>I was called to play the Sacramento Fest some years back but they had some
>crazy system where they paid you at the end of the year.  I took a pass on
>it.  I remember Brian Shanley telling me that Sacramento was a zoo and he
>wouldn't go near it.

I have been associated with the Sacramento Festival almost from the 
beginning and I can report that the Sacramento has ALWAYS paid the musicians 
at the conclusion of the festival! Jim has to base his comment on some 
personal experience he has had with the Sacramento Jubilee and I can think 
of one thing that he might be thinking of. It used to be the practice that 
after all the expenses were paid and money laid aside for seed money for the 
next year's jubilee there was always money left over. Those excess funds 
were divided up and paid as a bonus to each musician later in the year. The 
amount varied from year to year. One year I recall getting several hundred 
dollars as a bonus.

Money being less plentiful in recent years this practice has been largely 
discontinued. I'm sure the director of the Jubilee (and indeed, the 
directors of all festivals) wish there was some much money left over that 
they could pay such a bonus. But that's an unrealistic expectation today.

Sacramento is arguably the BIGGEST festival of its kind in the entire world 
(over 100 bands, 40 venues, 4 non-stop days of music, a large variety of 
bands - trad/blues/swing/country swing/zydeco/klezmer/etc./etc.) It is no 
wonder that Bryan considered it a zoo.

But one thing about zoos . . . they are very popular. They are loved and 
visited by children and adults alike. The animals are colorful, varied and a 
delight to behold in their native habitats. It's the only place one can go 
to observe rara avis (and jazz musicians today ARE rara avis).

Calling some group activity a "zoo" is an easy put-down that doesn't require 
much thought. It's become one of those phrases that people think have some 
real meaning when they really don't mean much at all.

I will say this - The Sacramento Jazz Jubilee is my favorite zoo and I'll 
keep going there to see and hear my friends until I die!!

Respectfully submitted,

Bill Gunter
Cell Block 7
The Boondockers

jazzboard@hotmail.com

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