[Dixielandjazz] public service announcement

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/3/03 12:27:01 PM Pacific Daylight Time, csuhor at zebra.net 
writes:

> 
> Also, the er, elderly among us will remember when you couldn't get out of a
> spot job alive without playing "Blue Moon" and "Stardust." Beats "Proud
> Mary," but it did get tedious. A bop trumpeter I once worked with dealt
> with this by playing the three-note Billy Butterfield pickup then working
> the changes brilliantly in a cascade of complex phrases. Great fun for the
> band, but wrong time and place. The dancers weren't amused.
> 
> Charles Suhor
> 
> Hey Charles,

You older guys should be thankful you get request for the above tunes, I know 
I am, because they still happen to be great tunes and enjoyed by multiple 
generations of music listeners and dancers.   If we would all take the time to 
inject some real feeling into the tunes and play them as if we just learned 
them, the audiences would certainly be a lot more supportive of all of us.   
Besides as much as the folks on this list complain about not having enough gigs 
these days, it certainly can't be all that tiresome for them to play that song 
once a month or so when they do get a gig. 8>)   unless of course those are the 
only two tunes they do know. 8<)

You are of course correct with the statement that some of the responses from 
the musicians are indeed Snooty.

But if you are being paid or expect to be paid for playing music and 
entertaining people, then you damned sure should be a lot less snooty and play 
whatever the Hell they want to hear, Believe it or not They are the boss LIKE IT OR 
NOT.

If you don't want to play what they want to hear then stay home and play what 
you want to hear or go find a job with someone who wants to hear only what 
you wish to play.

If you think Blue Moon and Stardust are tiresome to play, just wait a bout 
ten more years and your will be hearing request for:

Purple Haze all in my Brain (Jimmy Hendrix) or Angeldust, or White Rabbit, 
Grace Slick, and her son GOD.

Play what they want and take their money.  If the tip is big enough play it 
twice, never make change, the bigger the bill the better we play it.

This has been a message from the national live music preservation association 
in cooperation with the few professional performing bands in the world.

Oh well enough reality today, back to dreamin bout old useta bees.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins