[Dixielandjazz] Busking

[Bill Gunter]

Hello friends,

A post from Elazar just came in and I'm glad he's still around. He's a 
really nifty person. He has visited the band I'm in (Cell Block 7) on at 
least two occasions with his family while on visits to the U.S. and has sat 
in with the band on both occasions. He optimism and enthusiasm is a joy to 
behold.

He also was wearing a hat I really loved, sort of an embroidered cloth 
pillbox sort of thing that was very colorful and would make a really fine 
addition to any band uniform!!!   :-)

Anyway, Elazar made me recall that wonderful old music tradition . . . 
busking!

Everywhere I've traveled, especially in Europe, I've encounted buskers in 
the busy streets of major cities. Among the most ubiquitous have been the 
folk-lorico groups from the Peruvian Andes that play pan-pipes and indian 
flutes with guitars and charangas (a ukulele sort of ax with an armidillo 
carapace for the body - weird, but neat). You see them always near 
Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco (a great tourist attraction) along with 
other street performers. I've seen black groups with lotsa drums and 
individuals with guitars singing folksongs etc. etc. etc.

Rock groups can't really do this sort of thing will because of the sound 
requirements (amps with the dial set up to 10 and enormous drum kits and 
related paraphenalia) -- it would be virtually impossible for a rock group 
to play accoustically. But a dixieland band sure as hell could!

In London there are lots of underground walkways between subway stations and 
buskers like to hang out there because of the spiffy accustics of the venue.

Many of the groups I hear (especially the Peruvian Pipe folks) have highly 
sophisticated sound systems costing a fair amount of money. They also sell a 
ton of CDs! While they're playing they often have members of the group out 
in the crowd gathered around to which they are offering the group's 
recordings.

I love those things -- One of the main reasons I like to go to the city is 
to hear them. While the rest of my party is in the gift shops and taking 
photos of the local architecture I'm usually standing in front of a 
performing group getting my jollies!

I've often wondered just how much those itinerant musicians are raking in 
each day as measured by the coin of the realm!  There is almost always an 
open instrument case or two (which has been salted with a few sheckels, I'm 
sure) and most of the time there seems to be a fair amount of cash within.

Have any of you ever done this sort of thing? How 'bout you, Elazar? You 
mentioned earning some money this way . . . would you consider it lucrative 
or even sufficient for the effort?

Does one need a permit from the city government to do this stuff on a city 
street or does one just pop out his fiddle and start scraping?

I keep envisioning gathering up some musician friends (me on washboard, a 
gut bucket bass, a banjo, a trumpet, bone, and stick)  and just setting up 
in a cheerful, holiday like atmosphere such as Old Town Sacramento on a 
Sunday afternoon, and playing for contributions. If I were a passerby and I 
heard a bunch of old farts wailing out some jumping dixieland music (with or 
without a P.A. system) I'm sure I'd reach in my billfold and extract a buck 
or two and drop it in the old gig bag!

Any further thoughts on this phenomenon?

ELAZAR . . . YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO ME - MY HERO!!

Respectfully submitted,

Bill "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" Gunter
jazzboard at hotmail.com

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