[Dixielandjazz]was trio now "corporate" work

[jazzfact]

Nail on the head David,
That's why you have to charge a fortune for "corporate" work. We often
regard these gigs as an exercise in control. Breathing, volume and
demeanor. My best (or worst) experience was in a large room. We were
asked by the function manager to play in a particular spot. As we
started playing the crowd gravitated towards the band and started
drinking and having a good time. Then the CEO or some other exec of the
firm holding the do, standing no less then three feet from me and
holding out with loud voice, has turned to me and offered the classic
finger to lips shhhhhhh. I wished later I had shown him the other finger
gesture. We took a break and moved to the other side of the room; you
guessed it the crowd followed us across. 
In Australia the "Food & Beverage" manager books the bands. I guess the
entertainment manager buys the food.

regards,
Richard Stevens
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~jazzfact/

-----Original Message-----
From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
[mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com] On Behalf Of David W.
Littlefield
Sent: Saturday, 1 March 2003 9:00 AM
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] trio

Sounds to me like the trio was there for ambiance, not entertainment,
and
they probably would be canned if they pushed. I would assume they worked
at
finding the right volume for the audience, and that the customers came
there to yak as much as to eat... Managements are very sensitive to this
sort of thing. In this situation, I don't consider the yakking audience
to
be rude. 

As for why "fancy people think they have to be rude", I think its a
function of the emptiness of the rich and vacuous--they've got to do
something to compensate for their lack of substance and hence
self-esteem. 

--Sheik

At 09:26 PM 2/28/2003 +0100, you wrote:
>I was just in London overnite for my daughter's graduation ceremony
>(Master's Degree!), and we ate at a fancy joint near the Waldorf Hotel
>(The Axis)....mainly 'cause they had Jazz.  Turned out it was a
>trio...girl vocalist, string bass & electric guitar.  Nice, tasty, but
>too much in the background.  We were at the closest table, and I could
>just barely hear what the girl was singing.
>
>We do a fancy weekly gig on Thursdays, and although it needs to be
>"discreet" Dixie, we still put on a proper show, and even get
>non-discreet sometimes.  I felt the trio we heard could have "come out"
>a bit stronger, but then maybe they would have gotten the can...who
>knows?  My family was the only table that applauded, period, the whole
>evening.  Why do fancy people think they have to be rude?


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