[Dixielandjazz] Re: "Jazz" Festivals

Sun Nov 2 10:13:12 PST 2003

Well said, Mike.  From another curmudgeon....Jim Beebe

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Durham" <mikedurham_jazz at hotmail.com>
To: <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>; <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>;
<TCASHWIGG at aol.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2003 8:38 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Re: "Jazz" Festivals

> Forgetting for the moment about basically peripheral issues such as
> band/venue logistics, there is IMHO one important reason for keeping jazz
> festivals in the hands of enthusiasts rather than "paid professionals",
and
> that's the music itself. Most of the for-profit, professionally-run "jazz"
> festivals I have knowledge of include a steadily decreasing proportion of
> any jazz at all, let alone OKOM.  Instead, they feature more and more
> so-called 'smooth jazz' and "jazz-related" music like R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop,
> even Rap.
> The more this happens, with other music being sold under the banner of
jazz,
> the more the whole idea of real jazz is liable to get diluted and
submerged
> in a sea of populism. I run a three day festival every year at Whitley Bay
> with 25 bands, it's advertised as a Traditional Jazz Festival, and that's
> what we deliver (from ragtime to swing). It doesn't take 60 people a whole
> year to set up, and being organised by musicians, it's musician-friendly.
> With a few donations from our sponsors, we just about break even. I agree
it
> would be good to attract a younger audience, but if I can't find ways of
> doing this without diluting the jazz content of the festival, frankly, I'd
> rather quit - I'm in this primarily to play the music I love and to hear
it
> being played by others. Yours in full old curmudgeon mode,
>
> Mike D.
>
>
> >From: Stephen Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> >Reply-To: barbonestreet at earthlink.net
> >To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com, TCASHWIGG at aol.com
> >Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Re: "Jazz" Festivals
> >Date: Sat, 01 Nov 2003 22:44:21 -0500
> >
> > > TCASHWIGG at aol.com wrote (polite snip)
> > >
> > > In a message dated 10/31/03 9:00:41 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> > > WILLIAMHORTON at peoplepc.com writes:
> > >
> > > > I'm certainly sympathetic with the problems of bands and musicians,
> >but it
> > > > should be remembered that it takes a big bunch of unpaid people
about
> >a year
> > > > of preparation to put on even a one-day festival.  And it takes
> >several
> > > > thousand paying jazz fans to make one financially feasible.
> > >
> > > Sorry to disagree with you Bill me boy, but it does not, it take a
> > > Professional promoter who knows what the hell he/she is doing and
about
> >twenty
> > > professional people about 60 days to put on a successful festival.  I
> >play them all
> > > over the world and get paid more money for one or two 90 minute shows
a
> >day than
> > > some of the so called Traditional Jazz festivals pay all eight of
their
> > > headline bands.
> >
> >I agree with Tom, basically because I just got back from a one day
festival
> >10 minutes
> >ago. At the Rollins Convention Center attached to the Dover Downs Hotel &
> >Casino. Small
> >festival, to be sure, only 6 or 7 bands, but all on two stages, with no
> >band movement.
> >Paid audience was about 1800 people. It was a wine festival also, with
> >wineries there, as
> >well as local restaurants letting the audience sample their wares.
> >
> >Tickets averaged about $12. Plus, Michele's, the hotel gourmet restaurant
> >served about
> >100 lunches at $38, and 200 dinners at $75 to attendees.
> >
> >Headliners were Tito Puente Jr., Barbone Street and Tom Lagana (smooth
jazz
> >from Wash
> >DC). The hotel's professional staff puts on events (not all jazz
festivals)
> >of this
> >magnitude about 50 times a year without hassle. They make a profit.
> >
> >Two weeks ago Barbone Street played the Rehoboth Jazz Festival. 4 days,
50
> >bands, all
> >single venue and separate charges at each venue.
> >About 15,000 attended. Top ticket price for one show by the biggest star,

> >James Ingram
> >was a little over $80. Our show went for $35. They were 90 minute shows.
We
> >drew 500, as
> >did Ingram. It is produced by paid professionals, and makes a profit.
> >
> >Next Saturday, Barbone Street is playing a "one night" Jazz Festival in
> >Media Pa. 10
> >bands, all night, each in 10 different venues. Within a six block walk on
> >the main street
> >of this town of 50,000 or so. Two OKOM bands and 8 other jazz bands.
Venues
> >are all
> >restaurants, or bars. Advance sales of tickets @ $10 is now over 1000.
(you
> >need the
> >ticket to gain admission to any of the venues) The bars/restaurants will
> >make a bundle on
> >food/drink also. This festival is put on professionally by The Media
> >Business
> >Association. One honcho and about 20 paid part timers. They also did a
> >blues festival
> >earlier this year, and next year plan 3 music festivals in the town. They
> >are like big
> >block parties and they make a profit
> >
> >We also play Berk's Jazz Festival. A 10 day affair, all bands play in
> >separate venues.
> >Most play one or two 90 minute shows. About 140 bands this year. Expect
150
> >in 2004. All
> >individually ticketed. The city, Reading, makes a profit., and the
> >merchants make a
> >profit.
> >
> >We also perform at Turks Head Music Festival locally which presents 12
> >bands in on day,
> >all in one outdoor venue. It has 2 stages adjacent to each other. While
on
> >band plays on
> >the left stage, the others sets up on the right stage, and vice versa.
They
> >draw 5000
> >people and the costs of the festival are minimal. The city makes a pretty
> >good profit as
> >many bands are "sponsored" by businesses in town.
> >
> >The musicians are well paid in all of the above cases and this year
Barbone
> >Street will
> >have performed in about 15 such "jazz " or "music"  festivals. In front
of
> >refreshingly
> >young audiences mixed in with those of us in the Medicare set.
> >
> >To quote an old cliche, There are many ways to skin a cat.
> >
> >Bottom line. "Festivals" are relatively easily done by professionals. By
> >all means use
> >volunteers, but there certainly seems reason to leave the main planning
and
> >the oversight
> >to the pros.
> >
> >There is no reason to perpetuate shrinking OKOM festivals other than to
> >keep the "Old
> >Boy/Girl" network stumbling along. Time to think outside the box for many
> >of those in the
> >USA that are having trouble. If the raison d'etre for OKOM festivals is
to
> >keep the old
> >folks from having to walk more than a block to see the next band, then
> >we've indeed lost
> >our focus. We are not expanding the audience, we are not even preserving
> >the music. We
> >are doing our best to kill it by targeting an audience whose average age
is
> >dead.
> >
> >But, like Tom and others, there are a few people who believe in the
> >viability of this
> >music, and the profitability of it. We say, what the hell is with you
> >folks? Haven't you
> >learned yet that you can't kill this music, no matter how hard you try?
> >
> >If your favorite festivals are not healthy, think outside the box to make
> >them so. Or
> >move over and let the professionals do it for you. THINK YOUNG. "IT'S
ABOUT
> >THE MUSIC".
> >which is what Rehoboth Jazz Festival used as their theme last month.
> >
> >Cheers,
> >Steve Barbone
> >
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >Dixielandjazz mailing list
> >Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> >http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Get Hotmail on your mobile phone http://www.msn.co.uk/msnmobile
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>