[Dixielandjazz] Sitting In

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

The ideas I put forth on Sitting in come from many years and situations, not 
only with my own bands but with many bands that I have booked over the years 
as well.

Can't tell you how many times I have seen bandleaders let guys sit in, which 
turned out to be an audition for the band leaders gig, usually at less money.  
I have also often seen a guy come off the stage after making a good 
impression with his tunes and pass out his business cards in the audience to all the 
folks who were looking for a band for a wedding or party or whatever.   
Blatantly stealing the band leaders chances at residual gigs for his organized band.

I don't understand Mike Marois viewpoint on the matter at all, since he is a 
band booker, he should know better, but maybe that is not a big problem where 
he lives, seems I heard something about his being the only Dixieland band in 
the area once.  I agree with Steve's comment about perhaps Rosie might have 
just possibly been happy to teach Mike his repertoire in exchange for getting a 
free Tuba player every Friday & Saturday.

For many years I had a strong four piece group that worked all the time, and 
I used to get the best horn players in San Francisco coming by the gigs 
wanting to sit in when they did not have any work.  I never did that, I would make a 
gig for them instead and pay them to play if I had room in my budget to 
spread around some extra cash.  I usually did, and it often helped some of these 
guys survive some lean months.

   I always had Good gigs with much better than average money.  Paid my 
sidemen better than almost everyone else and had money left over to pay two to four 
horn players about 1/2 pay for a couple of hours with us.  We were playing 
Jazz standards and pop & R&B dance music in those days.  It was also not 
uncommon for me to loan a hundred bucks to a horn player in financial trouble, and he 
would show up unannounced to my gigs and just come up and play without 
accepting any money.  This was during the time when Turk Murphy was going broke at 
Earthquake McGoons, because the music scene had shifted greatly away from 
Traditional Jazz during that time period.

I was also booking jazz acts for The El Matador, and the Jazz Workshop, and 
Basin Street West during this time period, guys like MJQ, Chet Baker, Miles 
Davis, Jackie & Roy, Woody Herman, Don Ellis, Stan Getz, Cal Tjader,  Carmen 
McRae,  Vince Garaldi, etc.

There are of course many situations where it is perfectly acceptable, but if 
a band leader really wants to do that he should go set up a strictly Jam 
session night where everybody can blow a little or a lot as the case may be.   If 
nobody is getting paid for the gig or in danger of losing it then it could be a 
lot of fun for those who like to Jam.

Cheers, and keep on tootin' mate.

Tom Wiggins
Saint Gabriel's Celestial Brass Band

P.S. We will be performing the grand opening of the Exotic Erotic Ball at the 
San Francisco Cow Palace, ( 15,000 + sold out) on Oct. 18th.   weird and 
crazy party but high profile Television coverage on all channels, with world wide 
exposure.

We will do a New Orleans Second Line parade throughout the venue and then a 
thirty minute concert on the South Stage.  Wacky crazy gig but a lot of real 
perverted fun and a voyeur's paradise.  :)   Gotta leave one of my Trumpet 
players out of this gig, because he can't play a note if he sees a tittie,  just 
stutters and licks his lips all night.