[Dixielandjazz] Jazz in Texas / CD sales

[Elazar Brandt]

Hi Dan and listmates,

Guilty on both counts (living and playing in Austin). In my student days at UT,
I used to play banjo on the sidewalk of the main street that ran along the west
side of the campus. Don't remember the name. I would also play on campus
sometimes. Now and then I could coax another banjo player to play with me, but
not often. I used to use a battery powered monkey that played the cymbals for my
rhythm section. And I didn't sing yet, just played. I used to be able to pull in
$15 - 20 in an afternoon, back in 1977. Considering that my rent at the time was
less than $200 a month, that was no small sum to help pad the pockets.

I also used to play with the John Roberts band at the Capitol Oyster Company,
and hang out with Johnny Huntsberger and Charlie Kadarian who played at Shakeys,
and Johnny had a banjo group that met in his home once a month. Then there was
the Pipe Organ Pizza place. I got to know the organists and the owners by
patronizing the place frequently, and they'd let me sit in and play along with
the organ sometimes, not for pay, but often it was at least worth a salad or a
drink, and for a new young player, it was great experience.

Just to harp on the point a bit, I have gotten most of my gigs and most of my
good opportunities in Israel from playing on the street. I've been on TV and
radio, and filmed for programs broadcast in other countries. No, they don't pay.
Oh, they'll put a couple bucks into the hat if they're nice. But when people
come up to you on the street a year or more later and tell you they saw you in
this or that TV show or film or video or newspaper someplace on the other side
of the planet, you have to figure it's worth something. When the Jerusalem
Symphony needed a banjo for their Gershwin centennial, they found me on the
street. I have met other musicians while playing on the street who have become
friends and sources of work when either they or I need another player for a job.
I've recruited several students on the street, 2 of whom are now partners in my
Dr Jazz band. And when I play out there regularly, I take in enough to pay my
food bill just from tips alone, and if you count the gigs and lessons, I often
cover my mortgage from the proceeds. This is not to mention that I am known and
appreciated by the police, various significant business owners, and the city
calls me when they want jazz, balloons, and that sort of entertainment for city
events. Now I will have a CD to peddle, and we'll see what that does for
increasing income and getting gigs.

Care to guess how many people have told me it's embarrassing to play on the
street, that you look like a beggar? Do I care? I do better than many of them.
Never mind. It's only begging if YOU think it's begging. Get out there and play
the music. The customers and audiences will come.

Elazar

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dan Augustine [mailto:ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu]
> Sent: Saturday, August 14, 2004 5:49 AM
> To: DJML
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Jazz in Texas / CD sales
>
>
>      It won't do any good (because the relevant musicians won't read
> this message), but i'd love to go downtown to Waterloo Park (and
> other places) in downtown Austin and play dixieland for free at noon
> (or whenever) every day, just to build an awareness of the style and
> the gladness of it, and maybe get some gigs out of it.  (Did you
> know, by the way, that Brother Elazar Brandt, of Jerusalem fame, used
> to live and play in Austin?) But it takes more than one tuba-picker
> to do it, and as of now, i don't know of any other musicians who can
> or want to do this.