[Dixielandjazz] Big Band re-emerging?

[LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing]

In St. Louis there are several big bands.  The pay is typically $50 per man.
They are as follows.

Monday night Band at BB's Authorized by the local as a rehearsal band  $15
18 pc
Gary Dammer Big Band   Scale to $125  18 pc
Michael Brooks big Band w 3 vocalists $100-125 (usually $125 has gone to
$350) 10 pc
Both of these guys have 6 piece bands also.
See  www.michaelbrooks.com  That's me on the left with the Silver 1928
Buscher.
Rusty David band - union scale @$80, size of band varies

I play with these guys when I don't have a gig.
Gateway city Big Band - nothing - money is given to charity  18 pc, paid
rehearsal leader  sells CD's
The Blue Knights  $50-100  10pc - spin off of the Gateway city band

North County Jazz Band - Wednesday night community rehearsal band - no pay

I rarely play with these guys because they pay poorly.  Their "regular guys"
cherry pick the jobs and sub out the poor ones.  They are a fairly good band
though.
Sentimental Journey - Hobby band of a Dr who MC's - Sells CD's - $50 18 pc
w/singer

I never play with these guys anymore for same and other reasons.
Original Knights of Swing - Hobby band of a Dr. who holds trumpet - 18 pc
with singer(s) free to $30
Nostalgia - I haven't played with these guys for some time but they pay
poorly.

Personally I feel bad if I have to pay less than $100.  I will be booking my
own Dixie band soon but I just don't think I'll be able to get that kind of
money and ever hope to make a leader fee too.  I have almost $2000  in the
band so far.  Unfortunately I think I'll be paying in that $50 area and I'm
afraid that just won't make it for long with the people in the band.
Hopefully we will do well and I can do better.  That's about what I make
when I play with other Trad bands.  That's still about $600-700 for the 8pc
group.  Tuba, piano, banjo, clarinet, trombone, drums, cornet, vocalist.  I
would like to get $1000-1200 for the group.  Pay them $100 and make an extra
couple hundred for myself.  They pay $800-$1000 for park concerts in the
summer.

What do bands get and how does it break down per man around the country for
Dixieland?  I know it will vary a lot but it might be nice to know what's
happening around the country with OKOM.


No one is getting rich here.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Trumpetom at aol.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 1:36 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Big Band re-emerging?


> A couple of Monday night big bands that I know of do not exactly get paid.
> The leader sells CDs for $15.00 (his cost $1.00 each). But he buys the
music and
> equipment. The house keeps about half the cover charge. What little is
left
> from the cover charge goes to the band members for gasoline money. The
leader
> may slip a few dollars of his own to a few band members. Is it that way in
> other areas too? Does OKOM work like this also?
>
>
> Tom Loeb
> California
> www.hotsytotsyboys.com
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