[Dixielandjazz] Professional Musicians

[Stephen Barbone]

Tough to define.

One who makes his living solely from playing music?

Maybe not, our guitar player does nothing other that play music. His
wife makes more than he does in their two income family. I would still
call him a professional, even though their living is a joint effort.

Just like Harry James, whose wife Betty Grable made more than he did in
their two income family.

Or like Thelonious Monk who rarely played for money at all when the Cops
pulled his Cabaret Card because he wouldn't rat out Bud Powell for drug
use. Roughly a two year period when his wife supported them. Monk did
not get a day gig, he just composed and did not play. He was certainly a
professional JAZZ musician.

Or like Artie Shaw, who for the last 5 years of his playing career, did
not make enough money to support himself by playing. He did, however,
have plenty of money invested from his movie successes, his writing
successes and his wives, some of whom were wealthy. He was, at that
time, certainly a professional musician.

It is not so easy to categorize professional, semi professional, and
amateur. All classes have faults. I think I am a professional, but I
wasn't always, having given up playing for 30 years. And all classes
above have members who lie cheat, steal, and undercut the next guy's
gig, or give away the music. But as Sonny Rollins so eloquently said:
"So What".

Bless all of you who play music. But if you give it away in our area,
you are a damn fool and sooner or later we will get all your gigs anyway
because your music is inferior. And we've proven time and again that it
is not how much you charge, but how much profit you make for the venue.
So if the more expensive music makes more profit, both the band and the
venue win.

If you you understand that, and charge accordingly, you are a
professional.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone