[Dixielandjazz] Bei Meir Bist Du Schoen

[jakpiano]

Here in Europe, we are not more surprised or shocked to be asked to play
this piece than "C'est Si Bon" or "La Vie En Rose". I think I may even have
seen it in Anderson's. It is a German or Austrian tune from before World War
II which can easily be played as OKOM, if not OKOM itself. Perhaps the
surprise would not have been as great if the person who asked for the tune
had asked if by any chance the band knew an old German song called...

Regards,
Jacques


----- Original Message -----
From: <dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, July 05, 2004 9:00 PM
Subject: Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 19, Issue 6


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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: Re: test; ignore. - Well, don't ignore, actually.
>        (will connelly)
>    2. Re: Re: test; ignore. - Well, don't ignore, actually.
>        (Fr M J (Mike) Logsdon)
>    3. FW: Nostalgia company (Bill Haesler)
>    4. Finally, national recognition... (Jerry Gordon)
>    5. Bei Meir Bist Du Schoen (AL LEVY)
>    6. Re: Nostalgia company (Bill Haesler)
>    7. Martha Tilton (Robert S. Ringwald)
>    8. Re: Martha Tilton (Chris Calabrese)
>    9. Piano player stories (Randy Fendrick)
>   10. 9 year old Jonathan "Jazz" Russell (Stephen Barbone)
>   11. MUSIC, GREED, MONEY & STUPIDITY  (Stephen Barbone)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 04 Jul 2004 15:42:32 -0700
> From: will connelly <willc at highstream.net>
> To: "Fr M J (Mike) Logsdon" <mjl at ix.netcom.com>
> Cc: m - Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Re: test; ignore. - Well, don't ignore,
actually.
> Message-ID: <40E887D8.63617E25 at highstream.net>
> References: <BD0D7CF7.39C6%bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>
> <40E84A9E.9030805 at ix.netcom.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> Precedence: list
> Message: 1
>
> Many years ago I was music director of the New Orleans Jazz Club of
> California )the one Bill Bacin started) and one Sunday afternoon a
friendly
> sort of guy approached and asked if he could be included on a set. A
little
> questioning revealed that he was just visiting, that he hailed from Boston
> and that yes, he played with a band there.
>
> "I'm a priest," he said, "and the band is the Friar House Five Plus Two."
>
> Well of course we got him on a set!
> Kindly,
> Will Connelly
>
> "Fr M J (Mike) Logsdon" wrote:
>
> > Thanks to Misters Haesler, Smith, Robertson, etc, for the Welcomes back!
> >
> > So, what did I re-emerge with, other than a black shirt and collar?  The
> > firm, unshakeable conviction that one should NEVER UNSUBSCRIBE during an
> > absence!  Most of you knew this already, but having had a steady stream
> > of DJML since May 1995, I'd never encountered the issue.  Misters
> > Ringwald and Haupt are gems of Administrative Helpfulness, but to avoid
> > any and all Re-subscription Woes, master Vacation Hold, period!
> >
> > If jazz bands ever begin merely with a name and nothing else, the
> > following strikes me as do-able:  "Fr Mike's 'Church-rent Party'
> > Revellers."  Only drawback:  it would have to be a perfectly volunteer
> > band.  So much for [good] ideas, eh?!
> >
> > Blessings!,
> > --
> > Etc,
> >
> > Fr M J "Mike" Logsdon
> > North American Old Roman Catholic Church (Utrecht Succession)
> > http://www.naorc.org
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Dixielandjazz mailing list
> > Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> > http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 04 Jul 2004 13:30:20 -0700
> From: "Fr M J (Mike) Logsdon" <mjl at ix.netcom.com>
> To: m - Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Re: test; ignore. - Well, don't ignore,
actually.
> Message-ID: <40E868DC.1010206 at ix.netcom.com>
> In-Reply-To: <40E887D8.63617E25 at highstream.net>
> References: <BD0D7CF7.39C6%bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>
> <40E84A9E.9030805 at ix.netcom.com> <40E887D8.63617E25 at highstream.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
> MIME-Version: 1.0
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> Message: 2
>
> > Many years ago I was music director of the New Orleans Jazz Club of
California )the one Bill Bacin started) and one Sunday afternoon a friendly
sort of guy approached and asked if he could be included on a set. A little
questioning revealed that he was just visiting, that he hailed from Boston
and that yes, he played with a band there.
> >
> > "I'm a priest," he said, "and the band is the Friar House Five Plus
Two."
> >
> > Well of course we got him on a set!
> > Kindly,
> > Will Connelly
>
> The REAL question is: WHO WAS (IS) HE???,
> --
> Etc,
>
> Fr M J "Mike" Logsdon
> North American Old Roman Catholic Church (Utrecht Succession)
> http://www.naorc.org
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 08:19:41 +1000
> From: Bill Haesler <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>
> To: dixieland jazz mail list <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>,
> Dave Rentz <bingo22000 at yahoo.com.au>,
> Aust Dance Bands <australian-dance-bands at egroups.com>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] FW: Nostalgia company
> Message-ID: <BD0EBF9D.39F2%bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>
> In-Reply-To: <20040704192120.34667.qmail at web51905.mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> Precedence: list
> Message: 3
>
> >From the australian-dance-bands list:
> >Hello
> Can anyone tell me what happened to the "Nostalgia"
> company in Redmond, Washington, USA? They had an
> unbelievable catalogue of  recordings. What has become
> of these and are they available elsewhere?
> All the best.
> Dave Rentz<
>
> Dear friends,
> Can anyone please help our mate Dave?
> Very kind regards,
> Bill.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 18:33:50 -0400
> From: Jerry Gordon <jerrygordon at juno.com>
> To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Finally, national recognition...
> Message-ID: <20040704.183351.3920.28.jerrygordon at juno.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> Precedence: list
> Message: 4
>
> Molly Ivans is a nationally-syndicated columnist whose column appears in
> the Albany (NY) Times-Union, among many other papers. I quote, without
> further comment, just a few sentences from today's column:
>
> "...Let's salute all that makes America special, starting with us, the
> people. Here's to all the musicians from country to hip-hop to rock to
> classical to jazz to folk to be-bop to norteno to polka to reggae, and to
> all the fusion forms thereof. Here's to all the artists who get no
> respect--the washboard players and lute strummers, harmonica blowers and
> banjo pickers. ..."
>
>
> Jerry "have washboard, will travel" Gordon, Troy, NY
> Web master for http://www.timesunion.com/communities/jazz
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 18:28:50 -0500
> From: "AL LEVY" <jazz_man at ix.netcom.com>
> To: <Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Bei Meir Bist Du Schoen
> Message-ID: <024101c4621e$aad456c0$0a12e604 at musicbox>
> Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
> Precedence: list
> Reply-To: AL LEVY <jazz_man at ix.netcom.com>
> Message: 5
>
> Please answer me directly and I'll respond.
> I'll get around to sending the answer to the group after I
> get some responses. (I'm taking a poll)
>
> I moved to Texas from NY about a year ago.
> Somebody at a dance we played asked for a "xxxxx" song.
> Title of the song "Bei Meir Bist Du Schoen".
> xxxx stands for the nationality or ethnic origin of the tune.
> I was shocked. It promted me to ask a bunch of musicians
> and some singers what they thought about the tune's
> origin. All said the same thing!
>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> Let me know what you think. Don't change your mind
> as a result of this message.
> I learned something very interesting about the lyrics when I
> asked Alvy West the same question - two weeks ago.
> (that very intersting should be read like a line on Laugh In)
> My gut feeling is the mis-conception is very wide spread.
>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> And now for the rest of the story.
>
> Cheers,
> Al
> Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Conductor, Teacher and Music Prep.
> Please visit me at
> http://alevy.com
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 09:43:16 +1000
> From: Bill Haesler <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>
> To: <australian-dance-bands at yahoogroups.com>,
> dixieland jazz mail list <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Re: Nostalgia company
> Message-ID: <BD0ED334.39FC%bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>
> In-Reply-To: <003901c4621f$21c73c70$73d21ed3 at denis>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> Precedence: list
> Message: 6
>
> Dear friends,
> I was lazy and should have checked (before sending off the request for
Dave
> Rentz).
> Which I have just done.
> Worlds Records (Novato CA) have 19 of the 'Nostalgia' CD series currently
in
> stock.
> Very kind regards,
> Bill.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 19:47:21 -0700
> From: "Robert S. Ringwald" <robert at ringwald.com>
> To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Martha Tilton
> Message-ID: <024b01c4623a$66169e00$3600a8c0 at bobringwald>
> Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> Precedence: list
> Message: 7
>
> We are wondering if Martha Tilton is still alive.  Anyone know for sure?
>
>
> Bob
> robert at ringwald.com
> Placerville, CA, USA, Earth, Sol's System, Milky Way
> Amateur (ham) Radio Station K6YBV
> Fulton Street Jazz Band
> See: http://www.ringwald.com
> Boondockers Jazz & Comedy Band
> See: http://www.theboondockers.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 19:51:13 -0700
> From: "Chris Calabrese" <lists at jazzpiano.com>
> To: "Robert S. Ringwald" <robert at ringwald.com>,
> "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Martha Tilton
> Message-ID: <003201c4623a$ef6f23c0$1e02a8c0 at dellp4>
> References: <024b01c4623a$66169e00$3600a8c0 at bobringwald>
> Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> Precedence: list
> Message: 8
>
> Bob: The "Dead or Alive" website says she's still alive:
> http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.nsf/tnames-nf/Tilton+Martha
>
> ~ Chris
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robert S. Ringwald" <robert at ringwald.com>
> To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 7:47 PM
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Martha Tilton
>
>
> > We are wondering if Martha Tilton is still alive.  Anyone know for sure?
> >
> >
> > Bob
> > robert at ringwald.com
> > Placerville, CA, USA, Earth, Sol's System, Milky Way
> > Amateur (ham) Radio Station K6YBV
> > Fulton Street Jazz Band
> > See: http://www.ringwald.com
> > Boondockers Jazz & Comedy Band
> > See: http://www.theboondockers.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Dixielandjazz mailing list
> > Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> > http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 22:35:11 -0700
> From: Randy Fendrick <jfendrick at bak.rr.com>
> To: Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com,
>         trombone-L <trombone-L at server5.samford.edu>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Piano player stories
> Message-ID: <1578957E-CE45-11D8-8EF7-003065B93BD0 at bak.rr.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
> MIME-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v553)
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> Precedence: list
> Message: 9
>
> Playing a gig this afternoon when an old friend walked in who is also a
> piano player.  Different players were telling stories about this guy
> and by far the best was one night he was working a quartet when a
> patron walked up and asked the pianist to play something for the
> younger set.  Without hesitation he said sure, and launched into "Rock
> a bye Baby!"
> later,
> Randy Fendrick,
> Southside Chicago Seven
> Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 12:12:38 -0400
> From: Stephen Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> To: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>,
>   JAZZ <JAZZ-TRADITIONAL_SWING_MAINSTREAM at yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] 9 year old Jonathan "Jazz" Russell
> Message-ID: <40E97DF6.310992FD at earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854";
> x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"
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> Reply-To: barbonestreet at earthlink.net
> Message: 10
>
> Jonathan did it again!!!!!
>
> He was absolutely superb at the 4th of July Freedom Celebration in
> Wilmington Delaware as a member of The Barbone Street Jazz Band.
>
> This 9 year old jazz violinist is something else. He speaks the language
> of jazz and thousands of people were in the audience to hear him. He
> upstaged our band of 70 year old professional musicians and we loved it.
>
> Jonathan and Barbone Street had a one hour performance on the Riverfront
> in Wilmington DE., preceding the fireworks display. The audience,
> perhaps skeptical at first, quickly came to realize that he is an
> extraordinary young jazz musician. He joined our band, unrehearsed and
> delivered a stunning performance.
>
> A couple of highlights were "I Want A Little Girl" and "After You've
> Gone". He got the nod to play lead on both and he did so superbly,
> having never before played either song with us. And he also sang "Little
> Girl" to all the young folks in the audience (many kids). It was a show
> stopper and he was seen afterward our set talking to some of the little
> girls who were there. What fun.
>
> On "After You've Gone", he impressed us all. You see, we had a piano
> player subbing for our regular guitarist and we'd only worked with him
> once this year. (An excellent jazz pianist who has backed Tony Bennett,
> Nancy Wilson, Al Cohn, et. al.) I called the tune on the spot (we do not
> work from an firm advance set list believing that more creativity
> results this way). Now we and Jonathan ALWAYS do it in Bb, but the piano
> player had usually done it in F. And so when asked for an 8 bar intro,
> the piano did it in F. Bass player immediately adjusted to F but the
> front line in a momentary lapse started in Bb.
>
> Except for Jonathan who had the lead. He has perfect pitch and he heard
> "F" so he joined the piano and bass in F, though he had NEVER BEFORE
> played it in that key. His lead was PERFECT from note one, and the rest
> of the front line had adjusted to F backing (polyphonic counterpoint) by
> the end of the first measure. It was so smooth that very few in the
> audience even realized what had just occurred. His mom also has perfect
> pitch and she heard it immediately also. I glanced at her during that
> first measure and she had that "oh no they're in F" look. But we smiled
> together as we heard Jonathan proceed as if he did this every day. His F
> solo improvisation was also superb. Again, bear in mind, he is 9.
>
> This young man is so much fun to work with and his "ears" are right up
> there with the best of them. Hey, band leaders out there, get some more
> paying gigs for him. Festival producers, get him to your events. Kids
> like him are the future of this music. Kids, like him, are also the
> future audience for this music.
>
> We have a couple a gigs still to come with Jonathan. One on July 18 at
> the Turk's Head Music Festival in West Chester PA, and the other at a
> two day Fall Festival in West Grove PA on September 11th and 12th.
> He'll like both, which will include large crowds and lots of kids among
> the grown ups. The fall festival is a horse and carriage competition and
> will include various other attractions such as medieval reenactors,
> Barbone Street Jazz, Swing Dancers, etc. If you are in the area, fall by
> for a unique treat. (Maybe this time we'll call a number he has never
> played at all and see where it goes. ;-) VBG)
>
> Info on Jonathan? Google search for: Jonathan Jazz Russell.
>
> Info on us? http://home.earthlink.net/~barbonestreet.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
> PS. We often get asked when playing with Jonathan, "Does the band mind
> being upstaged?" Of course not. It's the story of our member's musical
> lives, playing with such luminaries as Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge,
> Billy Holiday, Kai Winding, J.J. Johnson, Clifford Brown, Tony Bennett,
> Al Cohn, Sidney Bechet, Lester Young, Max Roach, Buddy Rich, Ben
> Webster, Phil Napoleon, Pee Wee Irwin, Billy Maxted, Tony Spargo
> (Sparbaro), Thelonious Monk, Yank Lawson, Bob Haggart, Gene Schroeder,
> Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, Louis Prima, Yo Yo Ma, Isaac Stern, Vladimir
> Horowitz, Artur Rubenstein, et al. We are proud to add Jonathan Russell
> to that list and look forward to his joining them in their musical
> achievements. I hope I'm still around 10 years from now to hear him do
> just that.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 14:07:35 -0400
> From: Stephen Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> To: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] MUSIC, GREED, MONEY & STUPIDITY
> Message-ID: <40E998E7.45BEE622 at earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; x-mac-type="54455854";
> x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"
> MIME-Version: 1.0
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> Precedence: list
> Reply-To: barbonestreet at earthlink.net
> Message: 11
>
> A long article, not OKOM. So delete now if you are too busy to read
> about the plight of classical music. On the other hand, there are some
> parallels to the problems we have in OKOM. This relates to the
> "business" side of the business and the wasted money and greed of the
> administrators. E.G. When Glenn Dodson BSJB Trombonist) joined the
> Philadelphia Symphony 35 years ago there were 3 in the front office and
> Ormandy was conduction. The orchestra was famous. Now there are more
> than 55 people in the front office and the orchestra has problems.
> HMmmmm. Is it time to give the music back to the musicians?
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
> July 4, 2004 - NY Times
>
> The Plight of the White-Tie Worker
>
> By BLAIR TINDALL
>
>       THIS summer, the backstage chatter at American orchestras is
> dominated by one subject: money.
>
>       In the musicians' locker rooms, frustration is building as the
> salaries of orchestra executives and conductors skyrocket, while the
> players' salaries stagnate. With contracts about to expire at 16 major
> orchestras, including such powerhouses as the New York Philharmonic, the
> Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cleveland
> Orchestra, the discontent is rising to a slow boil.
>
> "This year's negotiation will probably be the most difficult in a number
> of years," said Ed Ward, the president of the Chicago local of the
> American Federation of Musicians. Paralleling trends in corporate pay,
> salaries for orchestra leaders shot up during the late 1990's. Among the
> 18 American orchestras with 52-week contracts, at least 7 pay their
> music directors more than $1 million, and 3 pay their managers more than
> $700,000.
>
> The New York Philharmonic is at the top. In 2003, the most recent year
> for which tax documents are available to the public, the orchestra paid
> its music director, Lorin Maazel, $2.28 million for 14 weeks with the
> orchestra and an annual tour. Zarin Mehta, then the orchestra's
> executive director (and now its president) got $600,000 and $150,000 in
> benefits. (The Philharmonic, like most other orchestras discussed in
> this article, declined to comment on salaries.)
>
> That would be a lot in any case, but it's especially striking at a time
> when classical music finds itself on the ropes. For big American
> orchestras, audiences are declining, government and private donations
> have dropped and recording activity has virtually disappeared. Some
> argue that the surest way out of this apparent crisis is to hire the
> best executives and conductors, no matter their price. Others say that
> these high salaries are an unbearable financial burden - and that they
> reinforce classical music's image as an elitist, exclusionary world that
> is increasingly out of touch with its listeners.
>
> The situation is striking at other top orchestras as well. According to
> tax documents from 2002, the most recent year available in these cases,
> Mark Volpe, the managing director of the Boston Symphony, was making
> $349,923; Gideon Toeplitz, then the managing director of the Pittsburgh
> Symphony, $335,984; Henry Fogel, then the president of the Chicago
> Symphony, $330,000; and Brent Assink, the executive director of the San
> Francisco Symphony, $322,688.
>
> Meanwhile, over the last decade, as pay increases for symphony leaders
> have soared, the players' annual raises dropped from 3.9 percent in 1993
> to 1.7 percent in 2003, according to the International Conference of
> Symphony Orchestra Musicians.
>
> Speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, many musicians say they are
> tired of being asked to absorb their orchestras' financial woes while
> executives use those troubles to exact even higher salaries. "If
> management starts pleading poverty in this year's negotiations, it would
> be very tacky," said a New York Philharmonic string player.
>
> Between 1997 and 2002, the compensation of Thomas W. Morris, then the
> executive director of the Cleveland Orchestra, jumped 92 percent, while
> the musicians received a 19 percent raise for the same period. And
> Allison Vulgamore, the president of the Atlanta Symphony, won a 64
> percent raise between 1999 and 2002, while salaries for Atlanta's
> players increased 11 percent.
>
> Ms. Vulgamore had taken pay freezes during 4 of her 11 years with the
> orchestra, which has become much healthier financially since her
> arrival. And Mr. Fogel, now the president of the American Symphony
> Orchestra League, points out that there may be other unseen reasons for
> a sharp raise, such as moving allowances, bonuses or parity with other
> orchestras.
>
> In any case, players are being asked to make concessions. At several
> orchestras, managements have proposed pay freezes or cuts, according to
> union officials."It's the pattern in every industry, that executive
> compensation has grown over 30 years, while workers' pay stayed flat for
> the same period," said Robert Frank, a professor of management at
> Cornell University and the author of "The Winner-Take-All Society."
>
> But the similarity ends there. In the corporate world, the incentive to
> trim labor costs is to return greater profits to investors. The
> classical music business is nonprofit, which means that the investors
> aren't looking for financial rewards. They may, however, re-examine the
> amounts they're asked to donate to an institution that pays its top
> people lavishly while simultaneously crying poverty, posting deficits
> and urging fund-raising campaigns. And like donors, musicians are
> scrutinizing the salaries as well.
>
> The Conductors
>
> "Executive directors of orchestras are going to have a difficult time in
> developing and maintaining a bond with players as ratios between their
> compensation and the players' continue to diverge," said James Abruzzo,
> a nonprofit consultant with the executive search and consulting firm
> DHR. When the bond is sufficiently damaged, the players may simply
> leave, as 14 did after the Houston Symphony imposed a wage freeze in
> 2003.
>
> Top conductors are also moving around a lot these days, albeit under
> very different circumstances. James Levine, for one, combines two music
> directorships, at the Metropolitan Opera and the Boston Symphony. Many
> who maintain contracts with more than one orchestra earn hefty salaries
> abroad while collecting six or seven figures at their American posts.
>
> Some orchestras even celebrate their peripatetic conductors' popularity
> with other employers. The Dallas Symphony tracks its maestro on a Web
> page, "Where in the World is Andrew Litton?" That's because the hope is
> that the higher a conductor's profile, the more effective he'll be at
> fund-raising, a function on which orchestra boards are increasingly
> reliant.
>
> Mr. Maazel at the New York Philharmonic, for example, is renowned not
> only for his musicianship but also for his ability to attract donations.
> His personal Web site trumpets the millions he has generated for
> charitable organizations through benefit performances. Last season, he
> challenged contributors to match his own $100,000 donation to the
> Philharmonic.
>
> But Daniel Barenboim, the conductor of the Chicago Symphony (who
> collects a second salary from the orchestra of the Berlin State Opera),
> has announced that he will resign from his $2.14 million American
> position, citing frustration with just such nonmusical obligations.
>
> The Executives
>
> Salaries offered to star performers and managers often represent an
> emotional response of boards, said Mr. Abruzzo, the consultant. As
> donors weary of chronic shortfalls, boards bank on conductors and
> executives with proven track records rather than untested newcomers. The
> talent pool is small, and executives bearing responsibility for
> multimillion-dollar budgets can compete in the for-profit world, which
> pays significantly more.
>
> Deborah Borda, the executive director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic,
> says she once considered moving to a for-profit corporation, but, a
> trained violist, she decided to stay in music. She received $739,000 in
> 2002 but says she earned it. "I think the orchestra knows I live this
> job," she said, "seven days a week, 365 days a year."
>
> In 1999, the Los Angeles Philharmonic faced a $7 million deficit, the
> sudden departure of its executive and the looming construction of the
> $274 million Disney Hall. Lured from her $420,000 New York Philharmonic
> post with a $728,000 package, Ms. Borda vanquished the Los Angeles
> Philharmonic's debt and guided the orchestra's renaissance as Disney
> Hall opened to universal acclaim in 2003.
>
> The Players
>
> Many musicians approve of high executive salaries - if, that is, the
> orchestra is doing well. But when it is not, frustration arises, as it
> also does over inequities in players' pay scale.
>
> These days, for example, many players earn little more than their
> orchestra's minimum, with increases after five years of service. But
> principal players make substantially more.
>
> The base pay of a New York Philharmonic musician is now $103,000.
> According to 2003 tax records, Glenn Dicterow, the New York Philharmonic
> concertmaster, was making $366,000; Carter Brey, the principal cellist,
> $255,000; Philip Smith, the principal trumpeter, $243,000; Philip Myers,
> the principal hornist, $227,000; and Cynthia Phelps, the principal
> violist, $216,000. The have-nots in this scheme are primarily section
> string players, who have to pay for instruments costing significantly
> more than woodwinds or brasses - often in five or six figures.
>
> And in the case of brand-name soloists, the disparity is even more
> enormous. The violinist Itzhak Perlman and the cellist Yo-Yo Ma, two of
> the most reliable box-office draws in the field, are reliably said to
> make from $65,000 to $70,000 per night; as much as full-time players at
> second-tier orchestras like the Dallas Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony
> and the St. Louis Symphony make in a year.
>
> That takes a toll on morale, and on collective bargaining power. And
> even those musicians who consider themselves decently paid often resent
> subsidizing top conductors' limousines, country houses and jet-set
> careers.
>
> Compensation for orchestral musicians was less generous 50 years ago,
> when American orchestras played part-time, and players were often
> underpaid and poorly treated. In the 1960's, an era of relative
> affluence produced year-round contracts and performing arts complexes
> like Lincoln Center.
>
> Politicians lauded the arts boom as a cold war victory, and a cultural
> shopping spree ensued. In an escalating cycle, orchestra staff positions
> multiplied; with marketing pros toiling to fill seats at the extra
> concerts, development offices were expanded to pay for it all.
> Overspending, a few midsize orchestras folded, igniting a media uproar
> over the "death of classical music." Almost without exception, they rose
> from the ashes only to generate new deficits and a fresh crop of
> newspaper articles.
>
> But the players' gains may have reached a plateau. In the 20 orchestra
> negotiations that took place during the last year, only one did not
> involve a pay concession. Now musicians fear that the next round of cuts
> will involve the number of weeks they have off, the ratio of tenured to
> part-time chairs and, eventually, the size of the orchestra itself.
>
> Other issues include health care and pensions. At the New York
> Philharmonic, the players' retirement account is underfinanced by about
> $9 million, a shortfall that has to be made up partly from the
> orchestra's endowment.
>
> The Accounting
>
> Though the multimillion-dollar budgets of orchestras may now resemble
> those of corporations, orchestras are still nonprofit organizations. An
> orchestra justifies its tax-exempt status like any public hospital,
> museum or food bank, as an organization receiving support from the
> government and the general public. But experts say orchestras don't
> always live within their limits.
>
> "Arts organizations tend to see themselves as separate from the rest of
> the world, that their giving streams and compensation packages bear no
> relationship to the rest of the nonprofit sector," said Paul C. Light, a
> professor of public service at New York University. "But that's
> absolutely wrong. Orchestras don't get a special pass."
>
> In May, the I.R.S. announced plans to investigate nonprofit salaries
> exceeding $1 million, after New York State sued Richard A. Grasso, the
> former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, over his $200 million
> retirement package. Under 2002 I.R.S. regulations, nonprofit executive
> salaries must compare to those at similar tax-exempt institutions. And
> in 2003, the average pay for chief executives of nonprofit organizations
> with budgets of more than $50 million was only $188,000, according to
> The Nonprofit Times.
>
> With tax investigations, disgruntled musicians and recurring deficits,
> the orchestra business may be forced to re-examine its strategies. Mr.
> Abruzzo, who teaches arts management in Berlin, sees the orchestra world
> shrinking both here and abroad. Gone are the days when cities regarded
> professional orchestra, ballet and opera companies as essential to their
> cultural life. Instead, many cities are expanding the definition of
> culture to include zoos, aquariums and science centers and, more
> significant, arenas, convention centers and stadiums.
>
> The crisis the orchestra may be facing is primarily an internal one: not
> a loss of value in the wider world, but a malaise borne of chronic
> overspending and outdated vision. In response, some orchestras have
> lately developed new community programs or joined with other local
> performing groups to pool resources.
>
> Joseph H. Kluger, the president of the Philadelphia Orchestra, has
> pledged $23,800 of his $283,000 salary to the institution's annual
> endowment drive; the board increased contributions, cut staff and
> received 10 percent fee give-backs from Christoph Eschenbach, the music
> director, and some soloists. "I personally would be uncomfortable making
> a salary over 1 percent of the budget," Mr. Kluger said, stressing that
> he spoke only for his organization.
>
> But Philadelphia's strategy may signal a trend. Many orchestras have
> begun enacting staff salary freezes and cuts during the last three
> years, as well as encouraging substantial salary give-backs from
> conductors and executives. They include the Dallas Symphony, the
> Cleveland Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony, where Ms. Vulgamore gave
> back 15 percent of her salary. And at the New York Philharmonic, Mr.
> Mehta has pledged $100,000 to the organization over three years.
>
> Ms. Borda took a different tack, reinvesting the Los Angeles
> Philharmonic's profit into a new system of education, outreach and
> commissions.
>
> And the midsize Utah Symphony, with a budget of $17 million, is testing
> new ground. It merged with the Utah Opera last year, saving $1.5 million
> by streamlining administration and scheduling for guest artists. Anne
> Ewers, the executive director, and Keith Lockhart, the music director,
> have each pledged $10,000 in challenge grants.
>
> Ms. Ewers, who earns $175,000, said, "I'd rather see the organization
> thrive than demand a huge salary."
>
>     About the author: Blair Tindall, a professional oboist, is writing
> "Mozart in the Jungle" for Grove/Atlantic Press.
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
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> End of Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 19, Issue 6
> ********************************************