[Dixielandjazz] Taping

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/11/04 3:03:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
barbonestreet at earthlink.net writes:

> 
> Just a quick thought. I never would have heard Detroit's Tom Saunders
> had it not been for a taping made by an old buddy from the Detroit Jazz
> Club in the 1970s. When I heard the tape, I found out where to but Tom's
> records and also bought the video of the Wild Bill Legacy. Never would
> have happened but for that tape.
> 

Along the same vein folks:

I was just at the French Quarter Festival and took six people with me that 
were not into Jazz until they met me and I invited them to come along to the 
Festival.

I got turned on to New Orleans Brass Bands back in 1990 after I heard my 
first one on a tape from a friend of mine from New Orleans who played it for me.  
At that time I had never even heard of Second Line nor heard much less seen an 
authentic Second Line Brass Band.

I had been asked to book one for a festival in Europe and the only one I 
could find was Milton Baptiste and the Olympia Brass Band, and he actually charged 
me for the promotional package to send to book him a job.  Talk about 
primitive booking procedures.

Then another friend of mine from New Orleans who was a Grand Marshall down 
there played me a tape of about six Brass Bands and I was hooked.

I went to a collectors records shop to find CDs and bout about $125.00 worth 
of them, I formed Saint Gabriel's and all the sidemen kept borrowing the CDs 
to take home and learn tunes from.  None of them ever came back.

While in New Orleans a couple of weeks back I bought another supply of CDs of 
every Brass Band that was on the stage, that had a CD for sale, as did five 
of the young ladies who went to the festival with me.  I might add that they 
were also selling them for $20.00 each which is ridiculous, and caused them to 
lose a lot of impulse buyers in the audience, some of whom I actually heard say 
they would buy it at a record store at a discount cheaper.

I however did not want to go searching for a record store and try to find 
one, so I bought them from the band, and also to help support the bands who do 
not make enough money to live on playing in New Orleans either.

It was funny, but several of the Old Time Traditional Brass Bands actually 
came to the microphone and told folks not to tape them or make pictures of them, 
they said if you wanted a CD you could go buy it at a record store.  ( yeah 
right!  Smart move for a mostly tourist crowd, as if they could find the record 
store in New Orleans).

I actually did find one Louisiana Record shop in the French Quarter, and 
guess what they did not have one single Brass Band CD in stock, and not because 
they had sold them all either, because they don't stock them.  I did manage 
however to find their one and only copy of a video narrated by Milton Baptiste 
about Jazz Funerals which I promptly purchased for $10.00.

I might add that I had an excellent Sony Stereo Mini disc recorder in my 
pocket all during the festival just in case I did find a very special act playing 
that had no CD or recordings available.  I would have certanly asked them 
permission to do so and would also have given them the recording in any format 
they wanted it if it turned out to be good.

Those groups that advised the audience not to record them did so in good 
taste, they were not worth recording and sounded pitiful at best compared to all 
the others that performed on the stages with them.  I can also assure you that 
nobody in the audience went out looking for a record store to buy their CDs 
either.  Most folks even walked away from the stage after fifteen or twenty 
minutes of listening to them.

Everyone who attends live music events is not there to steal the music folks, 
even though there are stories of unscrupulous individuals over time that 
actually did so.  Some of the old folks who want to tape the shows are on fixed 
incomes and do not have the funds available to buy every group they see after 
paying for admission badges and expenses to get there.  Perhaps if some of the 
groups who have garages full of CDs and tapes would sell them a bit cheaper to 
these folks they might actually buy them.

There is plenty of profit margin in tapes and CDs folks no need to get 
greedy, the trick to making money with them is to keep-moving and performing to new 
audiences or perform in places where they have transient audiences like 
tourists attractions.  Believe me you will sell far more than you ever thought if 
you do it correctly.

By the way I saw and heard Tom Saunders nephew Tom Saunders playing on 
Bourbon Street with his group called The New Orleans Jazz Vipers,and bought one of 
their CDs  (Live on Frenchmen Street) after hearing only three songs.   I 
unfortunately had to get to another stage and they were taking a break.  I love it 
and found it to be one of the best groups I saw in the festival and will 
shortly order their second CD by mail.   I reccommed this CD to all who like OKOM 
it is very pleasing to the ear.  ordering info:  info at jazzvipers.com            
 http://www.jazzvipers.com


Cheers,

Tom Wiggins
I should know, having been in the record business for over twenty-five years, 
I have sold a few recordings in my time.