[Dixielandjazz] There are two kinds of musicians...

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/7/04 2:43:19 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
paul.edgerton at eds.com writes:

> ...Those who care about the audience and those who don't.
> There are many ways to provide for the audience; all accomplished musicians
> take care of this in some manner.


 We have words for the those who do not:
> 
> words like "boring," and "unemployed."
> 

Nice post Paul, and I can agree with most of it, except for this piece which 
I beg to differ on.

In the major Jazz Festival circuit today there are many Fabulously talented 
and technically brilliant players that have advanced to Star status that are 
employed all the time at almost all the festivals around the world.   Hell they 
even have All-star groups of them together taking up slots in the festivals 
that could be going to OKOM acts or other more musically inclined acts.   Not 
only this but they are knocking down BIG BUCKS to Bore the HEll out of the 
audiences with 25 minute Sax and Trumpet and Bass solos while the rest of the band 
walks off the stage and let's them do it.  

I have also seen them empty sold out venues in doing so, as well, but the 
festival folks who adore these kind of players adore them and don't seem to care 
that the people don't like them and do not come back to pay and see or hear 
them again when they  rebook them.

Some of these festival promoters are wannabe players of a like mind and book 
these kind of stars inthe hopes that they can say they played on the same 
stage with them to bolster their own resumes.   Some of these players are also 
fabulous techicians and educators in the finest music schools in the world, but 
that does not make them any more melodic or listenable to John Q Public.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins