[Dixielandjazz] The Price of Art

[LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing]

In St. Louis there are several Big Bands (18 pc) The Gary Dammer Big Band, Mike Brooks Band (10 pc + 3 ) vocalists, Sentimental Journey, Gateway City Big Band, The Blue Knights (10 pc), The original Knights of Swing and Nostalgia.  They are listed in order of quality and incidentally in how much they pay their people.  The bottom bands are $50 With the Gateway City Big Band donating their proceeds to charity or playing for charitable events.  The last three bands charge less than $1000.  The first two bands pay fairly well from Union scale to $150.  

Gary's band is a kick ass group made up of the best musicians in town that have had years of professional experience many of them are professional Air Force Bandsmen or like myself retired AF Bandsmen.  The bottom group has a couple of good people but are mostly hobby musicians.  

Two of the groups are fronted by Doctors one of whom only MC's the other holds the trumpet and counts off the band (However he has a really great book).  Both of these groups pay $50 and $35 respectively.

Gary told me the other day that he was throwing in the towel on his big band and so there goes the best big band in the area and a book that is really great.

And yes I know that Big Band swing isn't Traditional Jazz but the price of live music is really low here.  The musicians union is a joke and guys are willing to play for the price of getting their tux cleaned.  Adjusting for inflation I was making a whole lot more when I was in High School!