[Dixielandjazz] Do your Part foro N.O. Music.

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

>From today's issue of OFF BEAT Magazine:

What Will Happen To New Orleans Music?

As I write this, I am wondering if Katrina will create a permanent 
diaspora of New Orleans musicians. Or will they return to the city they 
gave them inspiration? Already I've heard from so many people who are 
in Lafayette, various places in Tennessee (especially Nashville), Baton 
Rouge, and Austin.
  I hate to say this, but unless we are committed to getting our city 
back--and that means everyone in the music community--there will be no 
more music in New Orleans.
  Austin seems to be licking its chops at the prospect of sucking up so 
much musical talent and so many music businesses. Basin Street Records 
has already landed there. How many others?
  For all those people who love New Orleans and her music, come back to 
the city as soon as you can, please! There have been numerous (too many 
to count) benefits to help New Orleans residents. Some have been 
earmarked for the city's musicians.
  But no one has come forward to administer these funds for local 
musicians.
  And what about all the music businesses that have been displaced 
because of Katrina? There are no FEMA or funds to help these people.
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I would add to that.

There will also be No Red Cross Funds for many of them as well once the 
media cameras go off.
Once again folks, Musicians are falling quickly through the cracks, yet 
people all around us are calling day and night begging us to come play 
for FREE to they can raise money for big organizations that continue to 
ignore our own family of musicians and their specific needs in times 
like this.

We need to come together as a Musical Community and use our collective 
efforts to take care of our own.

Yes, the Musicians Union will take care of a few ( if they are members 
in good standing)  but how many of the others that not dues paying 
members will they help.

I just read a staggering list of musicians names that are safe, but 
scattered all over the surrounding states in disarray and no place to 
work or in many cases even live.

We should all raise the prices of our events to pick up some of this 
load, have more than one function a month, and invite N.O. Musicians 
and Pay them decently to help them rebuild.   Have a fundraiser once a 
week if you have to and channel the money to actually doing something 
with it besides having a private party for the membership.

Heck we could also create a lot more awareness in the communities where 
we all live for hiring OKOM,

Do it now while New Orleans and Jazz in on Everyone's mind, and we have 
a chance to not only Preserve and Save the Music but to expand it to 
new audiences.

Let's all start by going out and making EVERY TUESDAY  FAT TUESDAY in 
your area and raise some money,  Mardi Gras Parties should abound in 
every city and should quickly build interest in OKOM and create some 
more gigs for everyone.

Knock on some doors around you, get out of the garage and go play, 
Offer all those boxes of unsold CD's in the garage as incentives for 
donations, and yes take the tax deductions too.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins