[Dixielandjazz] innocent!

[Larry Walton Entertainment]

The times that I have been in New Orleans I was playing with the AF band so
I am not really an expert but there seems to be a closed shop.  More in a
minute.

Most musicians union and non union musicians travel in circles that tend to
be closed.  I am in with a group of musicians made up of band leaders and
big band musicians.  We work with each other, hire each other and know how
each other plays.  There are some concentric circles that are within and
orbit out of this group.  For example:  There is a particularly good rhythm
section that I play with in the Gary Dammer Big band.  We know each other
and we play in that group together but I have never worked with them in
their groups nor have I hired them.  We don't have anything against each
other but it just has never worked out.

A couple of years ago I wanted out of one of the big bands and recommended a
friend that I met with a hobby band to them.  He took my place and I think
plays with them regularly.  He wouldn't have lasted if he couldn't play but
he would never have gotten the job if I hadn't recommended him.

Networking in music sometimes takes years and sometimes never happens union,
or not.  It's no surprise that they wouldn't let you in.  I wanted to sit in
with a group about a year ago and they were really reluctant.  But they
wanted to keep us happy  and  they very reluctantly said OK.  You should
have seen their faces when the short fat guy walked up with his soprano sax.
After the first solo we were almost trading spit and had known each other
for years.  They had reason to believe that they were in for a disaster.  I
think this  was the only  band I have ever approached and asked to sit in.
I have a personal rule and that is to never play anywhere unless I have been
invited.

More on New Orleans.  I suspect the street musicians are set up or allowed
to play by others that control the streets.  I saw this happen with the kid
tap dancers.  The first time I played in New Orleans there were the little
kids tap dancing and people throwing money.  Cute huh.  There was one little
kid who's face was strangely deformed and spoke some dialect of Cajun and
Ebonics.  The second time I played there I saw the same kid now grown up.
There was no way I could forget that face and dialect.  He was about 18-20
and he was standing off to the side watching the kids dance.  We were
tearing down the band and it was getting late and he was behind a column
facade of a building and I could see him and the kid clearly.  He had one of
the kids by the neck, strangling him and slapping him around because the kid
had held out on him.  The kid coughed up the money and he let the kid go.
This was on Jackson Square.

There was a thing like that here in St. Louis years ago with blind people.
There were guys that "protected" them and set them up on certain corners and
kept other blind people off their corners.  That's how the same blind guys
always had the same bank or supermarket.

This is how I suspect New Orleans works.

In music networking is everything.  Another thing that will kill a musician
quicker than anything is not being very straight arrow with band leaders.
Solicit a job on someone's gig, show up late,  take too long breaks, gripe
about the pay, take other jobs, criticize other musicians or tell everyone
how good you are and all the great bands you played with.  This is what we
fondly call gigacide.  Have you ever wondered why some pretty good musicians
don't make it in the business?

Larry Walton
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Cebuisle2 at aol.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 7:05 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] innocent!


> Yes Bob, I was quite naive.I had even packed my cornet along on the long
> drive from Maine to N.O. as I was sure there would be good natured jazz
> musicians jamming in the African-American areas of the city, and they
would  welcome
> me with open arms!  NOT!  I was not prepared for the reality  that was New
> Orleans. It was a big disappointment and a major wake-up for  me.
>
> I had a friend who played excellent banjo. being single, he left for N.O.
to
> play jazz. Returned a year later, and said he had to join the musicians
> union-but they never sent him out on a gig as he was too new in town.  He
> supported himself for a year pumping gas-
>
> This was around 25 years ago. have things changed?
>
>
>             ted
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