[Dixielandjazz] Doctor Jazz on video

[Ministry of Jazz]

Shalom Jazz Fans,

Doctor Jazz did a volunteer show Saturday night for displaced families from
northern Israel staying at a Jerusalem hotel. The gig happened under
somewhat difficult circumstances, but this is the best video of the band
that we've taken so far, so here it is on You Tube, featuring a new addition
to the band, our "drum shtick":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtiaJxGjl0A

The players are all students of mine except for the sop sax player. The
sound is much better on our CD, but for overall effect, this will give you
an idea of what we do.

By the way, has anyone noticed that when you do free gigs for alleged
charitable causes, they treat you like garbage, but when you're getting paid
you also get treated better? We showed up an hour early for this one to get
set up since it was in the hotel lobby. We asked everyone we could find, and
nobody knew where we were supposed to perform. We had been told we'd be in
the "inner lobby". Well, it turns out the inner lobby includes a large
sitting area with a bar, a smaller sitting area set off by portable room
dividers, and another room, also defined by removable dividers, that is used
for synagogue services. So where do we set up? In the synagogue, in the
small section, in the larger open section? Nobody knows. Then someone said
they were going to clear out the synagogue area and remove all the dividers
to make one big room. Great, only nobody did it. So as the performance time
drew near, we made the command decision to set up in the large open area,
with one of the portable room dividers as a backdrop. We did so, and as we
were literally drawing our breath to start our first song, a couple minutes
early, NOW someone comes, we don't know who he was, and tells us we should
take down the dividers and play against the back wall so there is more room.
We told him, "It's too late", and we started playing while he stood there at
a loss for what to do, and he eventually left before the song was over.

Generally at paid gigs someone either has our space identified and set up
when we arrive, or at least is there to meet us and see what we need. We
hardly do freebies anymore.For legitimate charitable gigs, we offer a
greatly reduced price, on the condition that the other service providers are
doing the same. I am a generous fellow, but I got tired of being the only
patsy who gets conned into playing for free while everyone else is getting
paid, and then rather than being thanked, we are ignored, pushed around, and
treated like dirt.

Elazar "I don't get no respect" Brandt
Dr. Jazz Dixieland Band
Tekiya Trumpet Ensemble
Jerusalem, Israel
www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz
+972-2-679-2537