[Dixielandjazz] Strange Gigs

[Steve barbone]

Just got off the phone with my pal Pete Pepke (trombone).

Pete: "Hey, I have to share this with you from the August 2004 issue of
readers Digest." (he was catching up on his reading)

The story was about the former Miss Delaware who was at a funeral where a
Dixieland Jazz Band had been hired to play. Leader, a Delaware trombonist
was asked to play "Precious Lord Take My Hand, Saints, etc." He refused on
religious grounds to play any of the religious tunes. Exasperated the widow
asked him what tunes he suggested?

"Don't Get Around Much Anymore"

Pete said "can you guess who the leader was?"

No question about it. Though not named in the story, we figured the leader
was a guy we played with at a political function for Delaware Senator Roth
(Roth IRA fame) who was up for re-election in the mid 1990s. Gig was
Dixieland and leader was banjoist Al Smith. Pete was on trombone, and this
guy, an excellent player on both Tuba and Trombone, was on Tuba.

First off, he refused to wear a red vest because "My religion precludes me
from wearing "raiment". OK,, so we need to play "A Grand Old Flag". You'll
have to do it without me as my religion precludes me from paying homage to a
symbol or country. It offends the Almighty.

OK so we need to play Saints as all the functionaries come marchin in. Nope,
he can't play that as it demeans religious heroes.

So we played most of the gig without a tuba.

Never hired, or worked with the guy again figuring he should be smart enough
not to take gigs where such songs would be played. We later figured out,
because he had given the gig to Al rather than lead it himself, that as the
leader, he would have had to prevent the band from playing those tunes.

Can't figure out why he chose to lead the funeral band. And wonder in this
day of political correctness if we could legally refuse to hire a player
because of religion? Or ask players what their religion is? :-) VBG

Cheers,
Steve