[Dixielandjazz] Putting people down

[Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis]

Steve and Tom have made a success out of what they do and are justifiably proud of what they do.  That doesn't mean that they think that everyone else is a failure or is not as good.  I have read enough of their posts to figure that out.

Like others on the list there was a time that I had to hustle for every buck and If I wasn't playing a hundred or more gigs a year I would get nervous.  I still play as many as I can with some limitations.  I will no longer drive across the country to play a gig and I won't play where lots of people smoke.  That pretty much keeps me out of bars which I don't miss.  Those things limit the number of gigs I play.  Between the ones I book and gigs I get from others I stay fairly busy.

There is a line and that's between those who are trying to make a living out of music and those that aren't.  Because I still actively book jobs I feel that any idea that I get from another musician that helps me is pretty good.  I wish I had someone to mentor me when I was young because I might have done a lot better.

I have great respect for all musicians no matter what they play.  That doesn't hold true with all musicians.  The other day a banjo player said I was a second rate clarinet player (boo hoo).  That was meant to be a put down and I will help him with an assisted gigacide ASAP.  I don't know it but I may have booked gigs out from underneath that banjo player.  He has always taken my money.

Yes we compete but that's no reason to be nasty and if I thought these guys were putting me down I would let them have it but I find them to be a valuable source of ideas and the rest I ignore.  You never know when you will need the other guy.  So don't ever burn bridges in the music business.

I like smart successful guys.  I love to hang around with guys that are really smart because they come up with ideas I can use all the time.

My advice is to throw away the clutter and see what's there for you.  I have found that Tom is especially helpful off list.

One of the things that I find helpful is that few of us are directly competing with each other for gigs and we can be more honest and help the other guy get gigs in his area.  

I think that we should all remember that we all are coming at playing with different ideas, needs and talents so there is going to be a great variation in our outlooks toward the music profession and OKOM in general.

Larry Walton
St. Louis