[Dixielandjazz] The state of Jazz in the UK (and USA)

Sat Apr 28 10:42:25 PDT 2007

Steve even though some think you don't exist I enjoy your posts even if you 
don't agree with me.
Larry
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: "Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 11:34 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] The state of Jazz in the UK (and USA)


> on 4/27/07 5:30 PM, Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis at
> larrys.bands at charter.net wrote:
>
>>> Steve -- We can talk about being entertainers vs. good musicians, about
>>> uniforms, and all sorts of trivia. But the fact remains that if we do 
>>> not
>>> talk about the AUDIENCE, or lack thereof, the other stuff is really
>>> meaningless.
>>
>> LW --I thought that was what we were talking about - what the audience
>> expects.  I didn't start the styles or the expectations but ignoring them 
>> is
>> sure gigacide.
>
> I respectfully disagree. My experience is that the audience wants good
> music, presented in a relevant manner. I've posted numerous times that my
> band does not wear uniforms that limit the audience. i.e. straw hats, arms
> garters, etc. (limiting sartorial appeal to old folks) We dress for the 
> MASS
> AUDIENCE. By ignoring the stereotypical "Dixieland" look, we have in fact,
> multiplied both our gig count and our monetary earnings. What do we 
> supply?
> Music that is relevant to the young audience. That is all any band need do
> to reach the masses.
>>
>> Larry:
>> There is available here what one would think is the perfect venue.  A 
>> large
>> college campus within very easy walking distance of a 2300 seat 
>> auditorium.
>> My only problem is they want $4000 during the week and $6000 on a weekend 
>> to
>> book the place.  I simply don't have that kind of cash to risk on 
>> anything.
>> Even the big guys in town don't try it even with a more sure R&R program.
>> There is a great smaller Venue located one block away with reasonable
>> seating (500) and it costs about $1100 a night.  It's still within one 
>> block
>> of the College.  I played a review, which by the way was excellent, a 
>> couple
>> of weeks ago and the promoter lost his ass on it.  Even at $20 a head 
>> there
>> weren't enough paying people to cover the hall and the band even though 
>> it
>> was a charity event and most of the band members and all the singers 
>> donated
>> their time.
>>
>> Well if you can't enough sell tickets to break even on events in that 
>> area
>> I'm not about to try.  So the other alternative is to book parties or 
>> other
>> events as a band.  The standard approach which is not really building an
>> audience.
>>
>> I would love to be able to do all the things you and others would like to
>> see done but I don't have those "nerves of steel".
>
> Again, I disagree. A good band need not risk anything in order to reach 
> the
> audience. Look to play at different venues than concert halls. Start a
> little smaller with street fairs, park concerts, restaurants, etc. Very
> doable. Heck, you have seen my "how we did it" information. If a hack like
> me can do it, anyone can.
>
>>> Steve --And by putting OKOM into an old folks niche, we are dooming it 
>>> to a
>>> constant decline.
>>
>> Larry - Unfortunately that's true but if it weren't for the old people 
>> there
>> would be no OKOM as we know it.  I can say exactly the same about swing
>> bands.  Their audience is aging out too.
>
> Sure there would be OKOM without the old folks. I play it to young 
> audiences
> all summer long. Tonight (Sat) we're playing a swing dance for 350 people.
> Some older, but MOST under 35. Some are teens who bring their parents as
> chaperones. Next week we play the senior class reception on the lawn of 
> the
> President of the University of Pennsylvania. Mardi Gras theme. 2000 
> COLLEGE
> KIDS will be there on campus with us.
>
> Last month we played at a local High School and a local Grammar School. On
> the 4th of July we play before 5000 people on the Wilmington Riverfront. 
> At
> least 50% kids under 20. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
>
> Point being that the only bands who find their audience aging are those 
> who
> court old audiences and have no idea of how to play for, and/or interact
> with with young audiences.
>
>> LW: If the Trad and Swing bands turned down work from everyone over 50 
>> that
>> tried to book them there would be no trad or swing bands in this town.
>
> Naturally we play for old folks too and only turn down gigs offered by
> people we don't like, or those that ask us to dress up in uniforms we 
> don't
> like. But by the same token, we have created a viable market for our music
> with audiences of all ages. We have re-invented ourselves to appeal to the
> youth market.
>
>> LW: St. Louis is a tough music city no matter what you play.
>
> Maybe so, maybe not. When I started my band in Philadelphia 16 or so years
> ago, people told me exactly the same thing. Philly's a tough town for
> Dixieland, the kids hate it, only old folks like it etc., etc., etc. But 
> we
> did not listen to the nay sayers. We created a viable local market for our
> music with audiences of all ages and now  we find ourselves trying to
> de-market by raising the price in order to cut back on the number of gigs 
> we
> do at our advanced ages.
>
> It is tough for anyone still working to find employment opportunities when
> they are our ages. Music is no different from any other job in that 
> respect.
> Yet my band of old folks seems to find employment.
>
> Like you say, the music market gets tougher every year, everywhere. That
> doesn't mean that you or I have to suffer. Let the other guys, who do not
> treat music as a business, suffer.
>
>> LW Life's a Bi**h, then you die.
>
> Yes, or as T. Monk said in answer to the question; "What is the purpose of
> life? . . . "To die."
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
>