[Dixielandjazz] New Orleans Help

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Bless you Jeff Mathews;

It is wonderful to see another practitioner inspired to at least try 
and make a difference,  if I die tonight I will have a smile on my face 
that someone else has picked up the challenge.

I of course will give all the advise and help I can,  And Yes indeed IT 
can be done, if we all but get on board the train and keep it stoked 
with fuel to roll down the track.

Re: New Orleans relief efforts:   There has of course been some, but 
these things tend to be washed over regarding good things happening, it 
is far more popular to report scandals and bad news.   I do not know 
where those folks sent the money, nor how well it is or has been 
distributed, but there are some musicians that have benefited from it.  
If it does nothing more than at least provide some funding for them to 
get some paid gigs it will not be in vain.   The smarter better 
connected Musicians will of course always find the money first and get 
as much as they can while others sit around waiting to be found.


Tell your friend to check with Tipitinas Foundation, I think they have 
done a lot, and there was another organization down there giving out 
Replacement instruments to players who lost theirs that in itself could 
eat up a lot of the money, even though some of them were donated.

Our listmates living in New Orleans could probably check up on it and 
report better than i can.
Cheers,

Tom


-----Original Message-----
From: Jeffmatthews111 at aol.com
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 7:18 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] New Orleans Help

   Hi All,

TWO TOPICS:

I was talking to a musician friend here in the UK yesterday. He has 
visited
New Orleans over 25 times and loves the jazz, the city and the people 
and has
a  good number of contacts there.

He was mentioning the money that had been raised around various jazz 
clubs
he attends that has been sent to New Orleans to help musicians, etc. 
However,
there have been no reports back to say if the money had actually 
arrived there
  and if it was being used to help the people it was intended for. He 
asked me
to  enquire of you guys on the list to see if you have heard of these 
funds
arriving  in New Orleans yet.


2ND TOPIC

I am putting together a website for my own band plus with links to 
useful
information and products which are of interest to 'our audience'. This 
is the

result of writing an email to a jazz magazine which was published in 
January
2007. Advice on content and direction sought.

My stance here in the UK is that rather than only, only, trying to get  
young
people into this jazz style(s), that there are many musicians in the 
40+  age
bracket who want to play this music and will get their instruments out 
of
the cellar/garage and start playing again if given the chance.  These  
people
will then attend concerts and festivals to hear the 'good guys' and how 
 they
really play. They will buy countless C.D.'s as I do. They will also  
enjoy
themselves and spread the message that OKOM is good music and fun. The  
audience

will grow and more exposure will be given, if slowly, to this music.  
Maybe TV
and Radio will catch on to good jazz again and lose (in the UK) its  
love of
the money it can persuade young people to part with.

By the way, I invite young people to sit in with my band too when they 
can
play and do not offend the ears of the band or the audience or 
embarrass
themselves family or friends. Older people too get a look in as I did 
when I was

re-starting playing. I am so grateful for the opportunity I was given.

I suggested that bands in the UK could 'register' their acceptance of 
the

occaisional 'sitter in' who was competant to play and that there should 
be a
register of 'mentor musicians', not necessarily music teachers at all 
times, who

  would help with this education of new want to be players.  It seems to 
me
that this is the way many of our hero players learnt their trade - by 
sitting
next to great players who passed on the trade.

I hope my website, if I can get it built, will house this type of 
register.
Ideas, suggestions?

I also suggested that some of the hero players whose L.P's and C.D.'s 
we
have bought over the years and whose concerts we have attended might 
like to
'give a little back' by helping others coming up the ladder.  I see 
this
happening all of the time on the list via wonderful tips from Steve and 
Tom and
many
others. Thank you for that gentlemen.

By the way, I was talking with a great clarinet player from the trad 
era
(and current) recently, a real pro player and he was extremely generous 
in his

advice. It can be done.

OK, this is not the total answer, but it is a step, I feel in the right 

direction.

Guys, please be positive in your feedback. Thank you.

Jeff Matthews


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