[Dixielandjazz] What's a Musician worth?

Mon Jun 18 09:04:45 PDT 2007

That's pretty much the way it used to be here.  Weddings, and I have done 
hundreds, were a little less staged.  For example there was no such thing as 
a wedding planner and the meals were almost never formal sit down affairs 
with place settings and multiple glasses.  They all pretty much followed the 
same format and after the buffet the band could get something and everything 
worked pretty well.

I think what happened is that the DJ's sucked off all the lower end 
receptions.  For years even families of modest means would throw a bash when 
their daughters got married.  I have a feeling that the whole thing has just 
gotten out of control for the average person.  I haven't done a church 
basement,or American Legion Hall for at least 5 years except for at the ST. 
Louis U. College Church but that was definitely not a low end affair nor is 
that church an average church.  15-20 years ago that's all that we did one 
after the other.

The receptions that we do now are definitely a cut above what was happening 
10-20 years ago.  I don't even get calls for receptions but then again we 
aren't playing top 40 or disco.

I have noticed a new trend and it happened again Saturday night.   The Bride 
and Groom have taken dancing lessons.  This couple did a quite elegant dance 
routine that would rival what you would have seen on the screen in the 
1940's.  They were quite good.  They did a Waltz, Foxtrot and three or four 
Latin's during the evening.

Is this something that is happening elsewhere?
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ministry of Jazz" <jazzmin at actcom.net.il>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, June 18, 2007 1:44 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] What's a Musician worth?

> Shalom Jazz Fans,
>
> Here in Israel food is an important part of most events. Our customers 
> vary
> greatly between those who don't think about the band and could care less 
> if
> we eat or drink, to those who are so intent on feeding us that we have to
> fight them to let us play between courses! We also always try to befriend
> the servers and staff of the place while setting up, and often they will
> look out for us if, for instance, the buffet table is cleared before we 
> get
> a break.
>
> We don't usually have to argue about whether the band can eat. The 
> question
> is, when. Obviously the band cannot charge the buffet table while the 
> guests
> are lined up. We generally keep playing until all the guests are settled 
> at
> their tables with their food. I try to arrange a program or schedule with
> the host in advance of the gig. Remember, most private customers don't do
> this party planning thing often, if at all, and so I often find that my 
> help
> and suggestions are appreciated. I ask them if there will be any speeches 
> or
> other presentations by the hosts or guests, and when they plan to do this. 
> I
> let them know that toward the end of the meal time, and before dessert, is
> usually the best time to do this, as they will have the guests' attention,
> and it falls half way to 2/3 of the way through the party. I mention that
> this is a good time for the band to take a break (and I offer them the use
> of our battery powered amp and microphone if we will be using it), and 
> then
> I ask if the band is invited to the buffet table, or if they will be 
> served
> a meal. I try not to wait until the event to settle this question. If 
> there
> is any hesitation, I just tell people that we need to know if we should 
> eat
> before hand, or if we need to bring something to eat during our break
> (emphasizing that, yes, the band does need to break every hour or so).
>
> Al larger gigs where we have 4 or more players, we have experimented with
> rotating the breaks. For instance, keyboard and one horn play while the
> banjo and other horns eat. Then we switch. That has worked nicely. Keeps
> music going but with a change of pace, and the players on break don't need
> to rush to eat their meals.
>
> Over here in our desert climate, people know that we have to keep 
> drinking,
> and so they generally are pretty good about offering drinks to the band. 
> We
> usually don't do alcoholic drinks during the gig, except for maybe a beer 
> or
> glass of wine. My Russian guys may take a shot of vodka. Since they have
> never overindulged on one of my gigs, I don't police them.
>
> For any event, even a full blown wedding, I keep in mind that we are not
> there to eat, we are not getting paid to eat, and we are not guests. First
> priority is to earn our fee that we think we are worth, and ensure that
> people leave the event happy. That's what we're there for. As a horn 
> player,
> I don't like to stuff my face anyway in the middle of a gig, and then have
> to get back up and play 2 more hours. When we get fed during a gig, I eat
> light anyhow. Just need a little something to keep going on longer jobs.
>
> Above all, I keep reminding my players that our show runs from the moment 
> we
> arrive until the moment we leave. We don't stop being the band when we're 
> on
> break, or setting up or packing up. We keep the energy up, keep smiling,
> stay in uniform, etc. If guests want to talk to us, it's a good time to 
> make
> contacts for possible future gigs. At no time can we drop our guard and 
> turn
> into a bunch of hungry, tired dudes. Seems to me that's really an image we
> don't want to project.
>
> Elazar Brandt
> Dr. Jazz Dixieland Band
> Tekiya Trumpet Ensemble
> Jerusalem, Israel
> www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz
> +972-2-679-2537
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Scott Anthony [mailto:santh at pacbell.net]
>
>
> ... Sometimes, very rarely, the client would
> say it was ok to eat after the job and most of the guests had disappeared,
> but usually the buffet had been cleared by that time, so it was kind of an
> empty offer.
>
> ... I always insist on providing my guys with something to eat and
> non-alcoholic
> to drink if the job is more than 2 hours and includes a meal for the 
> guests
> (like weddings typically).
>
>
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