[Dixielandjazz] Elazar's Dilemma

Tue Sep 4 11:15:57 PDT 2007

> It's part of the business of being a leader. I have taken the tuba  player 
> off of my list, and have spread the word around that he is  unreliable.

It seems that young players especially are not aware of the word of mouth 
power and networking many of us do.  There is a young trombone player here 
that is quite good but he has stiffed so many leaders that he won't be able 
to buy a gig.  That very same guy a year ago actually begged and showed up 
for a gig free just for a chance to sit in and play Dixie.

Players should be rated like EBay sellers or consumer reports with stars or 
something.

Once on the unreliable list it's hard to get on the good list.  For whatever 
reason some guys never seem to get it.  That trombone player has missed 
about six or eight jobs from me alone.

The music business operates on a hand shake but if your hand shake is no 
good then what else do you have.  Personally if a gig gets put on my 
calendar it's firm no matter if something really big comes along.  There is 
one exception.  My cornet player and I often split off and do other gigs 
because we are both band leaders and book other things but he and I know 
that might happen and we both have suitable subs to call for most things.
Larry
StL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Richoux" <tubaman at tubatoast.com>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, September 03, 2007 7:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Elazar's Dilemma

> As a "regular" sideman in several Bay Area bands (and many times a 
> fill-in with other bands) over the last almost 30 years I have  noticed 
> two camps on the "substitute issue."  Some (rare) bandleaders  will let 
> their regular players get replacements, most prefer to do it  themselves. 
> It may be because there is a large pool of musicians to  choose from in 
> this area, but most of the calls I get are from the  bandleaders.
>
> I always try to be most available for the "main band" that I have  been in 
> since 1983, but if I DO make a commitment to  a fill-in (with  enough 
> lead-time) it is rarely an issue.
>
> Dave Richoux
> (by the way - if you are in the area - my "main band" is playing on 
> Sunday, September 9, 2007, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM, the Napa Valley 
> Dixieland Jazz Society at the Lodge, 2840 Soscol Avenue, in Napa. )
>
> On Sep 3, 2007, at 4:31 PM, Mike Woitowicz wrote:
>
>> Elazar:
>>
>> 1. First priority is to satisfy the customer. You did that. As a  band 
>> leader, you carry the negotiating responsibility -- not the  sideman.
>>
>> 2. Fire the sideman. He is responsible for bringing equipment that 
>> works, as well as his talent.
>>
>> I've had similar situations. A tuba player called me 1 week before  a 
>> Mardi Gras gig and said his regular band got a job ("I've played  with 
>> this band for 15 years and I have an obligation to be there"),  and he 
>> was cancelling his date with me. I had booked him about 6  weeks before 
>> the event and he cancelled a week out. Of course,  everyone else was 
>> working that week, so I had to bring in a  substitute from about 100 
>> miles away, at premium pay to cover  travel. I ate the cost and did the 
>> gig.
>>
>> I told him it was his responsibility to find an acceptable  substitute. 
>> He refused, and said he didn't want to get into a  pissing contest with 
>> me on the issue.
>>
>> It's part of the business of being a leader. I have taken the tuba 
>> player off of my list, and have spread the word around that he is 
>> unreliable.
>>
>>
>> Mike Woitowicz
>> The Banjo Barons Ragtime Band
>> The Dixie Barons Dixieland Band
>> www.banjomusic.biz
>>
>
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