[Dixielandjazz] Sound-Man Stuff

[Phil Crumley]

In the 28 years of doing festivals and clubs with Natural Gas Jazz Band,
two sound-man experiences stand out.  The first was at one of the early
Santa Rosa Jazz Fests in Railroad square, probably 25 years ago..  We were
playing in a small, packed venue with about 120 fans present plus a rock &
roll guy on the sound board in the middle of the room. After repeated
requests for him to turn the sound down, which he ignored, our sopsax
player, Bob Murphy, deliberately walked around the stage and unplugged
every single microphone -to the great delight of the audience - and we
finished the set that way. 

We had a wonderful sound experience three weeks ago during a concert at the
City Square of Copenhagen, in front of the city hall, as part of our two
week Scandinavian tour.  Since there was no piano available, a sound man
had been hired to provide amplification for a keyboard and the rest of the
band.  I have never had a more enjoyable performance in an outside venue
because the sound guy had the monitors just right and was constantly asking
if we wanted more of this or that.  He consistently checked the sound out
in front of the band and those folks in our tour group said the balance was
superb.

At the conclusion of the concert, I gave the guy the equivalent of $20
-first time in my life I EVER GAVE A TIP TO A SOUND MAN. 

Fotos and tour stuff can be seen on our website:   www.ngjb.com

Is this a great list, or what?

Phil Crumley