[Dixielandjazz] Another Stake In The Heart of ProfessionalMusicians

Sat Apr 19 17:11:33 PDT 2008

First of all let me say I would rather play with live musicians than a
computer but having said that there have been times when I have wished for
my computer to magically appear on the stand because some dunce wasn't doing
his job or more usually wasn't versatile enough to do a wide  enough variety
of tunes.

The piano player for as long as I have been alive has enjoyed an almost un
broken reign as the king of the band.  Without a good piano man the band
would suck.  The demands made by many of them have caused a lot of heart 
burn to me
personally over the years.  It ranges from simply walking out in the middle 
of the
job to demanding far more money than the gig even paid for the band.  It
also includes such tricks as taking another gig a day or two out and calling
at the last minute to simply not showing up.

Over the years piano player antics have cost me a lot, if not always in
money, in good will.

I have to confess to a certain amount of pleasure now that technology is
catching up to even the kings of the music business.  What completely amazes
me is that many are ignoring it.  Most are completely resentful but not a 
one ever felt sorry that a trumpet player or sax player might not be working 
or care very much for what a leader might have to go through.

One of the best piano players I know is using BIAB in his act.  I am really 
curious as to what he's doing with it.  He's not only a great piano man but 
is smart too.  I think more piano men should have a digital plan "B" out 
there if I were them.  He's the only one that I know of is using a computer 
and playing too.

The band I have played with for almost 10 years is now for the most part
defunct.  Why?  The piano man has decided to take a gig in a piano bar.
This will happen as long as they can find better pay as a single

I respect and want to work with guys that are good players but I also want
them to at least be loyal to the gig that they have accepted.

Personally I find rhythm section guys to be a very mixed lot and the biggest
problem is having a strong section because one poor player in the rhythm
section can wreck a band.

I went to a medical center this afternoon and they had one of the player
grand pianos just setting there and plunking away.  They seem to be popular 
in medical buildings.
Besides being a great tax deduction it's cheaper in the long run to buy the 
piano rather than the
piano and then hiring someone to play it.  I will have to say that whoever 
made the midi file (or whatever) wasn't the best piano player I had ever 
heard.  They might not have to pay for the use of the recordings either.
Larry
STL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <BillSargentDrums at aol.com>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2008 8:21 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Another Stake In The Heart of
ProfessionalMusicians

> Payback is sweet.
>
> This is just payback for all those keyboard (piano) players who have put
> so
> many other instrumentalists out of work over the years. (Think drum
> machines,
> bass players, string players, etc.)
>
> The wheels of justice sometimes turn real slow, but thankfully they still
> turn.
>
> :-)
>
> Bill
> 414-777-0100
> BillSargentBands.com
>
> Just released:  "The Best Of Bill Sargent Bands - Volume 1"
>
> Available at:  http://billsargentbands.com/recordings.htm
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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