[Dixielandjazz] Ban on Musicians

[John McClernan]

Hi Pat,
I wanted to take a band to England in 1984. I had made some contacts  
while I was there in 1983 and I calculated we would have at the very  
least enough performances in various shires to cover our travel and  
lodging expenses, except for tourist-type travel on our own. Another  
band member had a contact in Coventry and another at Ronnie Scott's.  
So that would have also helped our finances. Well, we tried every  
avenue we could to get a work permit, but the union would not allow  
it unless we could guarantee in writing an equal number of gigs in  
the states for a UK band, AND we had to find a UK band that would  
agree to do it.

Bottom line? We went any way, played all the gigs except anything in  
or near London (no Ronnie Scott's of course) and didn't tell the  
union. At immigration we said the instruments were for family parties  
around the kitchen table. Most everyone came on a separate flight, on  
separate days (not by design), so they didn't see a band arrive  
together. We had a great time, many memorable moments and were very  
well received. Would like to go back and do it again sometime, but  
all my (our) contacts are gone. Wouldn't know where to start to plan  
another tour like that.

I did go over last summer with my family, but that was for a tour of  
Scotland and to see the Fringe Festival and the Military Tattoo in  
Edinburgh. A good OKOM band could make a decent killing at the  
Festival, playing on the street. Some of the entertainment I saw was  
good, others were quite lame. Too many mimes, too many people  
pretending to be statues, etc. A boy of about 13 or 14 years old was  
playing trumpet, by himself, and reading out of a book on a music  
stand. He didn't play well and didn't read well, but his bucket was  
filling up with coins and bills, as we watched in amazement. I asked  
for a request - Hello Dolly. He looked in the index of the book and  
then shook his head and said he didn't know it.

Cheers,
John
-------
"Never look at the trombones.
It only encourages them."
    ~ Richard Strauss



On Apr 27, 2008, at 12:12 PM, pj.ladd wrote:

The ban was indeed an idiocy of the Musicians' Union,>>

Presumably this was the same sort of reasoning which allowed us to  
have visiting band leaders but not their bands.  Although this no  
doubt did provide employment for British musicians it meant that we  
didnt hear the great sidesmen which were often as much a feature of  
the big bands as the leader.

I remember also being unable to place an order for `Downbeat` unless  
I could prove I was a professional musician. Presumably to preserve   
the UK`s extremely limited foreign trading reserves.

Cheers

Pat

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