[Dixielandjazz] Playing for free?

[Ministry of Jazz]

Shalom Jazz Fans,

As many of you realize, I have an odd situation over here in Israel. My band
has too many occasions to play for rocket attacks, suicide bombings, rock
throwing parties, and other such events where the victims appreciate some
morale building after, or in some cases, between, the attacks. We've also
done some entertaining for people in shelters during last summer's war with
Hizbullah in Lebanon. I don't think many listmates would argue with us for
doing gigs like this for free when the need and opportunity present
themselves. However, we have found an approach even to this kind of "gig"
that can be win-win for everyone concerned. We have found a number of people
or organizations who are willing to sponsor these "mitzvah" gigs, as we call
them. Sponsors have donated $500 or $500 Euro on a number of occasions to
cover us for such outings. For this money I have been able to bring myself
and 2 other professional quality musicians, a clown or juggler, and a
photographer. The donation covers gas, lunch and drinks for everyone, and
reasonable pay. The target (you should pardon the expression!) audience gets
various kinds of shows, depending on the circumstances. The entertainers
spend much of the donated money buying groceries or other items from local
merchants, helping out the struggling businesses in a small way. We buy gas
at a local gas station. And we eat in local restaurants. We tell everyone
along the way that our appearance is paid for by people abroad who care
about them enough to send such a gift. So these sponsored gigs get a lot of
bang (you should pardon the expression) for the buck. The sponsor gets a
written account of the gig with pictures and video, and we try to arrange
for a personal letter of appreciation from the recipient town or
organization. So there can be ways to do a good thing with our music without
doing it entirely for free.

Regarding the general question of gigging for free or cheap, seems to me
there are all kinds of gigs and all kinds of bands. A band such as Steve
Barbone's made up of professional working musicians ought to get
professional pay and command serious gigs. I agree with Steve that hobby
bands or amateurs or beginning bands ought not to undercut the pros by
seeking to book corporate or municipal gigs or the Red Sea Jazz Festival for
a fraction of the value of the gig. Wiggins and Co. had over 3,000 customers
paying about $50 a head at each of those shows. I was there. They were worth
every penny the Festival paid for their performances. Should I have called
the organizers and offered Doctor Jazz for $200 per player plus expenses and
travel from Jerusalem? Good terms for us, and great "exposure", but highly
unprofessional and unethical, no? The gig was worth much much more than
that, and though it might have been good for us, it would have hurt the
audience and any professional bands out there who have the stature for that
kind of gig. We're not there yet. Oh yes, we'd have entertained the
audience, but we lack the power of Wiggins' crew.

On the other hand, while I am trying to make a living at this, some of my
players are young grad students just starting their families and careers,
and just beginning to reach the threshold of professional quality in their
playing. Most of our gigs are private parties, for which we get quite
reasonable pay by Israeli standards, but hardly big bucks. We get the
occasional wedding, or corporate or university or municipal gig that pays
more, and we charge more for those (they're also more work and more
pressure). We have learned the hard way not to undersell ourselves, and we
don't do that anymore. But we're not  above working with customers to make a
gig work for them as well as for us. It's a different world here. There are
lots of struggling people who would also like to have nice weddings and bar
mitzvahs, and we are willing to try to accommodate them if we can at all
reach reasonable terms. Sometimes it means playing with fewer performers.
That also works.

Judy Garland has a line in the film biography of Jerome Kern ("Til Clouds
Roll By") that I think says it all. After she runs away from New York on an
ego trip, Kern finds Garland's character singing and dancing in a modest
club in Memphis. She tells him, "I'm making $50 a week because the owner
thinks I'm worth $50 a week; when I'm worth more, I'll make more."  We need
to know not only how much we can charge, but how much our performance is
worth.

Well, as usual, my 2 shekels' worth.

Elazar
Doctor Jazz Dixieland Band
Tekiya Brass Ensemble
Jerusalem, Israel
www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz
+972-2-679-2537