[Dixielandjazz] sit-ins, young folks

[Jim Kashishian]

There's been talk here about bands not letting young people sit in, etc.  I
feel strongly about a few strict rules of etiquette involved in sitting in.
And, they are just common sense, polite rules.
 
We don't actually see that many sit in requests, but I tend to take note as
to whether the person is travelling light.  That is, if he has a horn & is
on his own more or less, he'll have more of a chance of getting a yes from
me.  However, the musician who comes in with a gang of friends is usually
more bent on impressing his friends than enjoying some good jazz.  With
these types, we tend to get less conversation before/after the moment
(during the break), and usually little or no thanks after.
 
Two examples:  a trombonist dropped in with his horn.  He chatted with me on
the break, then I said "why don't you join us for a tune?"  He didn't ask.
He never mentioned he was in Madrid with Bruce Springsteen until the end,
and he had no one along with him as showing off wasn't his goal.  He had a
ball playing what he felt, rather than the rehearsed note-by-note riffs
required on his pay gig (that's what he told me!).
 
The other side of the coin was a sax player I knew who I spotted on the
street on the way to a gig.  "Oh, are you coming along for a blow?", I
asked.  He answered "no", and the reason he gave was that he had no friends
along to hear him!  
 
p.s. Our substitute for our 75 yr old trumpeter is 26.
 
Jim