[Dixielandjazz] Young OKOM Bands

[Stephen G Barbone]

Being an "older" musician who employs mostly older OKOMers, like many  
on the DJML, I sometimes get discouraged when looking for gigs. (even  
though I get a lot of them) It becomes easy to think something like:  
"Shoot, young folks just don't like this music any more, stupid idiots."

Then I met Drew Nugent, 23 years old, who leads an OKOM band, playing  
mostly Fats Waller songs. His band, except for me, or Dan Levinson, or  
Marty Grosz, who sometime play in the band as sidemen is all young  
players. He gets lots of gigs in places with young audiences who love  
the music that he presents.

Yesterday he booked 12 gigs for the rest of November and early  
December at an old speakeasy in Bethlehem PA. Pays pretty good too.  
Young audience there loves the music. He did a "trial" gig there last  
Saturday to great success. The joint is just like a 52nd Street club  
of the 1940s.

I'm going in for Dental Surgery and so I can't do the November gigs.  
And my December gig book is pretty full too.  Rats.

Finally figured it out. When you are 60+, (or 70+ in my case), you  
can't get work in the day job arena because you are "too old". The  
musical arena is no different. It is not that there is no young  
audience, it is that we are "too old" to be hired unless we find a way  
to capitalize on our ages. We are "too old" to even know where to look  
to find these "paying" young audience gigs. There is a huge young  
peoples club scene out there.

All I can say is, find a young band leader and become the "Old Pro"  
sideman in his band. IIt is lots of fun and pays well. Just ask Ed  
Polcer who busks with a young band in NYC 6 days a week. <grin>

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband