[Dixielandjazz] Big Business & Talent

[Stephen G Barbone]

Allan Brown wrote:

 >Great Quote . . .  about the below:
> "Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will  
> not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.  
> Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education  
> will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and  
> determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved  
> and always will solve the problems of the human race."
> -- Calvin Coolidge

I guess as Sinatra said, "That's Life". Here is what happened to Artie  
Shaw (who felt that; " a musician's only real job was to make  
interesting and original music" and that the advance  men should sell  
it to the public. He had explained this to a ballroom manager while  
lauding the great talent of the band, their unique sound, and how much  
better than other bands they were. Said the manager:

"You listen to me. My problem is to get the dough to pay you and your  
goddam band and all the rest of the expenses I got to pay to run this  
joint. Your problem is to get people in here. And if you want to take  
your pants down on that goddam bandstand every night and take a crap  
up there, and if people will pay to come in here and see you do it,  
I'll pay you to take a crap up there every night. That's how much I  
give a good goddam about what kind of music you're playing, you hear  
me?"

"Music Business" has two words of equal importance. (IMO)

I think musicians need to realize the difference between what they are  
trying to do as artists, and what the audiences perceives they are  
doing. Musicians may think of their talent and the value of their  
music as "art", while the audience thinks of what the musicians  are  
doing as "entertainment".  The secret of success musically, IMO, is to  
balance them in performance.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband