[Dixielandjazz] "Looks" - was Female Bands and Male Chauvinism

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Jul 16, 2011, at 5:50 AM, dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com  
wrote:

>  JBruno868 at aol.com wrote (polite snip)
>
>  The
> only  problem some of them had was in their looks as most commercial
> woman's bands had  to not only be talented but look the parts. Shame  
> it isn't the
> same with some of  the male musicians we have today. How would you  
> like to
> be judged not  on how well you played, but what you looked like  
> before anyone
> would  hire you?

Dear Judie:

We old guys seeking work are judged by bookers every day, not on how  
well we play, but what we look like before they will hire us.

Barbone Street JB runs up against the "looks" issue all the time. Some  
bookers, most notably those in nightclubs and Atlantic City Casinos  
tell me they will hire us if I use younger musicians. They object to  
Ace Tesone on bass who at 81 is our #1 call and a @#$&$#@# LEGEND.  Or  
they will insist a bald player, get a hairpiece. And in the not too  
distance past, I had one booker ask me to use all white musicians for  
a country club gig. And this year I had a booker ask me to use at  
least 4 black musicians for a park gig.

My answer is always the same, that:  On gigs, I use the best musicians  
that are available to me at the time. Right now our first call band  
includes 3 men over 74 including one man over 80, one in his 50s,  
another in his 60s and a 32 year old woman. Two blacks and four whites  
(This varies with availability and vacations, the mix going from all  
white to 5 blacks and 1 white. Now I can supply any kind of "Barbone  
Street Jazz Band", based upon looks, that a booker requests, but I  
will be damned if I accept a gig request based upon looks.

Sad but true that working bands are judged on "looks" all the time. My  
philosophy is always the same. That what you see is what you get. If  
you don't like the way we look, don't hire us.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband