[Dixielandjazz] Unhappy Mjsicians

[Stephen G Barbone]

On May 23, 2011, at 3:00 PM, dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com  
wrote:

> Nancy Giffin <nancyink1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Greetings,
>
> I am beginning to lose patience.
>
> It is a shame that certain musicians who are unhappy about who gets
> hired and who doesn't (for lack of understanding the big picture of a
> festival) feel the need to badmouth the festival and trash-talk it to
> so many people who would otherwise greatly enjoy the entire event.
> There has been mail coming in from people who have spoken to a Bay
> Area musician who claims Sacramento didn't hire any Bay Area
> musicians, therefore people from the Bay Area should not attend.
>
> First of all, it's important to note that it was not possible to hire
> Bob Schulz' Frisco JB or Golden Gate Rhythm Machine because Bob Schulz
> is a solo Guest Artist this year. Also, some of the musicians in those
> bands are playing with another band. Jim Maihack and Ray Templin are
> with the St. Louis Rivermen.? Hal Smith has his own band (Hal Smith's
> Int'l Sextet) and Kim Cusack is playing with him.? Ray Skjelbred was
> originally supposed to be with the Ale Stars, but that later fell
> through.? Jim Rothermel, God rest his soul, was not well.? The
> schedulers cannot work a complex schedule of 420 sets to accommodate
> all the scattered musicians that play in different bands. There are
> some exceptions, and always with good reason.
>
> 2011 bands and musicians from the Bay Area that will be in Sac.:
>
> Natural Gas Jazz Band
> Royal Society Jazz Orchestra
> Big Mama Sue Quartet (Santa Cruz)
> Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums
> Stompy Jones
> The California Honeydrops
> Tom Rigney & Flambeau
> Gator Beat (Sonoma)
> The Delta Wires
>
> There was no devious intent to omit Bay Area bands, and for one of the
> disgruntled musicians to turn people away from the Sac. Jazz Festival
> & Jubilee does not serve jazz nor the fans, only the individual.
>
> As previously stated, we're in a recession. Smaller budget means
> smaller festival and fewer spots to fill, so fewer bands. There can be
> no NEW music, which fans scream for above all else, without rotating
> out some other bands.? Just the facts.
>
> It's a small community, and one might be wise to remember this before
> they spread misinformation in order to unfairly sabotoge one of the
> only festivals that hires a large amount of OKOM, even if it's in
> addition to a lot of other music (76 bands).
>
> As they say nowadays on Internet lists, "Don't let the haters and the
> trolls get to you."
>
> I'm very busy and have to get back to working for the festival now.

Dear Nancy:

Keep smiling and let the detractors stomp their feet like  
Rumpelstiltskin.

They should be happy they were there when times were good. There must  
be plenty of other gigs for them besides Sacto, no? Besides, who wants  
to see the same guys in several partly different bands? Get some new  
blood.

Have a great Jubilee in these tough (for some) times.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband