[Dixielandjazz] Busking was Where are the young people?

[Larry Walton Entertainment]

I worked at School for the Blind and when I first started there were some 
Mafia like people that "helped" the blind beggars.  They set them up with 
locations like in front of a bank and then for a cut of the money would give 
them exclusive right to the corner.  I remember the parents of two of my 
students getting in a fight over a bank corner.  That was about 1965.  The 
anti busking/beggar laws stopped it.

There are similar people in New Orleans that get the little kids to tap 
dance for the crowds then the kids have to split with their "agent".  I have 
seen this so I know it happens.  I saw one of these guys almost strangle a 
little kid for his money.  I had seen the same guy about five or six years 
before tap dancing for the crowds.  I knew it was him because he had a very 
distinct look - almost deformed and he spoke Creole French.  That's the down 
side of busking and working the streets.

I heard that in New Orleans this happened all the time to the street 
performers.  Someone was always there for their cut.  I don't know how true 
generally that is but in the case of the kid tap dancers it is absolutely 
true - I saw it.

Nice to hear from you again Elazar.
Larry
St.L
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Misrad HaJazz" <jazzmin at actcom.net.il>
To: "Larry Walton Entertainment" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "1-DIXIELAND JAZZ POST" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 2:39 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Where are the young people?


> Shalom Larry,
>
> Yes, that's most unfortunate when cities ban street performers. They throw 
> out the baby with the bathwater. I used to busk in Santa Monica, CA, on 
> their pedestrian mall. There were lots of performers, and it was sometimes 
> hard to find a spot between the others without stepping on one another. It 
> lent a festive atmosphere to the place that was part of its charm and 
> attraction. But of course some of the merchants complained and pulled some 
> strings with the city. They held hearings about licensing the performers. 
> I went to one, and you could see it was a done deal ... they give you a 
> "fair" hearing, and then they do what they were already going to do 
> anyway. In the end, the license restrictions were so narrow that most of 
> us wouldn't qualify, even if we were willing to pay the annual fee 
> (there's always an annual fee when the government gets involved, isn't 
> there). So they killed it. Last time I was back you had only semi-pro 
> over-amplified bands with tons of equipment, giving more of a rock concert 
> feel than street performing.
>
> I saw on our municipal website only lasts week that Jerusalem is looking 
> to "register" street performers. They don't say what that means yet, but 
> since I've been playing out there for 15 years, I "own" part of the 
> street, so I figured I'd better register and see what happens. They know 
> me, and my band is regularly hired by the city now, but paid gigs on the 
> street are not "street performing". They talk about auditions and 
> assigning places and times. That would kill it for me, because I have a 
> life and cannot commit to particular times for busking. They don't say 
> whether non-registered performers would be prohibited, or maybe they only 
> intend to give preference to the registered ones.
>
> I routinely bring my students out to the street to give them a chance to 
> learn to perform for an audience without scaring the pants off them by 
> putting them on a stage. The music made by the students is rough and not 
> professional level, but it is also part of the charm of busking. Other 
> musicians and students do it to practice, and/or to put a little change in 
> their pockets. We put a hat out because the hat is a gauge of how well 
> we're playing, or at least of how well we're entertaining. When people 
> start asking us how much we charge to play for a party, we figure we're 
> reaching the threshold of becoming musicians.
>
> By the way, here it is illegal for tourists and foreign students to work, 
> which includes busking. They can lose their visas. But it is rarely 
> enforced unless there is some other complaint that triggers it. Some of 
> the passers through are quite talented, and bring a nice variety to the 
> scene.
>
> Of course, we have our beggars here too. Jerusalem is known for it, and 
> because of Judaism's emphasis on charity, it is almost encouraged. No 
> doubt people see the money in our hats and try to get in on the action, so 
> we see some beggars who can't play trying to act like they're busking. 
> There used to be one old guy who sat sleeping in a chair on the street all 
> day, holding a mandolin with no strings. Anyway, in Jerusalem, the begging 
> is not considered a problem. But one can understand that it can be a 
> problem in other cultures where it is less acceptable. One can only hope 
> that the powers that be could tell the difference between legitimate 
> performers and panhandlers or con artists. One could also wish they'd make 
> as much effort to get rid of pickpockets as they do musicians!
>
> Blessings,
>
> Elazar
>
> Elazar Brandt
> Doctor Jazz Dixieland Band
> Jerusalem, Israel
> www.doctorjazz.co.il
> (02) 679-2537
> (050) 723-3914
>
>
> On 10/23/2011 7:23 AM, Larry Walton Entertainment wrote:
>> I have no doubt that you draw great crowds but I think there is a 
>> fundamental difference in people there and here.  Today the band was 
>> excellent but the reaction of the young people was HO HUM.
>>
>> When I was in Frankfort Germany there were two guys dressed up as Indians 
>> with full head dress and costume.  They drew large crowds.  Their music 
>> was good and they were fun to watch.  Near them there was a black guy 
>> from who knows where.  He was dressed in African type cloths and had a 
>> bunch of drums that the crowd was gleefully playing.  The crowd was 
>> having a great time banging on those drums.   Both of the street 
>> performers were selling CD's and getting tips.
>>
>> Those same guys doing the same things here in St. Louis would be 
>> arrested. There are anti busking laws here.  Doing what you do there 
>> would also get you arrested.  The only way you can perform as you 
>> describe is with permission of a business who may have hired you or if 
>> it's a festival of some kind but then they don't usually allow bands or 
>> performers to open a case for tips like they do in New Orleans and other 
>> places.
>>
>> Years ago St. Louis had a real problem with gangs of Gypsies, pan 
>> handlers, beggars, blind people and with other handicaps begging on the 
>> streets.  Some had instruments and played.  That's why they passed the 
>> anti busking laws. I only know of one municipality that tolerates street 
>> musicians but again it's more or less with permission of the merchants. 
>> There are more than 155 municipalities in St. Louis county none of which 
>> particularly want musicians or others hanging around uninvited.
>>
>> I think that's unfortunate that the cities have taken such a stand but 
>> St. Louis is an odd entertainment city.
>>
>> Another thing is that young people here are saturated with music and 
>> entertainment.  You would think that the novelty of people playing real 
>> instruments would draw a crowd.
>>
>> I think it's wonderful to draw crowds of young people I just think it's 
>> more difficult here.  They do watch at street fests when they happen but 
>> at those there is so many other things happening that it's fleeting. I 
>> could see that if there were no other attractions around, the young 
>> people would have been more attentive.
>>
>> I still maintain that young people here will not pay for OKOM on any 
>> meaningful scale and only pay cursory attention to bands playing OKOM. 
>> It's still the 50+ people who support bands and OKOM.  The mayor of the 
>> city we played for today was about 60-65 years old.  He's the one who 
>> hired us.  It may be true that the audience is aging out and we need to 
>> do something but I'm aging out too along with everyone that played today. 
>> The leader is 80 and I'm not so young either.
>>
>> Even so I think it's worth trying and some young adults do enjoy OKOM.  I 
>> have noticed that they do like to bring their kids up to see the 
>> instruments.
>> Larry
>> St.L
>