[Dixielandjazz] Should "Live" bands use the same musicians DJD, Vol 119, Issue 15

Tue Nov 13 13:52:42 PST 2012

Forgive me for saying, and maybe I've misread the topic, but I find any
attitude that requires X from Y says to me Commercial Contract, which is
very very different from "This is a record (a document) of what these
amazing people left us in their brief life" it is an obligation, a
work-for-hire thing, even though they are not for hire, they are presenting
us with a gift of their gifts, pouring their labours and investments into
creating *something* and they set it out in hopes that others like their
gift and reciprocate, only, as Stan Getz pointed out, *that world* is
largely dead now, completely replaced by contracts and deals and
obligations and expectations ... an 'product'.  Frankly, it saddens me.

I so prefer a world where the artists are allowed to do art, not be factory
workers slaved to creating the expected artefacts; that job is more easily
outsourced to Korea these days.  If I wish to see Picasso paint, I would
not say, "Oh, and you simply *must* paint another *Don Juan* for us" -- I
would as an 'artistic' director, ask the respected artist to grace us with
their vision and skill, and trust them. If they really *are* an artist,
then I must trust that if I myself "don't get it" that I will, later.  It
took the world 100 years to 'get' Marcel Duchamp's *Mona Lisa* so yeah,
there's going to be risk involved, and I may even think I've lost when in
actual fact I was left with miles of concert tapes that will, 30 years
hence, be hot rarity and lucrative commodities.  That's just the way it
goes.  Except in business; when it's strictly business, the business minds
ensure everything is strictly predictable, everything meets projections.
 Deliverables, expectations, obligations, law suits.  Frankly, it saddens
me.

So let's say I was an artist, a respect artist, of some renown but, like
most, of little actual means.  And someone says we can make a record in
their shop, and who knows maybe it will sell, and, especially in the old
days and no so much these days, we may all get union scale for the gig, but
we get to commit to plastic a record, a document of what we do!  Our piece
of history, rage against the dying of the light!  So what do I do?  I call
up my friends, to see who's available, and I start with my favourites, and
I say, "It pays RECORDING scale, and only just that one day, and it would
be great to see you again so can you make it?" and the friend says, sure,
got some other things going, because bills have to be paid, can't tour with
it, but yeah, there's one who's in; and down the list it goes, and it's
looking like this *session* is going to be one for the record books (in our
world at least) something we're going to treasure for years *whether or not
the 'fans' like it* (or the press) And so the record gets cut, and the *
fanbois* are upset because it has electric bass, or it has a hot session
guitarist who was kind enough to work for the sort of money we had, or the
mix wasn't to their taste, and so it doesn't get the buzz, it doesn't get
airplay, it doesn't get shelfspace in the shops, we're left with a kitchen
stacked with boxes and boxes of what was, for that moment, all our hopes
and dreams, dead in the water even though, musically, artistically, we know
it is a great 'record' (document) of that session.

“As a young man, I harbored the populist idea of writing for the public. I
learned that the public didn’t care. So I decided to write for myself.
Since then, people have gotten interested.” (Elliot Carter)

On Tue, Nov 13, 2012 at 4:17 PM, Dixiejazzdata <dixiejazzdata at aol.com>wrote:

> Hi Jim:
>
>
> In my opinion for the most part yes,  however there are some events and
> gigs that certain players fit the requirements better than others that may
> be regulars and even better players on some repertoire.  And it is also
> difficult when a good group has several band leaders in it that book
> conflicting gigs and compete with each other for almost all gigs.
> Musicians can and often are even more fickle than the public and grow tired
> of playing the same repertoire all the time, and of course have fall outs
> with other players for various reasons as well causing themselves to quit
> or get fired :))
>
>
> Remember the old saying:  "Musicians spend 90% of their lives trying to
> get a gig, and the other ten % trying to get fired from it."    It's sounds
> funny but there is  indeed a lot of truth in it .
>
>
> The band lineup is almost always subject to the budget allowed for the
> band and in the case of The Sac. Jubilee, often how many other bands that
> top player may be performing with.   It is difficult to show up with
> exactly the same players for most Professional Working bands, because of
> the scarcity of good paying gigs in this genre to support high caliber
> bands year round.
>
>
> Many festivals still believe that more mediocre bands that will work for
> mediocre wages are better than hiring better known and higher caliber bands
> for more money even though they draw better and sell more tickets to wider
> audiences elsewhere.  Quantity over quality almost always prevails.   This
> also drives higher caliber bands away from the circuit as well because they
> can't make a living playing these kind of events.   Hence more and more
> Hobbyist bands.
>
>
> Cheers,
>
>
> Tom Wiggins
> Saint Gabriel's Celestial Brass Band
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim DeMont <jdemont at charter.net>
> To: B.B. Buffington <dixiejazzdata at aol.com>
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Tue, Nov 13, 2012 11:41 am
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Should "Live" bands use the same musicians
> DJD, Vol 119, Issue 15
>
>
> All:
>
> Re: Same musicians live & recordings? As a non-musician festival director,
> I
> suppose it's a truth in advertising issue.
>
> I have not seen it as much lately, but several years ago, bands would add
> ringers or extra people for the Sacramento Jubilee (name at the time). So
> when hiring them for a subsequent festival it was always necessary to ask
> and nail down who the band personnel will be.
>
> FWIW
>
> Jim DeMont
> Medford
>
> ***********************
>
> > Message: 1
> > Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2012 13:34:23 -0800
> > From: david richoux <domitype at gmail.com>
> > Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Should "Live" bands also use the same
> > musicians on their recordings?
>
> > A story from Germany raises the question:
> >
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2229749/Kastelruther-Spatzen-The-Milli-Vanilli-oompah-bands-didnt-perform-music-albums-just-like-Nineties-pop-duo.html
> >
> > I'm not clear from the article as to if the band members are also
> > "lip-synch playing" their instruments to a pre-recorded track during
> > "live"
> > performances or actually playing.
> >
> > Anyway - probably not the most important news in the world...
> >
> > Dave Richoux
> >
> > SNIP
> > ------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
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