[Dixielandjazz] Dixieland Bands working

[Dixiejazzdata]

in  a sincere reply: polite snip from Bob Ringwal'd's earlier post.





"While I don’t wish to get DJML once again involved in a discussion of how the 
Sacramento Music Festival is operated, let me say that, if there is a viable 
market for Trad Jazz anywhere in the country, why isn’t there even one band 
working steady 5 or 6 nights a week in a club, like there used to be in the 
“Good ol’ days?” It is not happening and it will never happen again. Times have 
changed, they always change and there is not a damn thing Charlie, me, or any of us can do about it. " 



























I could be wrong but I believe that:  There are at least TWo such Bands. 





Jim Cullum is working 6 nights a week in San Antonio, and bassist Ed Wise now with a N.O. Jazz Band is working 6 nights a week in New orleans.


















There could be a lot more working  5 or 6 nights a week too if they would go out and invest a bit into marketing themselves and or even opening their own Clubs 
and promoting themselves  but that might be considered not artistic by some Once again you have to go take the music to the places the younger people are going and build yourself and band a following
of your own.  Any Band good enough should be able to do that.  Bands would fare much better getting themselves established in a high traffic area or people who do go out for dinner and drinks,  Not everybody goes out drinking every night any more or even out to dinner every night.  Once again I say get out where the people are and play even for free a few times to build up a following for your band.   Shameless Promotion will do the trick to drag them in, and if you are good and they are entertained they will come back again, keep moving and get more and more people.   Taking the defeatist attitude will get you right where many bands are, playing with themselves at home.


Some bands gave up the club business because there is no future in it or is it profitable any longer because of the change in drinking habits and family structures, that prevent younger families who have to contend with
kids and school activities, and such and simply cannot go out and party every night any longer.


Heck if a Jazz Society anywhere  struggles to get enough people to a once a month event to try and stay in business, that alone should tell you that the market to which you are playing needs to be expanded and you need more members and guests to come to the events  the older generation has simply changed their life priorities except for that hardcore group of local friends of the bands who make up about 50% of their audiences.   In my opinion many Jazz Societies have simply retreated and become incestuous and are only attempting to preserve this music for them and their immediate ever diminishing circle of friends and followers.


There are some band leaders on this list around the world that have subscribed to the theory that if and when one Door ( club closes, another one will open)  they are always working.
Treat the Music Business and your band Like a Business and it will treat you like one.


And upon further investigation over the years, I have discovered that a good number of so called Jazz Societies in the USA anyway are just really the friends and followers of a musician and band leader in their local area
using it to insure their own employment for their once or twice a month or year hobby performances.


I and others who left this list have said that repeatedly over the past 6-8 years, but it's like preaching to the choir, who is often asleep and not paying any attention anyway, not to mention they don't put much money into the love offering bucket either.








Old Bart   AKA  Rev. Tom Bob