I'm getting very disillusioned with the so called "live" music scene. Some guys are not even playing anything anymore, just running backing tracks and singing while holding their hands over the start/stop button. A DJ could do that with CD's or, as most are use a laptop, so why are we all excited about the newest "Arranger" just to play mp3's? And why do we want a TOTL keyboard besides making ourselves happy. I think the manufactures are more aware of the scene than us. Notice all of Rolands new stuff has MP3 playback ability.
There are two guys here in North NJ, doing gigs with no real music. One guy who looks like Barry White stands onstage in a full length leather and a sax (which he rarely plays ) around his neck and sings to CD's some kid is running for him in the back round. A very good friend of mine doesn't even bring his keyboard anymore. He has everything on his IPOD and just sings. (He is a very good singer) As the night goes on he just DJ's and throws in a few "Live" vocal numbers here and there. Two 10" Pa speakers, Ipod and a Yamaha mixer. Now that's travelin light!
I'm still stuck on my G1000 and I strictly use modified styles for my live stuff. I DJ the stuff I can't play. IE: Cupid Shufffle, etc. I have thought of using tracks on the G1000 but why bother when I can just get Kareoke CD's?? Real playing is where its at for me.
I wish I could just sit at a good piano and sing and play but no more gigs like that !

Thanks for letting me rant, any thoughts from arranger land?

Being retired with a modest income has two main advantages; choosing your gig and choosing how often you want to play. I only play once a week and only at two clubs. One is strictly a jazz club while the other is a large, posh, club that has 'jazz night' once a week. Both clubs, like all the jazz clubs in Atlanta & suburbs (and there are many) feature live music exclusively, not even OMB's. The people that frequent these clubs are mostly middle and upper-middle class Northern transplants (mixed drinks are 7.50-10.00). A few are real jazz aficionados and come in to hear someone blow the house down. Almost all of these clubs are poor-paying and as with most jazz clubs, tips are almost non-existent. So why play them? For the music, what else. We play as an organ trio and make 400 or 500 a night depending on the club. We have 'guest' musicians sitting in for free (no shortage of some really good musicians) just for the exposure, the joy of playing, or the possibility of a free drink. Any vocals are done by 'guests' (we encourage the ones with a following ). It's almost like turning back the pages of time. Little has changed (including pay) in the last 40 or so years; we still play essentially the same tunes (80% standards) and nobody seems to care, especially if it's done well. Over the course of a year, we'll get two couples that get up and dance and they are usually an older couple out celebrating something (????being alive?).

There are some clubs, usually with dirty bathrooms, that will only pay 2-250.00, even if it were Herbie Hancock . They know that there is no shortage of musicians who will accept it. It's the main reason pay has remained so stagnant all these years.

These ramblings are of little interest in 'arranger land', but I (and probably a few others) am interested in the state of the 'club scene' in different parts of the country. BTW, clubs featuring blues (Southern style) and Country, do very well in these parts. Don't see too many pure Rock clubs (under 40 crowd) but then I've never sought them out either, so there may be more than I know about. There are also probably lots of clubs featuring Hip-hop in downtown Atlanta but since I never go down there, I don't know about those either. I don't hang out at the music stores as much as I used to (starting to feel uncomfortable around all the young rockers - even though I'm usually the only one in there with any real money to spend ), and that's where you get the best feel for what's going on in the local scene.

chas

Chas, the situation here is very similar. No-one in the club scene even advertises jazz.

There is a "snob" market. People in the horse industry and those affiliated with the University and several expensive private colleges have convinced themselves that "sophisticated people" like jazz.

Lots of my jobs are private parties where these "posers" react very enthusiastically about hard-line jazz performances.

I'm happy to get the work, because, as Chas says, the music is everything. So is playing with other musicians of similar commitment.

Clubs pay about what they paid in 1970, without adjusting for inflation.

As far as arranger keyboards go, I simply use
one when I absolutely have to, and usually only use drums and bass. My old MS-60's do fine, and I've had them for 14 years.

I use no Mp-3's or sequences of any kind. Laptops are a "no-no", so my expectations about what to include on new arrangers are not worth mentioning.

I just want to play!


Russ

In the economically and culturally depressed Detroit area, there is little work for trios and such. Jazz still has its pockets, but I'm not really a jazz player. The live music scene is made up of mostly 6-9 piece cover bands making a buck or so each for a 4-hr night.

I make a buck for an hour gig and I don't have to put up with any of the BS I put up with for years on the one-nighter train. I love what I'm doing and the audience seems to love me back. I have exchanged one type of playing for another, but the main goal is still the same - play the music.

Fortunately, here in "lil rhody", there are a few places that feature jazz - with some damn good players, too - each Thursday the only 'statewide' newspaper has listings of 'who is playing where' for the weekend and they list it by musical genre - jazz, pop, rock, country, etc. ... there are usually about 4 to 6 listings for jazz each night of the weekend - Thursday through Sunday - ... One RI native who has recently moved back to RI and is playing locally is Mike Renzi, who has backed up numerous jazz vocalists including Mel Torme: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Renzi

Going back to the 'karaoke' thing, NYE we went to a local restaurant that featured two guys - one did Sinatra, the other did Dean Martin - both sang to music on their LAPTOPS !!! ...

t.

I started playing the retirement community circuit several years ago and I'm here to tell you it's great. You play live music for people who really appreciate you rather than drunks in a bar watching sports. I make good money and I work as much as I can fit into my schedule, around 260 jobs per year. I hope to continue doing this for at least another 10 years.

Joe

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Songman55
Joe Ayala