Donny ... too bad you weren't up to coming to this one ... you 'wouldahaddaball' ... and Gary's Onion and Garlic Marmalade! ... 'nuff said ...

Tony......let us know what dates your thinking of....asap

For me, attending a spring Jam in NE will depend on a couple things, the least of which is when Carol and I decide to come home from the Florida Keys, where I intend to spend next winter, and my insane schedule. I'm only going to be here six months next year, probably from April till the end of September, work my a$$ off to accumulate as much money as possible, then set sail on the boat for the Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas, and possibly the Bahamas. The trip should last about 7 months if I manage to survive it. Yeah, I'm taking my music gear and playing gigs everywhere I go. Gotta keep busy.

Cheers,

Gary

Thanks for sharing pics. Sounds like you had a great time, with a very generous host

Tony,

As long as the jam is sometime after April 30th I'm in.

I loved listening to all the videos and songs at the jam...but in my mind I said why hasn't anyone played something up to date?....Then it hit me, thinking back on some of the discussions we always have on why arrangers and styles are so out dated and even if they were more modern there's no comparison to create today's music that younger people want to hear, if there is I want to hear it......and how can an arranger fit in with the younger crowds today vs the competition of Wedding DJ's who pump the dance floor every night,and bands etc,. In today's world of the pro working musician, entertainer, etc,. I've fine tuned my act in the past few years pretty much & only use arranger KB's for NH gigs and such playing all live styles, vocals etc,..,.......all other big jobs I DJ and Sing with custom backing tracks which gives me a bit of an edge vs non singing djs,.. that I create and mix that with MP3's of today's music,.... the solo arranger KB and let's be honest can't hold a candle doing 4 hour high energy weddings, dances, gigs etc, where people dance all night, light show, large screen tvs,. ..all I'm saying is times are changing real fast out there,.......if you wanna be in the game you gotta make changes now,....these are just my observations....go to your next Big family Wedding & watch the dance floor when a good DJ performs and the crowd is pumpin' stuff like "Blurred Lines",
"Shots", "Cupid Shuffle", Avicii, David Guetta, etc,..
and say to yourself honestly,...."Could I do this same gig by myself only with my Arranger KB" ?
I'm sure the answer will be NO,..
Again times are really changing FAST. Do we remain grey hair grandpas, old looking men trying to fit in with the hip young set gigs?...I hope so for the next 10-15 years or so,... or just sink into nursing homeism jobs for good,.......then sadly it will be time to turn the baton over to the younger set and sit back and dream of what once was,
& the "good old days" as we drift into Dinosaurism,.......
it's sad..


Ps, when it comes to throwing a jam no one I mean no one can top Gary Diamond.......

I loved seeing all the videos- hopefully more are posted-Anyone have AJ's full performance? Even though I couldn't go, I'd like to thank Gary for hosting the event. It's really rare that you can hang out, face to face with other arranger players. What a great opportunity!

I see what you're saying Donny, but if someone is having an event and they want the latest dance music probably a DJ would be the way to go, or a full band that has several singers, but that's going to cost some serious $$$.

I find your way of mixing up the OMB/Track singing/DJ quite interesting... I would love to pick your brain sometime!

Donny ... you are talking about apples and oranges ... the reason we performed the songs we did is that we were playing for OURSELVES, and we played the music we like to play and hear ... we were not performing for a bunch of young people at a wedding or dance club...
also,I applaud you for doing what you are doing but I don't know how many of us are - or want to be - DJing weddings at this point in our careers and lives - remember, you are younger than a lot of us - BUT, if you want to be DJing weddings for the next 10 - 15 years, I suggest you get out the Grecian Formula ...
I will say this, if there is going to be an AKB that a young person will be able to use to play for young people, it will be AJ's Audya ... I think they are making great strides in styles, drums, voices, etc. ...if I were 20 years younger, that's the board I would have ... of course, if I were 20 years younger, I could also carry the 100lb speaker he played it through ...


Sad, yes, but THAT is LIFE my friend ...

Too bad you missed the jam ...

Oh, and thanks for putting the extra pressure on me and Lydia if we host the next one ...

Personally, I am glad I retired and left the gigging scene. Over the past several years, there were signs that it was time to move on.

It's not only the arranger player/singer that is being phased out due to the change in music, audience and venues...it's singles (guitar/singer/smf player) and duos (2 guitars/singers/smf player) that are also a dwindling presence on the stages in clubs.

Solo singers singing over mp3's and smf can't provide enough vocal variety for today's demanding (and younger) audiences.

DJ's will soon be the sole solo acts in bars.

Nowadays, I play and record for personal satisfaction only, although I do make CD's for friends and still enjoy making custom styles for other Tyros4 users. At 65 I'm glad to be out of the loop, which was becoming smaller and being replaced by new loops of performers.

Looking back, I had a great run, both as a keyboard player in various groups as well as a solo arranger player, so I have no regrets.

I agree with Donny...the audiences for solo arranger keyboard performers are being reduced drastically...even the players in their 50's feel the difference.

I doubt if the arranger keyboard itself will die away soon, but its use in stage performances certainly appears to be less than before, and its use for hobbyists and home player/song writer/composer will increase (as it will for their cousins, the Workstations).

Change is, and was, inevitable.

Ian