THE CLUB SCENE – THEN AND NOW

I used to sneak into jazz clubs when I was underage…not to drink, but to check out the drummers and the music. I was constantly amazed at how the musicians were of different ethnicities and varied ages. They ranged in age from late teens to sometimes their 70’s, or even 80’s! Whether it was big bands or small groups, the age mixture made for great music!! If you were lucky enough to sit close to them, they would gladly talk to you and answer any questions you had…and even encourage you. When I was old enough I jumped into the mix. I was drumming with some of the people I used to watch. Then when I converted to Rock and Rhythm and Blues, I thought that would never happen again…but I was wrong. It happened in not only New York, but Chicago, Boston, Toronto, New Orleans…Wherever great music was being played. When I played in New York clubs, we would do our regular sets and when things would slow down at the end of the night, musicians would meander in and bring their axes on stage and join in the fun. The famous, the not so famous, the young, the not so young…Jazz players, Blues players, Rockers….and we would cook!! It was an AGELESS MUSICAL LEAGUE OF NATIONS!! And…we got paid to play!!
Many years after leaving my group, I was called by our bass player who wanted me to start playing again. I thought about it for awhile, imagining us doing concerts again, and finding a little out of the way club in the Village where we could play some blues at least one night a week, and maybe have some younger dudes sit next us one of us and ask us some questions. So after contacting some of the others, I bought a set of drums and four out of the original six reformed our band! So once we were set, I figured, as in the past, I’d just have to call some clubs and get the ball rolling. Boy was I wrong!! The only club that responded favorably was the BOTTOMLINE (who remembered us well), and they were about to lose their lease! All the rest of them were being run buy rude, snot-nosed, know-nothings who didn’t care who we were and lacked a lot of respect! Now, all that seemed to matter was how many bodies you can bring into their clubs. Back when I left the group, we were a concert act playing in such venues as The Fillmore East, The Schaeffer Festival in Central Park, etc., and the clubs controlled who their crowds were and supplied the audience. They chose musical groups by how good they were, and if their club steadies liked them. When I worked these clubs you auditioned, and if you didn’t cut it, you didn’t get the gig. In the city there were as many as two bands a night. If you clicked you worked six nights a week. It was good steady money that improved as you got better. Not to mention that YOU improved as a musician. It was forced practicing. First you started with a two week booking, and as you got better so did the money. Your goal was to headline. It would go from a two week booking, to a two month booking. They kept bringing you back, as long as the crowds kept coming. You had constant exposure to managers, booking agents, and record companies. The clubs gave you every opportunity to improve yourself. A bonus was you didn’t have to break your instruments down every night. When I see what bands now have to go through today, I feel for them…BIG TIME!! Now, regardless of how good, or not so good, you are, YOU must guarantee the club owner that you will bring a minimum audience of 30 people with you! (They don’t even ask to hear your music!) And HE will allow you to keep anywhere from $1 to $5 from the admission charged at the door! Meanwhile, HE is raking in tons of money from the bar that you see none of! Forget about being paid.