Joe, I played there about 10 or 12 years ago, mainly doing private parties in one of the ballrooms. My only gripe was getting in and out of there, and of course, the parking situation. The money, though, was great - often $500 for a 3-hour party. I found out later that the guy who parked cars was making more than anyone there playing music.

The wildest party I did in Baltimore was at the Admiral Fell Inn at Fells Point. It was for a shipping company and took place on the top floor, which meant a couple trips up on the service elevator and sliding through the kitchen, which always had a very slippery floor. There was a jazz trio playing downstairs, and I thought there were pretty good, but the bar was nearly empty where they performed. I had about 200 people for the party, and while I thought the shipping company was a trucking company, as it turned out, it was a massive corporation that owned a couple dozen container ships. I had a great gig, and the restaurant owner asked if I would be interested in playing there on Friday nights. I turned him down. I just got paid $500 for the party, plus got a $300 tip, which I didn't expect, so playing for the drunks in the bar for $150 for a 4-hour job just wasn't going to cut it. He said he understood, we shook hands and parted ways.

Russ, I've listened to your music, and you have a lot more musical talent in your little finger than I have in my entire body. You can play circles around 99 percent of the guys on this forum, and you have my utmost admiration. For me, though, jazz, well it's just not what I enjoy listening to, or playing, especially for extended periods. I'm one of those people that can listen to Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson, Sinatra, etc..., I love Latin music, Italian music, Bossa, and movie themes. But jazz - nah! Just not for me.

Cheers,

Gary