"As far as your $500 a night B3 gigs, get down on your knees and be thankful every time you play one. You are very fortunate to have a gig, that for the most part doesn't exsist anymore. Jazz guys fight for the few gigs there are in even fewer jazz clubs and are thrilled to walk out with $100 for the night."Bill, I agree. In this part of the world there are NO $500 a night jazz club jobs. On a busy weekend, the few jazz clubs remaining in the Baltimore metropolitan area will shell out $150 to $200 for a trio, while weekdays pay $100, and that's if you can get a job. As for lugging a B3 around, it just doesn't happen here.
Me, I'll stick with the keyboard and vocals. My voice is my saving grace, and I have the ability to find styles that match the songs I sing. My voice is essentially my right hand. My voice has also provided me with a good living outside the world of musical entertainment. I've been a newscaster for a local, large radio station, done voice-overs for TV commercials, and for 25-years I was the announcer for the nation's largest fishing expo.
Unlike Donny, I don't pack an Ipod, I don't DJ and I hate Karaoke. I don't sit in a corner and play background music for restaurants, though I have done that a few times and hated every minute of it. Karaoke is a big deal at the local VFWs and American Legions here, and they hire an occasional DJ - they pay $175 to $225 for a 4-hour weekend job. Yep, it's better than the high-dollar restaurants in Baltimore's Little Italy, but not much better. Most of those guys work a full-time job outside the world of music, truck drivers, construction workers, etc..., but they don't play music for a living. In fact, there are very few people that I know that plays music full time for a living. Granted, there are exceptions, but their numbers are small.
Russ has been fortunate indeed to have a high-paying restaurant job in the same location for many, many years. That's very unusual. Additionally, he has the talent to write script, which I can tell you from first hand experience, is not an easy task. It takes a high degree of creativity and dedication to be a script writer. His ability to create musical scores is, obviously, second to none, which is evidenced by the longevity of his company.
The OP was asking about songs for Decktainment. Having performed many, many deck jobs both in resort areas and private parties, the list varies greatly from one region to another, and of course, with the makeup of the audiences. The Jersey coast, for example, seems to consist of younger audiences from nearby Pennsylvania and Delaware. Ocean City, Maryland audiences consist of younger folks from southern PA and the Baltimore metropolitan area. Consequently, boardwalk entertainers tend to stick with top-40 music, which is not something easily created by an OMB entertainer using an arranger keyboard. Consequently, it a DJ/KJ venue through the 5-month summer.
When winter sets in, the kids leave, they're quickly replaced by the older contingent, folks who enjoy the tranquility of a semi-deserted beach, and will spend big bucks in the high-end restaurants that remain open year round. Those are the folks that enjoy the OMB entertainer with an arranger keyboard, but of course he also has to be a good vocalist as well. Some of these jobs will be out on the restaurant decks (weather permitting), and the music they tend to enjoy is NOT jazz. They'll send requests for anything by Jimmy Buffett, they love older Country, 60s/70s/80s Rock & Roll, and anything someone over 50 can dance to. These are the same individuals that call me for private parties when they get home from the beaches. They're not looking for DJ/KJ guys - they're looking for musician/entertainer, someone that interacts with the audience and performs the music they want to listen to and dance to.
Damned, I just wrote a book, albeit a short novel. Sorry about the rant guys and gals. Think I'll take a break from the internet for a while - it takes too much time away from havin' fun!
Gary
