Women in Jazz Festival

[Bubbah]

Tinky - we are impressed, well said!

[Kenny]

I've long lost whatever misgivings about the women's festival I ever had. As others have stated, it's another route to making a joyous noise - and there can never be enough of those.

As for jazz players taking suss gigs - blimey, life is tough enough, from what I can tell, in this lark. Everyone of you will presumably have to learn where your limits lie in this regard, but generally speaking I'd say it's a matter of going for it.

And I think I'd rather see that sort of money going into the pockets of ratbags such as Gideon and Co. Rather than some bunch of Liberal-voting Coalition plonkers. It's kinda subversive in its own way.

[jk]

why do people complain about the womens jazz fest? Even though most of the bands are led by women, half the musicians in the bands are blokes, in fact some years they have employed more males musosthan women. SO there.

Hey is Barbie booked this year?

[peterk]

female said:

I agree that their are inherent problems with such a festival, but you blokes should take a hard look at yourselves in regards to the gigs you also do ie. the gents who played for the prime minister last month whilst protesters were outside. What a joke.

you smug little shit... i also played at that gig, in fact i booked it and i really resent your judgemental remarks. unfortunately as gid said we got a bit screwed over by the agent as we really didn't know exactly what it was, but that's beside the point.
personally i am just trying to make a living and feed my family, which aint that easy as most of my time is spent writing and practising and organising gigs where i can play my own music. unfortunately they most often don't pay as well as the corporate gigs that make it all possible.
i don't mind doing the odd corporate gig, i know it's not for everyone but we all just have to find our own way and make our own decisions with regards to this stuff. for me it's more important that i have enough money to pay the mortgage and all the rest of it. anyway that's how i see it and i make sure i also do my fair share of benefits etc to put back into the community.

please enlighten us all as to how you pay your bills and manage to stay up there on your high moral ground.

and by the way, it wasn't all 'gents' in our band.

and another thing, fuck you arsehole.......

[shaggazzzz]

go pete!!!!!

I agree. It can be so hard to make money from doing this thing we like. I have also been in similar situations where you don't know what the gig is for until you show up! Dang! Especially display home gigs, man...

[cc]

Peterk,

there's other ways to earn cash than to sell your soul. It was only one gig so it could've have paid that much off your mortgage or paid for much food.

Don't attack people who have the basic right to disagree with you - otherwise you'll sound like a facist.

[soph]

don't preach to peter on the 'other ways to earn cash'....

this comes down to choice.

these players shouldn't be chastised for doing the gig...are you reading??!! They didn't know the full details of the gig (ie the PM's involvement) before they did it...

jazzbos were seen playing on the X-factor (arguably a show which is the abominaton of real, original musicmaking) and no one gave them shit. I'm sure each and every musician in Melbourne could tell stories of finding themsleves in morally questionable-though-paying gig situations...

players do what they do to get by..in an ideal world there would be an abundance of gigs which would allow musos to be more discerning about what they say 'yes' to, until then...

[cc]

I won't preach if peterK doesn't called people a "smug little shit" and "arsehole.......".

[casper]

there's other ways to earn cash than to sell your soul.

True - but not many.and 99% of the musicians I know are in no position to be getting super fussy -especially now the teaching year is coming to an end - we will see the odd muso dolled up in Santa gear or worse on 40 degree days - the token jazz trio at the top of the escalator in David Jones -or those Christmas parties where you end up backing a stripper!Oops - I've blown it now haven't I?
don't ya just love Christmas?

[peterk]

damn, i thought i was really restrained and polite... there's just no pleasing some people

[vicki hb]

all this talk when half the poeple in the world aren't rich enough to be in a position to ever make a telephone call. We are all prostitues here i.e. none of us can cast the first stone, so get over it. AND how could anyone knock Gid and Peter Knight? Two of the nicest most lovely people in the jazz scene who do so many good things for other people. Tsk tsk tsk. You should be ashamed of yourself and you won't even post your real name (cluck cluck cluck).

[cc]

Do really 'lovely people in the jazz scene" call others, who have a differing opinion "smug little shit"(s)?

[Trumpet friend]

Only when they deserve it!

[bubbah]

hee hee hee

[Reader]

I'd just like to return for a moment to the original topic of this thread to register my view that I believe the Women's Jazz Festival is a great institution. This festival has presented and fostered a lot of great music over a number of years. The festival sextet is an excellent group that has come about because of the festival. The fact that it is made up of all women is neither here nor there in one sense, what is important is that it produces good music and that this music has been fostered by this festival. In another sense though, it is important that it is all women because that is a huge encouragement to other young women considering a career in jazz. My partner, for one, says she gets such a buzz from seeing all those talented women up there on stage. I can understand the nay sayers' arguments but I am a huge supporter. I don't think you can make ideological statements about a festival like this, ie 'women's jazz festivals are bad,' or 'women's jazz festivals are good.' Instead, the question should simply be: 'is this a good festival?' In the case of the Melbourne Women's Jazz Festival, surely the answer has to be, 'yes.'