Home » Jazz Articles » Mr. P.C.'s Guide to Jazz Etiquette and Bandstand Decorum » Do the Math

4

Do the Math

Do the Math
By

Sign in to view read count
Dear Mr. P.C.:

Here's what I don't get. Say you're the leader on a $400 quartet gig, and the club owner offers you a 50% raise, but "changes his mind" a week later and cuts your pay by 50%. You wind up with less than you started with—$300! ($600 -$300) But then look at the opposite: say you have another $400 gig with the same club owner, but this time he first cuts it by 50%, then a week later "feels bad" and gives you a 50% raise. You wind up with... you guessed it: $300 ($200 + $100). Seems we jazz artists can't win—even the fundamentals of math are stacked against us!

—My Analytical Truth Hurts


Dear MATH:

But you can use those same fundamentals to directly counteract any math actions the club owner takes. For example, for a $400 four-hour gig, if he raises your pay by 50% then reduces it by 50%, you could respond in-kind by raising the hours by 50% then cutting them by 50%. Net result: $300 for a three-hour gig, maintaining the original $100 per hour. Or you could raise by 50% then cut by 50% (or, for that matter, cut by 50% then raise by 50%) the number of musicians in the band, leaving three musicians playing for $300—still $100 per player. So it turns out it's all in your hands—go figure!

Dear Mr. P.C.:

Every time I hire players for a gig, they say "when's downbeat?" This seems kind of square to me. Shouldn't they want to know when the upbeat is?

—Eric


Dear Eric:

The problem is that upbeats are tempo dependent. The first tune of the night always starts on the downbeat, but the first upbeat could be anywhere from half a second (at mm = 60) to a tenth of a second (at mm = 300) later. Maybe the upbeat swings harder, but the downbeat is a constant; an indisputable truth.

Too many jazz musicians are lost souls, and the downbeat may be their only anchor. When they ask "when's downbeat?" it just shows their need for certainty and a spiritual center. Denying it to them only reveals your own spiritual void.

Dear Mr. P.C.:

I recently took a steady gig. It only pays $50, and the leader gets really upset when I try to sub it out. What can I do? If I get called for a $60 gig, there's no way I'm turning it down.

—Fancy Pants


Dear Fancy Pants:

Your perspective is all wrong. Let's think big and say you get offered a $100 gig. When you tell the leader "I have the chance to make twice as much money as your $50 gig," he'll understand. But if the steady paid $75, and you could only tell him "I have the chance to make a third again as much," he'd be a lot less sympathetic.

That simple math explains why the best steadies are the ones that pay next to nothing—or nothing at all.

Have a question for Mr. P.C.? Ask him.

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Jazz article: Old Folks
Mr. P.C.'s Guide to Jazz Etiquette and Bandstand Decorum
Old Folks
Jazz article: Last Notes, List Notes, Lost Dollars
Mr. P.C.'s Guide to Jazz Etiquette and Bandstand Decorum
Last Notes, List Notes, Lost Dollars
Jazz article: Fluid Start Times, Desert Island Recordings, and Personal Growth
Mr. P.C.'s Guide to Jazz Etiquette and Bandstand Decorum
Fluid Start Times, Desert Island Recordings, and Personal...
Jazz article: French Scat, Nothing Personal, Casual Claustrophobia
Mr. P.C.'s Guide to Jazz Etiquette and Bandstand Decorum
French Scat, Nothing Personal, Casual Claustrophobia

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.