In the town where I grew up, in a musical sense, there were a few "band leaders" if you wish to use that term. These guys were the so called star of the gig... they ran the band, booked the gigs, it was their name on the marquee, and they walked away with the lion's share of the money as a result.

One guy in particular was an outstanding musician who loved jazz and getting a call from him to gig was reserved for the best players since he didn't rehearse the band very often, he expected you to be able to play what he called and make very few mistakes and when you did, to recover quickly and invisibly. He'd call the name of the song and the key if he thought you needed it. Otherwise, he'd just start.... he played piano. He also expected you to know more than the basic chords like a country band would use.

He hired players mostly on a short term basis. His bands had high turnover, due to the factors I mentioned. Working with him was a real PITA. If he couldn't get a guitarist for the weekend, he'd play without one or take one for one night if that's all he could get.

I knew him in passing, and knew of his reputation. I also watched a buddy of mine, who played with him on a fairly regular basis, do a rehearsal in a top 40 club for the gig that night. I asked my friend later how he could take the mess.... and he replied, he pays well.

I gigged for a short time with one of the other "band leaders" in that town. Both of the guys mentioned were outstanding piano players, sang well, and knew more songs without needing a cheat sheet than you could shake a stick at. The guy I played with was a more mellow fellow than the first, and didn't have a drinking problem, but being wrapped tightly like he was, often presented other problems for the musicians in his band.

I consider that an interesting era of my musical education.

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www.herbhartley.com
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