# need a jazz guitarist in hamilton. pays $50



## Milothicus (May 22, 2007)

i've got a gig tomorrow night playing dinner jazz music in hamilton. about 3 hours of charts chosen from a fakebook on the spot... after the dinner it's the DJs turn. it's for the graduating engineers of mcmaster, so not many jazz-knowledgeable people...

we're playing this because the drummer and i are both graduates of the program and i have played this gig a few times. we agreed to play, and our leads for comping instruments have fallen through...

right now we've got a singer, sax, bass, and drums. we're just short that comping instrument...

if anyone in the area knows someone who can at least play some chords out of a fakebook, and may be interested in a random gig last minute with random people, message me... please...


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## Milothicus (May 22, 2007)

Thanks for the messages. we've got a guitarist!


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## Dr.StephanHeimer (May 1, 2006)

How did the gig turn out?


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## Guest (Mar 28, 2008)

Milothicus said:


> t's for the graduating engineers of mcmaster, so not many jazz-knowledgeable people...


As a jazz lover, player and Engineer I take offense to this statement. I think you'll find a lot of knowledgeable jazz fans in an engineering faculty crowd.


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## Guest (Mar 28, 2008)

Paul said:


> I spoke to Milothicus this morning about the job.....he's done it before.....so I think he's got a pretty good clue as to what the audience expects and will tolerate.


Tolerating and expectations do not infer a level of understanding. I'll tolerate a bad rendition of Autumn Leaves as background music to my dinner, that doesn't mean I don't understand it's a bad rendition of Autumn Leaves.


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## Dr.StephanHeimer (May 1, 2006)

Paul said:


> It hasn't happened yet.


Whoops looks like i got the dates a little mixed up. Between work and school I forget which day is which. 

Hope it goes well


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## Wheeman (Dec 4, 2007)

iaresee said:


> As a jazz lover, player and Engineer I take offense to this statement. I think you'll find a lot of knowledgeable jazz fans in an engineering faculty crowd.


If I recall correctly, the University of Waterloo has a jazz ensemble comprised of engineering students. And, for what its worth, a competent keyboardist can be just as handy as a guitarist.

Sounds like an interesting gig nonetheless. :smile:


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

does a last minute sub gig really pay only $50 around these parts? i'm amazed. after gas and drycleaning and strings, you're playing for free... (i don't mean this in ANY WAY as a slam against the OP, i'm just amazed... )


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## Milothicus (May 22, 2007)

i'm a graduate of the mcmaster engineering program. i got the gig the year before i graduated, just because i was playing in student jazz combos at mcmaster and knew the people organizing the event. then the year i was graduating, the rest of the band played, with another bass player. then the next year another iteration of the band played... and now i've played the last 2 again.

it's not exactly a professional gig. it started as a couple of students volunteering to play some background music during drinks, and then through dinner. if the price weren't really low, there would be no live jazz, and they'd probably be ok with that.

it just happend this year that we found ourselves without a comping instrument the night before, so i thought i'd see if anyone's up for a last minute jam session in front of people who won't notice if there's a trainwreck or two (which there were tonight B+))

I apologize if i ruffled any feathers asking for a sub at low pay, but having never played a professional show, the phrase 'going rate' means nothing to me. i have no idea. we really weren't looking for a professional sub. i just thought maybe i'd find someone willing to get together for a jam to see if we can make some music. there just happened to be a couple hundred graduating engineers in the room.

i've never hired a professional musician, nor been hired as one.

as for engineers and music... the mcmaster engineers have put on a full musical for the last ten years. i was in 5 of them. write/rewrite a bunch of showtunes and pop songs to have something to do with engineering, write a plot to fit around those songs, write and choreograph a 2-3 hour musical with full lights, sets, props, and a band (started as 4 guys, grew to about 15 this year). 

i really didn't think this thread would get this much attention....


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## suttree (Aug 17, 2007)

oh boy, you didn't ruffle any feathers on me, don't worry. i'm no jazz guitarist in any case, so even if it payed $2,000 and an open bar tab i'd have to pass (although an open bar tab would have me playing free jazz by 11:00 ). 

thanks for the background.... it sounds like it would have been good fun, really..


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