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Loyalty in Jazz...


Hardbopjazz

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I started to wonder of any musicians that remained with bands for an extreme long period of time. Those that come to mind are Freddie Green with Count Basie orchestra. He was there even after Basie died. Then there were Johnny Hodges and Billy Strayhorn who were always in Ellington’s band. Can you think of any others?

Edited by Hardbopjazz
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I think there is no better example of this than musicians who worked with Sun Ra. John Gilmore, first and foremost, but Marshall Allen, James Jacson, and numerous others too.

Even the longtime Ellington guys could justify things with their paychecks. Not so for the Arkestra players. It was all about the love and the loyalty.

Mike

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Frank Tiberi with (and after) Woody Herman, going back to 1969

.....and for that matter trumpet/manager Bill Byrne. Though not widely known as a player, Bill kept the band (and Woody) together through much of the IRS flack (I think Bill joined the band before Frank).

Edited by Free For All
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I may be wrong about this but my impression that in the post bop area, the number of musicians who stayed together was a lot less than the pre bop era. I believe a lot has to do with the nature and economies of the time. From the mid 40s on, everything was more fluid, traditions uprooted and so on. I think that Duke Jordan, for instance staying with Bird for a couple of years was an anomaly.

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Sure - when a bandleader could promise a sideman months of work (and the steady weekly paycheck), that was a JOB. Because no one is booking long-term jazz (6 days for a gig is about the most), and because there isn't a circuit anymore, it's every man for himself. Maria Schneider has good loyalty - most of the same musicians for over a dozen years - but she doesn't work enough for those players to survive. They're all very much in demand and do other things when MS isn't working. Which makes the Arkestra guys all that more remarkable.

Mike

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True, true, and the Arkestra were loyal not just to Sunny but to a philosophical belief and state of being that go beyond just the music. Same with the Art Ensemble of Chicago - the band has carried on without Lester or Malachi, though I guess it's up to debate whether the group is still relevant or musically interesting...

Jimmy Lyons was with Cecil Taylor from 1960 until his death, pretty much straight through, though he did record sans Cecil on his own a fair share.

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Loyalty is a little too romanticized a term. One decides to take a gig based on the relative values of the economics (present or future) and quality of the music, period. This is no big money making music anyway, so you often make professional choices based on the musical value of the gig. The term Loyalty here to me is a little misplaced.

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