R – E – S – P – E – C – T !!!

I had the joy of sharing a stage with The Pointer Sisters last weekend.  It was really fun to see the Ladies doing there thing on the stage of the Winspear Centre, and our audience jumping up and down, and the bands – the ESO and The Pointer Sisters band – funking out.  Great concerts, for sure, but even more interesting stories – and rumor of more sightings of the specie Convinsualistia Outdatie.

After both concerts I hung out a little with The Sisters, and much more with members of their band.  For some reason I have spent a large part of my life hanging with Bass players and so it was natural for me to gravitate to this guy – one J.V. Collier.  J.V. was great to work with (he served as the MD for the Pointer Sisters gig), utterly hilarious, and one heluva player.  The Sisters are actually a 2nd gig for him as he spends most of his time playing with Bruce Hornsby, and then what little free time is left as a session player in L.A.  Well, he had some stories about some other symphony gigs.

The ESO is a rare bird when it comes to orchestras.  There are members conversant in baroque techniques through proto-funk, and just about everything in-between.  As such this orchestra is comfortable playing many different types of music.  When I say “comfortable” I mean both musically and professionally.  This is not the case, evidently, in some orchestras.  J.V. told me a story about showing up at the (…………..) orchestra which turned into the Gig From Hell.  It seems that playing with The Pointer Sisters was beneath the dignity of many members of this august ensemble and they were determined to let him know it.  The attitude got so bad that J.V. stopped the rehearsal and quietly said “Look, I can tell that some of you don’t want to be here.  That’s cool.  If you want you can certainly leave.  Those of you who stay we really appreciate your contribution.”  With that about 15 members of this eminent orchestra got up and left.

Goodness, I write this story down and I still don’t believe it.  It is hard to imagine more unprofessional behavior than what was on display here.  Not only was this insulting to your musical guests (The Pointer Sisters  and their band) as well as your colleagues (the other members of the orchestra) but what about your paying public?  They’ve coughed up good money to see the full show and these people decide to ride off on their high horse because playing with The Pointer Sisters is beneath them.  And you complain that conductors are arrogant?

Here’s the rub: apart from dissing The Pointer Sisters who, if memory serves, have had just a touch of success over the past 4 decades or so, how do these idiots justify dissing their own colleagues?  I’m not even talking about the other members of the orchestra but rather J.V. and the band?  Let’s take J.V. for example.  How would these people feel if they found out that not only did this guy get his start in Motown in the late ’50s-early ’60s, thereby playing on many of the great albums of the time and with most of the great acts of the time, but he started out life as a classical trombonist?  And a pretty good one?  So that schmuck that you are looking down your nose at who’s trying to make your life easier by putting together a good show in the quickest, most painless way possible is perfectly capable of hearing all the bad attitude that you are bringing to your supposedly High Art.  Does anyone else get the irony that it’s J.V. who was the true professional here?

I am very sorry that these people……. no, these members of the specie Convinsualistia Outdatie ……. feel that it is necessary to make the argument that we should be playing only High Art, that they have the sole responsibility on deciding what fits into that category, and that they have the responsibility of making life hell for anyone else who dares to consider anything not played by The Great Orchestras of 1913 as worthy of being performed by their exalted ensemble.  J.V. did say that to the credit of those musicians in that orchestra who stayed around many of them came up to him and apologized for their colleagues behavior.  Certainly it must have been very, very embarassing to them.  Those who stayed lived up to the title “professionals” – this might not be your cup of tea but you’ve been hired to play the gig.  So play the gig.  Those who left – I’ve got a little song for you that you need to hear.  It was made famous by another Grand Dame of the vocal world, one Ms. Aretha Franklin.  It’s called Respect.  Perhaps you should give it a listen.