Club date musicians : playing the New York party circuit /

An ethnomusicological study of 300 to 500 New York musicians whose primary income comes from performing at private parties. Although there have been previous studies about dance or club date musicians by authors such as Howard Becker, the investigations were at best incomplete. In this book, MacLeod examines the necessary skills needed to be employable in the club date market; the "standard" repertoire in 1978 and again in 1989; and the roles of leader, subleader, and sideman and how they fit together to form a band and to provide the entertainment appropriate to the occasion. This is a rare and important study; most musicans have at one time played private parties, weddings, and/or bar mitzvahs, but there are few places other than "on the job" to find information about what is expected by the bandleader and contractor. This book is recommended to both public and academic libraries. It is well written and contains a great deal of information useful to professional and amateur musicians alike. D. Hibbard; McLennan Community College