PLAYING FOR FREE

 
My wife tells me to never play for free. I do it anyway. Like the other day I played a luncheon for seniors; I did “Tumbalalaika,” “Moscow Nights,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” and klezmer. I was supposed to get a free lunch out of it, but the organizers ran out of food. Did I make a stink about that? No, I relished the slight. I went home, ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and mumbled about my temporary low status.

At the gig I answered my phone in the middle of a tune. A friend had called to brief me on his bronchitis. I said, “I’m playing a gig right now and probably shouldn’t talk.”

Why did I take the call? Because I was playing for free and not getting fed, so I drifted into unprofessional behavior.

“Never play for free” — Alice.

When I’m not fed at a freebie gig, I give the client what they paid for.