Tokyo Nights
Life In Tokyo - Neil Stalnaker
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Monday, December 12, 2005
New York Bar "Gig" Finished.....
I'm happy to announce that after December 25, I won't be playing at the New York Bar anymore. Got the "word" that my contract (which expires Dec 25) isn't being renewed. Maybe it seems kind of strange to you that I'm happily announcing the end of a gig. I stayed in the gig a lot longer than my "gut" advised. But the end isn't a surprise. I played a 3-month gig there May-July 2003 with a singer. During that gig, the hotel brought in a new food and beverage manager from Germany. He started to try and make a lot of new changes. Very quickly, the Japanese "system" started to "beat him down" and kill the new ideas. One of the first things he did was to stop using the Japanese music agency that was handling the "Sunday night" music at the NY Bar. They wanted me to take it over which I did. I brought in the best musicians I could find in Tokyo and I think we did a great job. Every week I have been playing for customers from all over the world and they are always extremely complimentary about the music. However, not long after I took the job, I started to hear rumblings from foreign managers about comments coming from the Japanese managers and "back office" personnel. Things like....Neil is unqualified....He isn't an official "agent"....Neil doesn't have a proper visa...Neil is too friendly with the customers...We don't trust Neil....and on and on. Haha...I always laughed it off. Not qualified? I used to do concerts at the White House, weekly concerts at the Smithsonian Institution, Montreux Jazz Festival and on and on! Not qualified as an agent or broker? haha...I've been hiring musicians for my bands and setting up and producing events and concerts and festivals in the USA for the last 15 years. I was doing a few million dollars in sales each year as a lumber broker (agent) in West Virginia (the hardwood capital of the world) for several years. Trust? Why wouldn't they trust me? I have played there about 350 nights...4 sets a night (unheard of in Tokyo) and I was late 1 time (about 2 minutes). I always paid the musicians BEFORE the 1st set (show me a gig in Tokyo where that happens!) unless I was out of town and then I would do a bank draft. I came in there and played several nights with the flu (fever and throwing up all night). I came in there and played with my jaw the size of a grapefruit from an infection in my gums. I never cancel Visa? For 5 years I had a teaching visa...6th year I had an "artist" visa and now I have an entertainer visa. Friendly with customers? YES! I'm from West Virginia. I'm extremely friendly!!!! Don't like it? Stay away from me! I'm from the south. We are friendly people. We are open. We often have a smile on our face. That's the way it is. I AIN'T changin. There's a lot of jealous people out there.....
Other than the room not being good for live music (acoustics are horrible....hotel never has the piano tuned cause they say its too expensive...etc) the main reason that I'm happy to finish this gig is racism towards Japanese musicians. One Sunday (without knowing), I brought in a fantastic Japanese piano player. One of the very best players in Japan. The management went crazy! During the 1st set, I could see a lot of activity in the back of the room. Staff running around and talking to low-level Japanese managers. After the set, the European manager came to me and gave me hell for bringing a Japanese musician into play at the New York Bar. I was told that the New York Bar is presenting an "image" of "NEW YORK JAZZ". Oh my God! What a joke! These customers are the most wealthy and traveled group of people in Japan. They are not stupid. Well, anyone with half a brain knows that jazz is a very, very international music, especially in New York City!!! I wanted to quit. I talked to many people about it. Everyone suggested that I stay and try to slowly bring some change. So, I stayed in the gig. Sometimes, I have been asked if I'm still doing that "racist" gig. Well, maybe I have been able to cause some slight change. Last night, the piano player was half Japanese, half Korean and had lived in Australia for 12 years so, he speaks English like a native English speaker.
I got an email last night from a Japanese friend (from Osaka) I haven't spoken to in about a year. She asked me how I was doing. It was about midnight and I was very "down" because I disliked playing that gig so much. I told her that and also told her that the gig was going to end on the 25th. She wrote the following back to me (which I have heard from at least 25 other "fans" in the past 2 years):
"Neil, I haven't been in touch with you for a long time, so it might not be a good idea that I speak honestly like this without enough understanding or consideration. A couple of years ago, when you got a job at New York Bar I got very excited. I went there twice to see your gigs secretly (I know you hated that!) but honestly speaking, I never liked there. It's a great place for dating but not so great place for enjoying music. I remember I was so embarrassed being there. Once I was with my male friend, but he spoke too much so it was pretty annoying for me (soooo disturbing!!) Neil, think positively. It might be a good chance to leave there. You might loose money, but I don't think you'll loose anything of what you really seek for. I'd prefer to hear your music in a more suitable musical place for you than in a snobbish dating-spot bar like New York Bar. It might be a turning point to get a better offer for you, so just enjoy playing there for the rest of days. Just ignore the stupid!"
I don't mean to make such a big deal out of this gig. I'm not unhappy at all to finish this gig. I did my best every night. I only have wanted to draw attention to what some people call "image" and others call "racism". There is no place for it in this world. And there is absolutely no place for it in music!!!! I hate seeing non-musicians manipulating and leveraging musicians with money and misrepresenting something as beautiful as music. Jazz music is an art. It's a thing of beauty. It makes me sooo sick to think that a group of people that can't even play a musical instrument can be in a position to so totally misrepresent such an art.
Other than the room not being good for live music (acoustics are horrible....hotel never has the piano tuned cause they say its too expensive...etc) the main reason that I'm happy to finish this gig is racism towards Japanese musicians. One Sunday (without knowing), I brought in a fantastic Japanese piano player. One of the very best players in Japan. The management went crazy! During the 1st set, I could see a lot of activity in the back of the room. Staff running around and talking to low-level Japanese managers. After the set, the European manager came to me and gave me hell for bringing a Japanese musician into play at the New York Bar. I was told that the New York Bar is presenting an "image" of "NEW YORK JAZZ". Oh my God! What a joke! These customers are the most wealthy and traveled group of people in Japan. They are not stupid. Well, anyone with half a brain knows that jazz is a very, very international music, especially in New York City!!! I wanted to quit. I talked to many people about it. Everyone suggested that I stay and try to slowly bring some change. So, I stayed in the gig. Sometimes, I have been asked if I'm still doing that "racist" gig. Well, maybe I have been able to cause some slight change. Last night, the piano player was half Japanese, half Korean and had lived in Australia for 12 years so, he speaks English like a native English speaker.
I got an email last night from a Japanese friend (from Osaka) I haven't spoken to in about a year. She asked me how I was doing. It was about midnight and I was very "down" because I disliked playing that gig so much. I told her that and also told her that the gig was going to end on the 25th. She wrote the following back to me (which I have heard from at least 25 other "fans" in the past 2 years):
"Neil, I haven't been in touch with you for a long time, so it might not be a good idea that I speak honestly like this without enough understanding or consideration. A couple of years ago, when you got a job at New York Bar I got very excited. I went there twice to see your gigs secretly (I know you hated that!) but honestly speaking, I never liked there. It's a great place for dating but not so great place for enjoying music. I remember I was so embarrassed being there. Once I was with my male friend, but he spoke too much so it was pretty annoying for me (soooo disturbing!!) Neil, think positively. It might be a good chance to leave there. You might loose money, but I don't think you'll loose anything of what you really seek for. I'd prefer to hear your music in a more suitable musical place for you than in a snobbish dating-spot bar like New York Bar. It might be a turning point to get a better offer for you, so just enjoy playing there for the rest of days. Just ignore the stupid!"
I don't mean to make such a big deal out of this gig. I'm not unhappy at all to finish this gig. I did my best every night. I only have wanted to draw attention to what some people call "image" and others call "racism". There is no place for it in this world. And there is absolutely no place for it in music!!!! I hate seeing non-musicians manipulating and leveraging musicians with money and misrepresenting something as beautiful as music. Jazz music is an art. It's a thing of beauty. It makes me sooo sick to think that a group of people that can't even play a musical instrument can be in a position to so totally misrepresent such an art.
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