Allegro

Currently Browsing: June, 2015

President's Report
Tino Gagliardi
It is with a heavy heart that I report the passing of Erwin Price on April 10 at the age of 92. Erwin had been a member of the union since 1946. He was Local 802’s recording vice president from

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Arun Luthra
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music’s part-time faculty are set to begin their next contract negotiations. We are coming to the negotiating table on the heels of the New School’s very contentious and protracted negotiations with its other

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Photo Feature
Over 700 people came out to remember Mary Whitaker, whose life was taken last Aug. 20 at the age of 61. She had been a Local 802 member since 1976. The tribute program and concert was held at the Cathedral

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Recording Vice President's Report
John O'Connor
Just one challenge: the musicians aren’t members of Local 802, and the scene isn’t covered by the union…yet! When I worked as the jazz rep for Local 802 in the late 90s, I also helped with club date and hotel

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The nation’s top jazz honor is awarded each year by the National Endowment for the Arts. Out of this year’s four winners, two are longstanding members of Local 802, and we are pleased to publish exerpts from their NEA profiles

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Younger musicians share insights
Bud Burridge
Networking has a negative connotation to some, but it’s just reality that the impression we make on others often influences future job opportunities. When I moved to New York City in the 1980s, most of us worked to break into

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Musicians' Assistance Program
Siena Shundi, LCSW-R
Musicians pick up valuable skills and tips at our seminar This spring, the Musicians’ Assistance Program partnered with the Actors Fund Work Program to sponsor a free networking seminar series for professional musicians called “Managing Your Music Career.” The response

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Photo Feature
Photographer Kate Glicksberg was granted access to a recent cast album recording session of the Broadway show “The Visit,” currently playing at the Lyceum Theatre. The show has garnered five Tony nominations, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. This

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Jack Schatz
We lost one of the great musicians of New York City on April 10. Trombonist Erwin Price was 92 and had been a member of Local 802 since 1946. Words cannot describe the magnitude of his career, which spanned over

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In his last weeks, Erwin Price took the time to write the following reminiscences, which he hoped would be published in Allegro. I was born to Russian immigrant parents in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston on July 4, 1922, and

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Legal Corner
Harvey Mars, Esq.
Music teachers fight back when employer tries to take away rights Almost all of us have heard the term “at will employment.” Your employer can fire you for any reason – or no reason at all – and the courts

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Broadway music director gives an inside story in new book
Joseph Church
As well as being a great honor, it is especially fitting to introduce my new book, “Music Direction for the Stage: A View from the Podium,” here in Allegro, as my involvement with the musicians’ union was one of my

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The Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund (FMSMF) works to serve the film, television and music communities and meet the needs of film musicians whose talents fuel the industry. To this end, the FMSMF is pleased to provide ongoing updates to

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Jay Shulman
Cellist, composer and and arranger Alan Shulman had a life steeped in the musical history of New York City. A charter member of Arturo Toscanini’s NBC Symphony, he was also a founder of the Symphony of the Air, Stuyvesant String

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Photo Feature
Musicians take to the streets for labor rights and justice for jazz artists at the May Day parade. Photos by Walter Karling.

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WE'VE GOT ANSWERS!
Martha Hyde
Many of us are engaged in a contact sport called “keeping track of your health benefits.” It remains a field with goal posts that move around. Below, I will try to answer some commonly asked questions about the new structure

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The Local 802 Musicians Health Fund recently mailed a notice to all participants. Below is an excerpt of the key points, for easy reference. The notice that was mailed out should be considered the complete, definite document. For more information,

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March 3, 2015 - March 24, 2015
NOTE: The Executive Board did not meet on March 17, 2015. TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015 Meeting called to order at 11:05 a.m. by Financial Vice President Olcott. Present: Executive Board members Brandford, Burridge, Cranshaw, Hyde, Kruvand, Schwartz, Sharman. President Gagliardi

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I joined Local 802 because I feel that musicians must unite in order to maintain the quality of compensation and treatment. Union dues are very reasonable and the services are useful; I particularly like the payroll and contract services provided.

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The Band Room
Bill Crow
I sometimes play at a jazz spot in Greenwich Village called The Garage. When I first came to New York in 1945 that space was called The Village Nut Club, and it featured comedy bands. Sometime in the 1950s the

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