Allegro
Currently Browsing: March, 2005
Save the Plaza!
Musicians Rally to Protect Historic Live Music Venue
Live music may be losing a treasured venue. On Feb. 17, musicians, hotel workers and community members rallied to save the Plaza Hotel, which stands at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South. The hotel was recently sold to Elad Properties,
President’s Report
The “All Shook Up” Arbitration Decision — A Travesty
As previously reported, on Sept. 30, the Special Situations Committee convened to hear the first case under the new terms of the Broadway agreement. The request for consideration of Special Situation Status came from the producers of the musical “All
Is Arbitration Final? Maybe, Maybe Not
Local 802 Legal Corner
Ever since the Supreme Court rendered its seminal decision in the Steelworker’s Trilogy, arbitration has become the preferred means by which industrial disputes are resolved. Arbitration is particularly well suited for this purpose. It is both quicker and cheaper than
Mayor and City Council Commend 802’s Efforts on Affordable Housing
The following remarks were made by Mayor Bloomberg at a public hearing on local laws: “The last bill before me is Introductory Number 530, sponsored at the request of the Administration by Council Members Provenzano, Avella, Jennings, Quinn, Katz, Palma,
A Housing Success Story
Guest Commentary
Last year at this time I was invited by Local 802 to write a piece for the Women’s History Month edition of Allegro. I am flattered to be asked again this year to make a contribution in what is becoming
Jazz Educators Need Benefits, Too
Local 802 and the union’s Jazz Advisory Committee were an important presence at the 32nd annual convention of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE). At our booth were Recording Vice President Bill Dennison, Jazz Representative Bob Cranshaw and myself.
A Year With a Union Contract
Circus Trumpeter Reflects on New BenefitsOrganizing Matters
How many musicians have to work alongside camels, dogs, and a guy who juggles vases? For musicians at the Big Apple Circus, that’s just part of a day’s – or night’s – work. The Big Apple Circus first opened in
If the Boss Calls You In…
On the Job
In most union shops or gigs, the union’s rep on the job is an employee who has been designated or elected as the shop steward. It is the job of the shop steward to be the union’s eyes and ears
Tax Tips for Musicians: Tax Year 2004
Each year, as the tax season approaches, Allegro publishes these tax tips provided by Local 802’s accounting firm, Gould,Kobrick & Schlapp P.C. OVERVIEW AND HIGHLIGHTS The Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004, signed into law on Oct. 4, 2004,
Meet More Contractors!
Michael Keller and Jon Taylor
MICHAEL KELLER Michael Keller has been contracting for about 11 years. He was the contractor for the 60-piece orchestra of Barbra Streisand in her 1994 and 2001 tours. He’s contracted for “Bombay Dreams,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Wicked,” “The Boy
Gravity and Space
A Conversation With Jane Ira Bloom
Soprano saxophonist and composer Jane Ira Bloom has been steadfastly developing her unique voice on the soprano saxophone for over 25 years. A pioneer in the use of live electronics and movement in jazz, as well as the possessor of
The First Lady
New Book Tells Story of Pioneering Broadway Composer Kay Swift
“FINE AND DANDY: THE LIFE AND WORK OF KAY SWIFT,” by Vicki Ohl (Yale University Press, 2004). Vicki Ohl has written an excellent, important and timely book, the first full biography of a woman who experienced and contributed to the
Mastery Without Pain: Musicians and the Feldenkrais Method
Musicians' Assistance Program
Playing is a complex process. It begins with a musical intention that is translated into a series of movements involving weight, speed, orientation in space, and relationship to gravity. When these movements are inefficient and not optimally organized, the result
Apply for New MPF Funding by April 20
April 20 is the deadline for requests for funding from the Music Performance Fund (MPF). You can use this money for gigs that take place from May 1, 2005 through April 30, 2006. If you have never applied for this
Scholarship Opportunity
Each year the New York State AFL-CIO awards a four-year scholarship to a 2005 graduating high school senior who intends to pursue a career in labor relations or a related field. This year, the award will be for $2,000 per
Musicians’ Voice
To the Editor: Thanks for acquainting us with Phil Ramone and Jill Dell’Abate in the January Allegro (“Meet the Contractors!”). They have collaborated to give musicians their “shot.” Apparently, this opportunity requires behavior modification. When the young man in Jill’s
Legislative Update
NOISE ABOUT THE NOISE CODE On Jan. 26, City Council held hearings on a bill that would substantively alter the city’s noise ordinance. This legislation, which would be the first change the code in nearly thirty years, could have a
Negotiations Roundup
Blossom Dearie Enterprises. Local 802 has renewed its agreement with Blossom Dearie Enterprises covering the performance work of what is typically the Blossom Dearie Trio. The two-year agreement provides for a 10 percent pension contribution and a guarantee of Plan
Grievance Corner
Boston Conservatory of Music. Local 802 and the Boston Conservatory of Music recently settled a music preparation grievance involving the failure to pay wages and benefits to the orchestrator for its production of the opera “The Captain’s Daughter.” The contract,
Executive Board Minutes
November 16, 2004 -- December 14, 2004
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2004 Meeting called to order at 11:10 a.m. Present: President Lennon, Recording Vice President Dennison, Executive Board members, Babich, Gagliardi, Schaffner, Shankin, Weiss, Whitaker, Controller Bogert, and Assistant to the President Delia. Financial Vice President Blumenthal excused
Bill Crow’s Band Room
On a warm afternoon last January, my wife and I spent the day strolling through the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, where we are members. As we walked toward the conservatory we heard the sound of a trumpet,