Allegro
Currently Browsing: April, 2010
Our Pension Pain…
Fund announces recovery plan. But what does this mean for musicians?
Musicians are hurting right now, perhaps more so than at any other time in recent history. The Great Recession is affecting almost every aspect of the lives of our members. Unfortunately, this includes our pension fund as well. First, the
Pension Downturn Affects All of Us
President's Report
As many members may know by now, our pension fund lost a lot of money in the stock market declines over the past two years. First, I want to remind you that everyone’s pension is protected by law and no
Pension Fund Heading into ‘Red Zone’
What the law means and how it protects you
The devil’s in the details.On Feb. 17, former Local 802 President Bill Moriarity attended our membership meeting to discuss the current status of the AFM Pension fund. Moriarity is uniquely qualified to discuss this issue, having served both as a
‘I’m new to the union. How do I earn a pension?’
Here’s how the pension fund works. Every time you play a union job – a Broadway show, a union freelance classical performance, a union club date – your employer puts a small amount of money into the AFM pension fund
Crunching the numbers isn’t easy…
Ask the pension fund for a report.
It’s important to remember that the union is not the pension fund. We can’t just tell the pension fund what to do. The pension fund is a separate, legal entity made up of trustees that represent both employees and employers.
Turning Up the Heat
Recording Vice-President's Report
Our jazz campaign must be ‘tenacious, patient and persuasive’ It’s the year 2015 and you have a gig in a jazz club in the Village on the weekend. You are a bassist who plays jazz and blues, depending on which
Unlikely Heroes
Remembering the bandsmen on the Titanic - 98 years later
See sidebar story, “Local 802 has Titanic History” Heroism in music takes many forms. The political heroism of a Sibelius or a Toscanini. Marian Anderson’s heroism of the spirit. The heroism of innovation: Bach, Richard Wagner, Charles Ives, Stravinsky. The
Local 802 has Titanic History
If you were performing on an ocean liner and suddenly the ship hit an iceberg and began to sink, would you keep playing? As many know, that’s the story of what the musicians on the Titanic did 98 years ago
Ears Wide Open
Pianist Peggy Stern and her musical journeys
Peggy Stern is an unusual musician. She’s as comfortable playing classical piano music as she is improvising jazz or playing Latin clave grooves, and you may even see her launch into leading a holiday singalong, as I did on a
Gentleman of Jazz
Bob Cunningham's Life in Music
I interviewed Bob Cunningham late last year in his house in the Victorian Flatbush section of Brooklyn. The master bassist, who recently turned 75, has been a collaborator, composer and arranger in performances and on recordings with some of the
The Union’s Next Generation
New program will introduce 802 to young musicians
Of all the responsibilities we bear as members of Local 802, insuring the success of the institution for future generations is one of the most important. To that end, I am asking for your help. I am putting together a
Goin Green on Broadway
Keeping an eye on the environment is an art
What do Wicked, South Pacific and Billy Elliot have in common? They recycle used corks from wine bottles! So the next time you finish a bottle of wine, throw the bottle in the recycling can and drop your cork off
Indie Musicians Gather Strength
How to organize recording artists in a postmodern economy
Marc Ribot Stanley Aronowitz Photo by David Shankbone. Indie musicians get organized! Local 802 recently sponsored a discussion entitled “Indie Music as Labor,” which was attended by 70 indie music artists and supporters and presented by the Brecht Forum. At
Students at NYU Learn About Recording the Union Way
From left, Will Lee, David Spinozza and Hugh McCracken back up NYU students at the university’s new recording studio. I received a phone call one recent afternoon from my old friend and NYU classmate Ira Newborn. Ira, a former L.A.-based
Reading, Writing and Rhythm
Creative teaching gigs available to musicians and other artists
Do you want to use your music to enrich the lives of public schoolchildren – while getting paid? Here’s some news: the Actors Fund has come up with a very creative way for musicians and other artists to do part-time
Hope for Health Insurance Now
If you lose your health insurance, or if you are buying health insurance for the first time, don’t panic. This article will discuss your options in New York for obtaining a plan for yourself or your family. (If you live
Musician’s Voice
The Musicians’ Voice is an open forum for discussion about the state of union affairs. The letters here do not necessarily express the views of Local 802. E-mail letters to allegro@local802afm.org or write to Allegro, Local 802, 322 West 48th
Theatre Roundup
The Vineyard Theatre is currently producing “Scottsboro Boys” with a Local 802 contract. Seven musicians play in the show. This agreement is also the basis for contracts with three other current shows: “Signs of Life: A Tale of Terezin,” produced
Executive Board Minutes
February 9, 2010 - March 2, 2010
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 Meeting called to order at 11:22 AM. Present: President Gagliardi, Recording Vice President O’Connor, Financial Vice President Blumenthal, Executive Board members Burridge, Dougherty, Hyde, Olcott, Schwartz, Sharman, Assistant to the President Donovan. Recording Vice President O’Connor
Bylaw Resolution
The following resolution has been submitted for the June 2010 membership meeting. WHEREAS, The current version of Local 802 Bylaw found at Article V. Section 7. Charges Against Officers, has been the subject of considerable controversy within Local 802; and
‘Why we joined the union’
Greg Chako Steve Swell Floxy-Bee I joined local 802 to network and take advantage of whatever the union has to offer. One of my musical goals in New York City is to earn a master’s degree and a doctorate, then
The Copy Cat: Remembering Al Schoonmaker
Reminiscences Jack Reilly Al Schoonmaker (left) and Jack Reily My friend Al Schoonmaker, 90, a composer, arranger and copyist, and a member of Local 802 since 1954, died on Feb. 12. The copyist is an absolute necessity, the sine qua
Pension Fund Article Contents
OUR PENSION PAIN… AFM pension fund announces a recovery plan. But what does this mean for musicians? (Overview by Mikael Elsila) ‘I’m new to the union. How do I earn a pension?’ Crunching the numbers isn’t easy. Ask the pension
Calendar Of Events
April 2010
Date Event Time Location 4/5 Mon. JAZZ FOUNDATION JAM SESSION 7:00 PM Club Room 4/12 Mon. JAZZ FOUNDATION JAM SESSION 7:00 PM Club Room 4/14 Wed. HEARING TESTS (ALL DAY) 9:00 AM Club Room 4/15 Thu. NEW MEMBERS’ ORIENTATION 11:00
Bill Crow’s Band Room
Mundell Lowe sent me a couple of stories that he got from Andre Previn when he was working with Andre’s trio. When Previn was conducting the London Symphony in the late 1960’s, he found in his pocket a piece of