A.G. Weinberger – Ideea săptămânii
Rubrica Ideea Saptămânii este o pagină pe care revista Jazz Compas o pune la dispozitia artistilor care doresc sa exprime un punct de vedere, sa publice un articol, eseu, etc. Jazz Compas nu este co-autor la conţinutul acesteia.
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prezentată de A.G. Weinberger
Fascismul Indolenței
Am ajuns să o trăiesc și pe asta… dacă această atitudine nu ar fi un pericol pentru întreagă suflarea artistică din RO, nu m-aș obosi să o relatez, dar este o tendința alarmantă…
Am fost contactat de organizatorii unui eveniment/festival din Cluj, care după lungi insistente m-au convins să accept invitia lor și să cînt la acel eveniment. După 4 zile în așteptarea confirmării lor am primit un sms în care mi se spune că între timp au primit ofertele unor artiști străini de nerefuzat și că prezenta mea acolo nu mai este necesară…
Mă întreb oare artiștii străini care ne iau joburile în propria noastră țară plătesc vreo viză de lucru? Pentru că – poate nu știați, dar peste tot în Europa – de SUA și Canada nici nu mai vorbesc, există o protejare a talentului autohton, iar dacă vrei să cînți acolo trebuie să ai viză și aprobarea Uniunii sau Sindicatului de resort în această privință…
Așadar Mărite Public! Du-te cu drag și cu entuziasm la aceste evenimente cu intrare gratuită (asta înseamnă că sunt finanțate din bani publici) și să te bucuri de mari artiști străini – dar să nu te mai aud că mă întrebi ‘dar domnule Weinberger, cînd mai veniți și în orașul nostru?’ Tu habar nu ai cu ce grad de neamprostism ne luptăm noi aici pentru supravietiuire… Ne confruntăm cu Fascismul Indolenței…
Așadar Dragi Colegi de Breaslă (mă rog, dacă există așa ceva)!!! Gîndiți-va bine și reflectați la cele relatate… mîine se poate întîmplă asta vouă… Nu credeți că e timpul să ne organizăm și să ne protejăm teritoriul?
Jazz Compas 
Ceea ce ma socheaza mai tare e ca de cele mai multe ori, artistii astia straini sunt tot felul de artisti de care nu am auzit in viata mea. Insa doar pt ca sunt din Ungaria, US, UK, sau orice alta tara, sunt invitati sa cante, iar si mai trist este ca publicul chiar este vrajit de provenienta straina a acestora. Nu e vorba, artistii romani buni nu sunt foarte multi, insa atunci cand cei care chiar canta muzica de calitate nu au loc de diversi artisti obscuri, doar pentru ca sunt romani, este jalnic! Din pacate, inca pentru poporul roman „americanii” inseamna salvarea noastra. 😐
Te salut respectuos AG, let me guess- referitor la Cluj, cred, ca au fost cei care pun l. cale napocajazz.ro; ” profita ” de prezenta unor „MESTERI” la marele& „unicul” festival d. jazz d.l. Sibiu pe care ii „transporta” si la ei; bun, mai sunt concertele de blues- modest line-up… in fine. Inca un aspect: pretul pe seara l. cei d. Cluj = nesimtit ( nota bene editie d. debut … )
Prin Jazz&Blues
Adyi A.
As all know here, I am a friend of the Romanian musician, and I totally understand AG’s frustrations. I am further aware that AG is a concerned and ethical musician who is a fine ambassador for his music. However, I believe some of these issues are more complicated than can be explained within parameters that attest ” A foreigner just stole my gig.” Let it also be known upfront that in no way do I say things here broadly, with knowledge that most Romanian musicians are talented and ethical people. Still, it only takes a handful for all to be labeled unjustly, while most who read this know very well that I understand how music business is conducted there, alongside the behaviors that accompany all that…seeing as how I was at the same table at Artjazz or Green Hours ten years ago when you were discussing these things. You also remember what I said about your plans.
1. Ten years ago, I wrote a very well known article called „The Reverse Migration” that stated in no uncertain terms how talented Romanian musicians would lose their work to foreign musicians (via mostly EU bonds) if they did not formulate plans that included elimination of mostly true perceptions regarding the alarming number who lacked even rudimentary business management skills, while in possession of unprofessional work ethics, that included poor rehearsal habits, alongside unreasonable expectations and nontraditional financial exchanges. I also went to great lengths to remind them that when they took jobs in Hungary, UK etc…that in turn meant other EU members could access (and even keep) their gigs in Bucharest, Timisoara and Cluj. That also would include exclusion from tours that originated elsewhere in the EU zone, but passed through Romania. Instead many (not all) Romanian musicians did not want to think about the future. They ignored the advice of others, and simply ran from Romania, taking as many temporary gigs as they could get their hands on, believing such amateurish tactics would get them through forever. Then when the gigs went away (mostly because German or Dutch contractors were not interested in hiring complaining musicians who disrespected repetitions and did not want to learn their parts) these same musicians (as they had done so many times previously) blamed others instead of cleaning their own house. Again, the reasonable among you here know that what I am saying is true. AG even devotes large parts of his television program towards explaining the need for good business skills, while many of these same people mock that part of his broadcast as belittling and unnecessary.
2. On the other hand, there were the very smart group, who attended foreign conservatories while simultaneously learning the traditions inherent of their new territories. They behaved professionally, acted responsibly and their financial dealings were clean. These people (mostly in their early 30s) now travel freely worldwide, in expectation of work anywhere they land, including their Romanian home. If there is this wall that discriminates against Romanians, why then does it not apply to them?
3. The issue of contractors and festival organizers is a tricky one, although it is directly applicable to the same old nonsense that many here have complained about for years. The answer is quite simple. These people steal from you… and you allow it.
Case in point is this misunderstanding that applies to most transactions regarding American musicians who participate in larger Romanian festivals. The fact of the matter is that almost every American jazz or blues musician who participates in a Romanian festival is mostly ( if not entirely) paid for by the American Embassy, or…they have a relation to someone who is. I have seen this trick a million times in Romania, where:
A. Romanian contractor will stage a festival,
B. The American Embassy will find out about the festival, then inform the festival organizers about the free musicians they have if the festival wants them.
C. The festival organizers then take the free musicians, fire the Romanians they already have, then illegally charge money for American concerts that are supposed to be free.
D. Festival organizers stay quiet about their bad deeds and let you believe anything you want…including how Americans stole your gigs, when 100% of the time, such Americans have no idea what you are even talking about…seeing as how all they did was show up for a gig that was part of their State Department arrangement.
E. The same thing is true of the French and Italian Consulates who provide free musicians all the time as part of Romania friendship agreements, that are in turn used in illegal ways by disreputable Romanian contractors.
F. Your government was ALSO given allotments that allowed for ROMANIAN musicians to perform in other countries, where they would be paid decently for French, Italian and American audiences. With all due respect, some here might want to ask your government what they did with that money, because Johnny Raducanu sure knew where it was, seeing as how he rode that pay wagon more times than I can remember, while all here know that I am aware of such things.
4. Do some foreigners take advantage of preexisting rules? Yes. Are Romanian musicians always the victims of something else? Well…it sometimes appears that way, although I have never observed the Romanian music community wanting to do too much other than take a very small amount of money while never thinking about the future. However, most recently that seems to have changed. There was a time when people like AG were a lone voice in the woods. Now I think most are getting smarter about all this.
FINALLY AND AGAIN…Do these weak behaviors apply to most of the Romanian music community? NO they do not!
Still, all of you know these things while not having the need for a foreigner to explain them to you, although I would hope by this time that I was more than that. I most certainly did not come to Romania to make money. Neither did Rick Condit or most of the Americans who interact with you past a single event. As for those who think people like me are not worth your time for no other reason than to get an SUA tacked to a billing…I would say that solution is very simple. Don’t go to my show.