Membership Meeting: September/October 2019 Tuesday, September 10th, 2019 Vol. 79 No. 8 @ 1:00 pm Membership Meeting: Tuesday, October 8th, 2019 @ 1:00 pm Bread and Butter Bands See Page 6 Local 10-208 of AFM CHICAGO FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS OFFICERS – DELEGATES 2017-2019 Terryl Jares President Leo Murphy Vice-President B.J. Levy Secretary-Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert Bauchens Janice MacDonald CHICAGO FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS Rich Daniels Bill Olsen LOCAL NO. 10-208, A.F. of M. Jeff Handley Charles Schuchat Bob Lizik CHICAGO FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS CONTRACT DEPARTMENT LOCAL NO. 10-208, A.F. of M. TO BE HELD ON Leo Murphy – Vice-President Nancy Van Aacken TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1st , 2019 at 1:00 PM ASSISTANTS TO THE Union Headquarters PRESIDENT - JURISDICTIONS Leo Murphy - Vice-President ELECTION OF 656 W. Randolph St., #2W, Chicago, Illinois Supervisor - Entire jurisdiction including theaters (Cell Phone: 773-569-8523) OFFICERS AND DELEGATES Nomination of candidates will be conducted for Dean Rolando the following offices and delegations to stand for Recordings, Transcriptions, election on Sunday, November 10, 2019 for the Documentaries, Etc. TO BE HELD ON three (3) year term beginning December 10, 2019. (Cell Phone: 708-380-6219) DELEGATES TO CONVENTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR PRESIDENT, VICE-PRESIDENT, SECRETARY-TREASURER, AND CONGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL Sunday, November 10, 2019 ORGANIZATIONS MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Terryl Jares Leo Murphy DELEGATES TO THE CONVENTIONS OF THE B.J. Levy ILLINOIS STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR AND DELEGATES TO CHICAGO 12:00 Noon – 6:00 PM CONGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS, FEDERATION OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL UNION COUNCIL DELEGATES TO THE MEETINGS OF THE CHICAGO Rich Daniels Leo Murphy FEDERATION OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL UNION Terryl Jares At Union Headquarters COUNCIL, DELEGATES TO THE CONVENTIONS OF DELEGATES TO CONVENTIONS OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS 656 W. Randolph, Suite 2W THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS OF THE Rich Daniels B.J. Levy UNITED STATES AND CANADA. Terryl Jares Leo Murphy Alternates: Chicago, IL 60661-2121 Charles Schuchat The By-Laws provide that Nominations may be made EDITOR, THE INTERMEZZO orally from the floor at said meeting or by Petition of Terryl Jares fifteen (15) members in good standing filed with the ASSISTANT EDITOR, THE INTERMEZZO Secretary-Treasurer prior to the opening of said Leo Murphy Nomination meeting. PRESIDENTS EMERITI Gary Matts Ed Ward See Page 4 for VICE-PRESIDENT EMERITUS Nomination petitions are available from the Tom Beranek Secretary-Treasurer’s office, at the C.F.M., upon request. Absentee Ballot SECRETARY-TREASURER EMERITUS Spencer Aloisio ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND DELEGATES BOARD OF DIRECTORS EMERITUS Request Information SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2019 Ruth Marion Tobias AT UNION HEADQUARTERS Open Daily, except Saturday, Sunday and Holidays Office Hours 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. All Phones: 312-782-0063 (24 Hrs.) AFM WEB SITE: www.afm.org CFM WEB SITE: www.cfm10208.com Address all e-mail to the Secretary/Treasurer: SCAN TO SEARCH FOR A CFM MEMBER ON THE UNION WEBSITE [email protected] Scan this QR Code to search for a CFM member on the CFM website. The code takes you to the Public side of our website where you can Cover artwork provided by search by name, instructor or instrument. Chris Nolan Creative. Original photo courtesy of Al Trace 2 Intermezzo September/October 2019 September/October 2019 Intermezzo 3 ROPA Conference Resolution in Support of Local 10-208 July 29, 2019 the AFM, announced that after 18 months of bargaining for a successor contract without a resolution, they were Subject: Resolution congratulating AFM Local 10-208, initiating a strike; and Chicago, IL, for resolution of two major orchestral strikes Whereas, The strike focused on preserving the musicians’ How to Request an Absentee Ballot Local 10-208 Resolution defined benefit plan; and Whereas, In October of 2018, the musicians of the Chi- Whereas, Support for the musicians was incredibly strong, Members who are unable to vote in person on Sunday, cago Lyric Opera Orchestra, represented by Local 10-208 and included public statements from Maestro Riccardo November 10, 2019, may request an absentee ballot from the of the American Federation of Musicians of the United Muti, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Representatives States and Canada, (“AFM”), announced that bargaining Dick Durbin and Sean Casten, and others; and American Arbitration Association (the Election Administrator). for a successor collective bargaining agreement had been Please email your absentee ballot request to the following unsuccessful; and Whereas, After ICSOM initiated a call to action, approxi- mately $200,000 was raised to help the musicians; and email address: [email protected] Please include your name Whereas, Management of the Lyric Opera of Chicago was and Local 10-208 account number in your email. attempting to impose cuts to the musicians’ pay, reduce Whereas, The strike went on for seven weeks; and the number of weeks of work, drastically change the schedule, and cut the musicians’ health benefits; and Whereas, Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago stepped in to Members may also request an absentee ballot by completing and help the musicians and management reach a compromise, mailing the below form to the American Arbitration Association Whereas, In response, the musicians of the Chicago Lyric resolving the strike in late April, 2019; and Opera Orchestra initiated a strike; and at the address listed on the form. Whereas, through all of this, Local 10-208 of the AFM, Whereas, Public support for the musicians was very through its officers, led by President Terryl Jares, was un- strong, as demonstrated in a well-attended rally at Daley wavering in its support of the musicians and worked hard Plaza in Chicago, which included speeches by President to preserve wages and working conditions for the fine mu- Ray Hair and representatives of the International Confer- sicians of both the Lyric Opera Orchestra and the Chicago ence of Symphony and Opera Musicians (“ICSOM”), the Symphony Orchestra; therefore, be it Regional Orchestra Players’ Association (“ROPA”), and Chicago government entities; and Resolved, That the Regional Orchestra Players’ Association Absentee Ballot Request (“ROPA”) hereby applauds the work of the officers of Lo- Whereas, The strike resulted in a compromise from the cal 10-208 of the AFM and the members of the negotiating American Arbitration Association Lyric Opera of Chicago management which preserved committees of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra and the the musicians’ rate of pay, guaranteed an additional five Chicago Symphony Orchestra for their herculean efforts 150 N. Michigan Ave. weeks of work for the Ring Cycle, and preserved health to preserve their wages and working conditions; and, be it Suite 3050 benefits; and further, Chicago, IL 60601 Whereas, Support for the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra Resolved, That ROPA commends their efforts, which help Musicians is now stronger than ever; and preserve wages and working conditions for us all. Dear Elections Administrator: Whereas, In March of 2019, the musicians of the Chicago Submitted by: The ROPA Executive Board Symphony Orchestra, also represented by Local 10-208 of I, _______________________________, hereby request an Absentee Ballot (Please print name here) for the Local 10-208 election to be held on November 10, 2019. Local 10-208 Account Number _____________________________ The Smiley Tillmon Band performed at a block party on the 10500 block of South Oakley Ave. on July 28th as part of the first concert presented by the Chicago Blues Revival who have recently partnered with the CFM as a Signature: ____________________________________________________ part of the “Fair Trade Music” initiative. Through Fair Trade Music, the Chicago Federation of Musicians sets standards of pay and fair treatment for musicians, NO NOTARIZATION IS REQUIRED and the concert organizers who meet those standards receive a Fair Trade Music logo to promote the shows. 4 Intermezzo September/October 2019 September/October 2019 Intermezzo 5 Bread and Butter Bands By Charles Sengstock During the dance band era of the 1920s, 30s and 40s, there The Silly Symphonists, later the Shuffle Rhythm Orchestra) scoring were hundreds of bands touring the country at any given time. But big with recordings of “Mairzy Doats” (1944) and “You Call few of them were known outside the areas in which they played, Everybody Darlin’ ” (1948), the latter one of the bandleader’s and even fewer were receiving top pay for their musical services. own songs. An MCA (Music Corporation of America) survey of dance The band played several yearlong engagements at venues in the early 1930s estimated there were about 25,000 New York’s Hotel Dixie and appeared for 26 weeks on the dance venues in the U.S. (ballrooms, dance halls, night clubs, network radio show “It Pays To be Ignorant.” He recorded hotels, etc.). The survey also estimated there were about a prolifically for MGM, Mercury and other labels. thousand dance bands working, however only a small fraction Dan Russo, who took his own band on the road after he split of them were considered name bands. But the large number of with Ted Fio Rito in 1927, immediately began working in the MCA dance venues in the country needed bands, so most were able contract territory venues but he also played long engagements to make a living, such as it was, especially if they were around Chicago, most notably at the Oriental Gardens, where connected with a booking firm. he broadcast nightly over NBC radio. The major booking firms, like MCA, had contracts with hotel MCA made it a policy to book their bands on commercial and ballroom operators to provide a steady flow of bands to play network radio shows and, by giving them exposure, later booked for their dancers.