The food, the companionship experienced during the day, the conversation and repartee - all make dinner a special experience. We also share our thoughts about those things we felt were lacking or beyond us at the time to transcend, and resolve to find a new way, another approach that will carry us further along the journey to fulfill our quest. Although I do not often post to the Internet lists to which I subscribe, I sometimes do feel moved by some of the discussions. Recent postings on bootleg recordings among subscribers of the Stan Kenton list have given me pause to think on this and like subjects. People on these lists seem to be always speaking of some new CD they just bought by an artist, usually who has passed on, whose music was unknowlingly recorded by someone at a concert.
Some people feel justified in acquiring such material for archival or historical purposes.
And, yet, many feel it is not really a matter of any consequence if musicians aren't paid fairly. But as a musician on bootleg recordings - and as one who knows many others whose work has been taken without remuneration, I can tell you that we all resent the hell out of it, even though few will say so quite so loudly. The reasoning that without the bootleggers that music would never be heard has no validity. Most of the artists would never sanction this kind of thing for musical or contractual reasons. And while some would not care, most artists would not want to see his or her sidemen treated in such a way, both for artistic and humanitarian reasons.