For a guy who is always looking for places to play jazz. . . Disneyland is a great gig. Where else in the world can you play jazz, on a log raft called Tom Sawyer in the middle of a lagoon, to an audience of thousands?

There is, however, a serious downside. . . I look silly in the "Royal Street Bachelors" hats.

Press release:

BREAKING NEWS
Bassist and verified Jazz snob, Zac Matthews, caught performing at Disneyland.

Anaheim California
Wednesday, October 29th , 2003. With wildfires raging all around Southern California, Bassist, Zac Matthews, put in his first day of "working for The Mouse" today. Matthews was quoted as saying "Hey, it's a good gig. I'm playing jazz tunes with a great trio, getting well paid, and health & pension contributions to boot!" The green vest, bow-tie and straw hat suggested a more insidious "showbiz" element to the performance which Matthews shrugged off as "a more coordinated look than I usually manage at gigs."

The Royal Street Bachelors, a trio of bass, guitar and saxophone played a wide range of jazz standards Wednesday to a constantly moving audience. Some patrons stayed well over 7 minutes, but most were rushing off to their "quick-pass" appointments at the "Pirates of the Caribbean" or the exciting "Matterhorn" ride. A 2-year old girl swayed to the music for a few minutes as her tired mother smiled in appreciation for the break from chasing her daughter around the park.

Matthews' friends are generally convinced that he's in it for the merchandise discounts and free entry to the world renowned theme park for his children Devin, 2, and Dexter, 4 months. Potentially these perks could save the musician hundreds of dollars each year. Matthews flatly denies these allegations. "The discounts are a nice bonus but I'm really in it for the music. I get to play Jazz for a living and this is another place that I can do it, and at the "Happiest Place on Earth" no less." "I bet he'll be riding Space Mountain when it reopens" commented a colleague from the Los Angeles Jazz community with an undisguised hint of sarcasm. "in no time his closet will be full of Mickey Mouse polo shirts and Goofy hats with floppy ears."

A good opportunity? Or, another one crosses to the dark side? Only time will tell. But for now Matthews will play at the park occasionally. . . and visit once in a while with his family.