[Tradjazz] Boring The Audience

[Bruce McNichols]

I'm surprised that Branford Marsalis feels that way.  I'm also delighted.  When he quit the Tonight Show on NBC-TV, it was said that he had joined the MacLean Stevenson School of Career Management.  
  Stevenson was the actor who played the colonel  in the movie and TV versions of M*A*S*H. (the guy with the fish-hooks in his hat).  In the heyday of the TV program, he quit the show, to pursue his career.  That resulted in what many of you might have just thought:  "MacLean who?"
In the 1970's we played hundreds of school assembly programs.  To our amazement and delight, we found that the kids (of ALL ages) went wild for the music.  For the most part, they had never even heard of our music, much less actually heard it.  

My theory is that they were too young to know that they weren't supposed to like our music.  When we played college gigs, we had a similar response from the students.  And this was in the days when Rock was King (as if it isn't still).  

~~~
Although it may seem as if all the old-time bands are that way, many of our bands are far from boring, sit-there-and-play bands.  Some that come to mind are: 

The Black Dog Jazz Band.  They're pretty much defunct these days.  They featured happy-time vocals, onstage antics AND wonderful hot jazz.

The Paradise City Jazz Band.  The late Dave Pinardi (cornet) and Jim Fryer (trombone, trumpet, flugelhorn) ran this highly entertaining band which played ALL styles of jazz along with very good vocals.  Pinardi composed songs such as "Back to Seattle," a very clever tune.

Wooster Street Trolley Jazz Band.   Multi-instrumentalist Bob Leive's eclectic band from New Jersey.  Basically an old-time jazz band, their repertoire also includes the likes of "I Will Survive," and "The 59th Street Bridge Song" (Hello lamp post, whatcha doin'?).  By breaking out of the mold of strictly old music, this band had developed a fan base which includes many young folks.

Jim Fryer & the Usual Suspects.   Perhaps a bit more modern and swingy than the basic two-beat fare of Radio OKOM, this is a fine band with an immediate connection to the audience.

The Original Salty Dogs Jazz Band.  Cornet man Lew Green's "Turk Murphy" style band plays the San Francisco jazz book with wild abandon and good fun.  Lew's emcee-ing is among the best in the biz.  To that, add Carol Leigh, the dynamic singer who brings the house down, every time.

I maintain that most of the so-called jazz bands, seem to be oblivious to the audience.  That said, there are lots of sparkling exceptions out there.  
  Tell us about some more.
McN


      To: <tradjazz at list.okom.com>  
      Subject: [Tradjazz] Boring The Audience  
      Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2006 19:19:24 -0400  
      From: Steve Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>   
     
Bruce McN wrote about hokum and about the seemingly boring performances of
jazz bands in various genres including OKOM. Reminded me of the following
Branford Marsalis quote a bout the audience for jazz.

³Jazz Musicians are always talking about, 'Why isn¹t jazz popular.' But jazz
musicians today are completely devoid of charisma. People never really liked
the music in the first place. So now you have musicians who are proficient
at playing instruments, and people sit there, and it¹s just boring to them <
because they¹re trying to see something, or feel it.²

IMO, Marsalis is right on. MOST jazz bands today view the music as
"intellectual" and the coolest thing one can do is play it without any
emotion or charisma. Like just move your fingers and be a virtuoso.

And most trad jazz chat lists are focused on the past. Heck, the DJML had
more than 20 posts on a song called "Radio". That's OK, I don't criticize
it. People were interested. But I would point out that it is only us old
folks who want to remember the good old days. It is simply not relevant to
the younger audience, which is why we have none. OKOM exists in the here and
now, and will hopefully exist in the future.

The music in, and of itself, was never enough and those of us who saw it in
the 40s and 50s and 60s, will tell you that. Condon, Armstrong, shoot, even
Thelonious Monk, et al all had huge stage presence and knew exactly how to
get the audience going. Who in jazz, especially OKOM, does that today? Who
in jazz, especially OKOM, tries to expand the audience for it?

Too damn few of us who play this music, that's for sure.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone 

PS to Bruce: BTW, the reaction we got at the Red Sea Jazz Festival is very
similar to the reaction Barbone Street gets at Sydney's Jazz Club in
Rehoboth Beach each August 4th weekend in Louis Armstrong's honor. And with
our College performances etc., where young people are. The "young" audiences
there are very energized by us. All sorts of interaction between them and
the band. Basically because we have honed our presentation to connect with
them. Only difference? Sydneys holds about 185 people, Red Sea Held 3000. 



     


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